CO2 bottle filling at home

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LD-Ordie

LD-Ordie

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I have 2 outfits locally that I can fill my CO2 bottles. As in within 100 miles. One outfit will refill your bottles, which for my new aluminum ones I prefer. The other is a welding supply which will only exchange. The one that will refill has been out since last November and has no idea when he will get a supply. So I do have a 50 lb bottle I use along with a 20 and 2 10's for inside my kegerator. So does any one offer the fittings to fill my smaller bottles from my 50? My local 2 suppliers do not have a clue. Thanks!
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174298742907
This isn't the exact one I use, but it's very similar. Maybe nicer even.
I fill 3 5lbs tanks that I use for a variety of things brewing from a 100lbs tank.
Works GREAT
 

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As far as I'm aware you can only fill a tank using a siphon tank. The Co2 is liquid so if you don't have a siphon you're just filling your tank with CO2 gas, which won't amount to much.
 
It helps if the receiving bottle is cold too. I stick them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes prior to filling.

BTW- be very careful, you are dealing with liquid co2 at unregulated pressures. Liquid co2 will burn you.
 
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fwiw, I did indeed finally invest in a 20# siphon tank and it is the bomb! I have three 5 pounders which are a ridiculous way to deal with CO2 but the 20# siphon tank is the leveler: it's up in the "cheap to fill" zone, and partially filling the 5 pounders takes only a couple of minutes whenever needed...

Cheers!
 
Thanks to all, it's greatly appreciated!! Probably going to look into the siphon system. While in high school, I saw a student remove the guard before securing the tank, lost his grip and it fell snapping the upper portion off. It did turn into a torpedo taking out everything in it's path, thru a cinder block wall then out in a field. A miracle no one was hurt. Got a lot of respect for those things!!
 
NewJersey said:
It's stable and I fill smaller tanks from it without issue.
Click to expand...

What do you have it strapped to? The image sends a message of a very precarious balance...

Also, can you shine a light on your re-filling workflow? I don't see a purge valve on the siphon tube hose.
Do you get your small tanks hydro tested regularly?

I can't be the only one who is more than just curious.
 
It's my understanding that co2 bottles draw off the bottom as the liquid is heavier than the gas. So what's the purpose of inverting the larger bottle? Do some bottles not have a siphon tube installed? Amazon also has a a few transfer kits available. Exploring all the options. I exchanged my 50 lb tank the other day for $28. Seems like my last 20lb wasn't much difference. Those larger tanks are stupid expensive, lucky I got mine on a trade
 
LD-Ordie said:
It's my understanding that co2 bottles draw off the bottom as the liquid is heavier than the gas. So what's the purpose of inverting the larger bottle? Do some bottles not have a siphon tube installed? Amazon also has a a few transfer kits available. Exploring all the options. I exchanged my 50 lb tank the other day for $28. Seems like my last 20lb wasn't much difference. Those larger tanks are stupid expensive, lucky I got mine on a trade
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Fill tanks have siphon tubes so they can dispense liquid CO2. Serving tanks do not so they can dispense gaseous CO2. Some tanks can be turned upside down to dispense liquid, although I've heard that not all valves support this, so do your research before attempting.
 
Gotta lot to learn here....... New to using a 50lb bottle, as in last week. how does one know if it has a siphon tube or not? Just finished hooking it up to a keg to carbonate, is there a chance I ruined my beer by injecting it with fluid instead of gas?
 
LD-Ordie said:
New to using a 50lb bottle, as in last week. how does one know if it has a siphon tube or not?
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i'd crack the valve without a regulator? if it spits liquid it's a siphon tank, if gas then it's not...think that would be safe?

when i was swapping a tank once, i asked if it was empty or not. the guy just turned it upside down, and opened it up. told me yeah, once the liquid is gone it's pretty much a goner....
 
