Kegging today...

[wolfstar]

Later today my kegging kit should be here. I purchased a 2 keg kit from kegconnection. I was planning on kegging tonight, but had a question. My LHBS charges $12.95 to fill a 5# co2 tank. They claim it is because they can guaronteeee I will get 5# as they weigh the tank and pump liquid co2 into the tank (almost the exact words). They claim that welding supply places just open a valve and let the pressure equalize between the empty tank and the filling tank, which could cause me to not get my moneys worth if the tank the co2 is coming from is not completely full...is there any merit to this?.

 

[HOMEBREWZ]

i think thats about right personally , i dont think a weld shop would be as accurate on filling another tank as the lhbs would be. and 12.95 doesn't sound bad to me i remember spending like 15 bucks to fill a 20 ounce co2 tank for paint ball lol dunno if theres a differnce in co2

 

[cimirie]

I'm not sure their explanation is anything more than marketing. If I remember my high school chemistry class, compressed co2 in tanks is always liquid due to the pressure. Could be wrong on that though.

What I do know is that many people complain that their tank fill doesn't actually fill the tank completely. Im not sure this has much to do with fill mechanics but rather with tank temp. When you fill a tank, unless the store takes care to significantly chill the empty tank, you will not get a good fill.

Most people take the tank out of their warm car, wait in a warm store, and get it filled. This warm tank heats the co2 being filled which expands it, filling the available tank space faster. Thus your fillup results in less co2 in the tank.

So your LHBS may have the snazziest most expensive co2 filler on earth, but if they hand you back a tank that isn't cold, it's probably not filled fully.

But a $12.95 fill up for 5#... Not bad at all. I pay around $17.

 

[HOMEBREWZ]

yeah that makes sense.

 

[wolfstar]

my kit just got here....I am impressed with the condition of the kegs, a couple stuck on labels, but otherwise just a couple of very minor dings

Thanks for the replies, I am going to get the co2 tomorrow in between clients...

 

[solaris96]

my local fire extinguisher store fills them for $10 and if you cant trust a fire extinguisher store who can you trust.

 

[ozzy1038]

The key to filling co2 tanks is to chill them. You put some into the canister/tank and then purge. This wiil chill and frost the bottle some. It should then take a full charge. My local carbonic gas place will fill a 20# tank for $21.00 including a $5.00 hazmat fee.

 

[JonK331]

12.95 is cheap. I pay over $20 here in the bay area.

 

[Golddiggie]

i think thats about right personally , i dont think a weld shop would be as accurate on filling another tank as the lhbs would be. and 12.95 doesn't sound bad to me i remember spending like 15 bucks to fill a 20 ounce co2 tank for paint ball lol dunno if theres a differnce in co2

The paintball place in my area only charges $5 to fill a 20oz tank... That's with the fill/purge cycles to get it cold enough to hold a full 20oz.

As for the OP, easy enough to weigh the tank before you get it filled, then again when you get home with it. It should be 5# heavier when you get it home (or damned close to it).

As for the HBS's explanation of why they charge the price, it sounds a bit fishy to me... IF they have a compressor on the system, they don't need to fill/flush like you would without one.

Oh, and the fire extinguisher place that fills my tanks currently only charges $10 for a 5#, and $18 for a 20#... The 2.5# tanks cost $7 to get filled up... I think they charge in the $12-$15 range to fill a 10# tank. They have a compressor there, and scale, to get the correct amount of gas into the tanks... I do trust them to not screw me. Especially since they're used to people depending on having accurate fill amounts in either tanks or the extinguishers.

 

[bad67z]

Any reputable establishment should fill co2 buy weight, be it a welding supply, beer distributor, fire extinguisher service center, paint ball shop or even a lhbs. Take a look on the side of your co2 cylinder and there should be a T.W. stamped with some numbers after. This is the tare weight of the cylinder, weigh the cylinder after it's been filled and subtract the T.W.

(this is a 20lb I think)


And 12.95 for a fill isn't a bad price for a 5 lb. fill in my experience.