CO2 Tank Size

So I just picked up two Cornelius kegs and am ready to move from bottling to kegging.

Curious as to what size of CO2 tank I should purchase? Some have told me 20 others say 5...what the right answer? I would imagine that I will force carbonate as I don't have much patience so do I go with a bigger tank or not??

 

I have three Corny Kegs setup in my kegerator and run a 7.5lb cylinder and am fine with that. I probably can go 6 months without refilling. And, the 7.5lber is pretty easy to take with you for refilling.

 

I currently have a 5# that came with my jockey box and want to get a 20# too, but when you have a leak that goes undiscovered, you're better off losing a smaller amount.
I've gone through at least 4 since I started kegging, and one was gone in about 2 weeks due to a leak. I'd start small then go bigger.

 

I have a 10lb tank for my 5 keg system. I refill every 7-8 months and that's with carbing roughly 2 kegs per month plus other minor uses of co2 like putting pressure in a keg with a gallon of Star San to clean the lines, etc. There are really only two questions, 1 how much room do you have, and 2 how often do you want to refill it? Given you don't have any leaks of course.

 

Good points about the leaks.... Had a few of those too


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Go big or go home! 20# is almost the same price to refill at the gas/welding shop as the 5#er.

Seems like a no brainer to me...

 

Great point, I guess there are 3 things to consider. Of course your budget is another, and then you should figure out where your going to get it refilled and if they will fill yours or only do exchanges. No point in buying a shiny new bottle in that case. I guess there are 6, yes, 6 things to consider. That and nobody expects the Spanish inquisition!

 

It's good to have a spare cylinder of CO2 on hand.......