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Going to try that, also will ask the welding supply outfit if they have options. Not real keen on flipping a big tank upside down
 
This makes a lot of sense to "jerry-rig" a home propane transfer system (with upside down propane tanks) to save having to buy or refill a relatively inexpensive extra tank. It is hard to imagine anything that go wrong here that would put the family and house at any risk. I should maybe even have my home insurance agent and inspector come over and take a look. :)
 
Jim R said:
This makes a lot of sense to "jerry-rig" a home propane transfer system (with upside down propane tanks) to save having to buy or refill a relatively inexpensive extra tank. It is hard to imagine anything that go wrong here that would put the family and house at any risk. I should maybe even have my home insurance agent and inspector come over and take a look. :)
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it's not about the destination, it's about the journey! :mug:
 
I have been filling tanks at home for several years. I bought a 20 lb tank and had a siphon installed. I don't remember what adding the siphon cost, but my local gas supply place installed it. I started filling paintball tanks that I use for portable use. I then purchased the hose setup in the picture and started filling my 5 lb tank. (You will only get a partial fill with this method but I can probably get 3 pounds in a 5 lb tank). A couple points: without a siphon, the supply tank has to be turned upside down or all you will be transferring is gas. The tank being filled really does need to spend several hours in a freezer and then do the transfer when it is cold. Otherwise when the liquid co2 hits the warm temperatures in the tank being filled, it will immediately turn to gas and stop the refill. Also if the tank being filled does not have a siphon, it works best to tip it upside down so it fills from the bottom. I don't believe slightly opening the valve will tell you if there is a siphon installed or not as everything that will be released will immediately turn to gas.
 

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Jim R said:
This makes a lot of sense to "jerry-rig" a home propane transfer system (with upside down propane tanks) to save having to buy or refill a relatively inexpensive extra tank. It is hard to imagine anything that go wrong here that would put the family and house at any risk. I should maybe even have my home insurance agent and inspector come over and take a look. :)
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It's about co2 tanks.
 

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So, a big thanks to the majority who posted informative information. I now have a much better understanding as to what needs to be done and the choices I need to make. Reaching out to my welding supply for tanks with a siphon tube, or even building a fixture that can safely hold my 50lb bottle upside down and properly securing to a wall. I do have that technology to build. Please no disrespect to bracconiere for his design, seems to be working for him and it did offer a design option to work from. There is also the option that my supplier gets his shipment of CO2 in, but he did say it could be months. I can also drive the 100+ miles to the city where I have better options for filling
 
I used to rent a 50# siphon tube tank from a welding supply shop to refill paintball tanks when I had a rec team. It was a few years back so I don't remember the exact cost but it wasn't much for the monthly rental then a like $20 fee for refills. Charge with a few second burst then purge the tank you're filling to chill and it wasn't any trouble getting a full fill. I made the fill adapter with fittings and hose from a plumbing supplier and a remote tank on/off valve from a paintball shop. I'm sure Amazon has something pre-made for cheap.
 
day_trippr said:
fwiw, I did indeed finally invest in a 20# siphon tank and it is the bomb! I have three 5 pounders which are a ridiculous way to deal with CO2 but the 20# siphon tank is the leveler: it's up in the "cheap to fill" zone, and partially filling the 5 pounders takes only a couple of minutes whenever needed...

Cheers!
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I know it has been awhile since this discussion occurred, but I am interested in my options for filling 5lb tanks from my 20lb. It sounds like I need the transfer hose and either a siphon tank (which I assume simply has a tube to the bottom similar to the liquid side of a corny keg), or can I just mount my standard 20lb tank upside down? Safety is obviously an issue, but it sounds like a number of people do this regularly, especially the paintballers. What am I missing?
 
My xfer hose has one. If you put the valve end at the receiving cylinder there's a little less liquid CO2 to be concerned about when you disconnect that end of the hose, then you can close the siphon tank valve and open the hose valve to let the trapped CO2 safely escape.

fwiw, I use the last breaths of CO2 from the receiving cylinder to gas-purge the transfer hose before hooking it up to the siphon tank...

Cheers!
 
bracconiere said:
i honestly would have just assumed it would be ~3,000psi? my tank when full is usually at 1,000psi?
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Depends on the temperature. I thought a CO2 tank at room temperature was about 870 psi. The tanks are hydrostatically tested at 1800, I believe. Oxygen tanks are quite a bit higher. Whatever the number, I think my point still stands, are you sure the hose has a working pressure high enough to be safe? Not just a burst strength which obviously hasn't been exceeded yet but if you're close it might fail someday.
 

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