Anyone use the disposable oxygen tanks for aerating?

[Kayos]

I can't find where to purchase the disposable O2 tanks. I don't have any welding shops nearby and the big HD/Lowes by me don't carry them. I want to go this route for aerating. Can you buy online? Other suggestions?

If I go the non-disposable route, anyone know of good deals out there on tanks?

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Wow, HD/Lowes doesn't have them? Are you sure? I don't believe it is legal to ship them filled, so ordering on line won't get you disposable.

 

[caskconditioned]

On several occasions I've had a sales person at HD/Lowes tell me they don't carry them but they do. Search by the welding section and look at the shelve on the floor - rad cannister.

 

[jcb317]

I've heard a lot of times to check in the plumbing area of HD/Lowes. So i was at Lowes last night and i thought I'd check out the disposable tanks. I looked all around the plumbing area and all i could find was propane and MAPP gas. A while back i bought a little portable propane burner in the tool area, so i went over there just to check it out, and thats where I was able to find O2 tanks. So if you only checked in plumbing, check in tools and so on. Just thought i'd mention this incase you were under the same impression as I was prior to last night.

As far as buying them online it seems like you can. I found this on amazon, although it costs more than i saw it last night at Lowes, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LDEYI0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Lowes was like $7-$8

 

[john from dc]

yeah, i too have gotten the "we don't carry that" from home depot. went and looked in the tools section, where they have soldering torches and such and they were right there.

 

[Beerthoven]

I use O2. The Lowes near me has them in the welding and brazing section (aisle 71 or something), near the tools. They cost about $8.

 

[Kayos]

NICE! I will use my eyes next time. I will let you know......

What O2 system did you all go with? Out of a HBS or ???

 

[Brewtopia]

Originally posted by Kayos
What O2 system did you all go with? Out of a HBS or ???

I use the Oxynator Kit and a disposable O2 tank from Home Depot

 

[rdwj]

I'd be willing to bet the people you taled to just don't know where to look. They carry oxygen at just about ANY hardware store

 

[Beerthoven]

What O2 system did you all go with? Out of a HBS or ???

I use this, from William's Brewing.

 

[Bobby_M]

Then walk over to the guy that said they don't have it and smash him over the head with your red tank.

 

[Kayos]

I feel like this happens quite a bit (the lack of knowledge employees -- not the smashing over the head ).

When these stores opened, they had guys who knew what they were talking about. Now it is just who will work for the cheapest pay.

 

[hagen505]

I am not sure where your located but I get my gas through Airgas, and they seem to have places all over the place check their website under store locator, there might be one nearby, http://www.airgas.com/

 

[biggenius29]

I have the stone and everything, but dont want to pay the $50-60 for a oxiginator. All I need is the cap/valve for the tank. Is there anywhere I can get just that, or does HD have something that will work?

 

[jcb317]

I've seen just the valve for under $20 at williams (http://www.williamsbrewing.com Item Q11). I was communicating with bernzomatic yesterday and they refused to sell me one as a replacement part for one of the MAPP/OXY torch kits they sell, for liability reasons...go figure.

 

[Seawolf]

I feel like this happens quite a bit (the lack of knowledge employees -- not the smashing over the head ).

When these stores opened, they had guys who knew what they were talking about. Now it is just who will work for the cheapest pay.

You're so right!! I also remember a time when you'd be wandering around at HD, and someone would come up to you and make sure you were finding what you were looking for. Now, I ask for help, and they tell me "oh, I don't work in that aisle, let me get someone to help you" which takes a five minute effort on the walkie-talkies and I'm left waiting for a guy for twenty minutes who ultimately doesn't know wtf he's taking about. Remind me why I go there!?

 

[Kayos]

I have the stone and everything, but dont want to pay the $50-60 for a oxiginator. All I need is the cap/valve for the tank. Is there anywhere I can get just that, or does HD have something that will work?

Is this what you mean?

 

[Tonedef131]

I have a regulator that was previously used on a propane tank but the tip to the torch went bad. So instead of throwing the whole thing away I was thinking about putting a barb fitting on it and adding a diffusion stone to it. I assume these regulators are the same, is there any reason I shouldn't be doing this? It would probably save me $20.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah, the best reason is that the O2 tank has left hand threads while propane has right.

 

[Liquidicem]

I'm not certain if a propane and oxygen regulator are the same. You could try but I don't think they are.

Edit: Looks like Bobby beat me to it and with a better answer

 

[Tonedef131]

Yeah, the best reason is that the O2 tank has left hand threads while propane has right.

Well that reason alone shot down that idea.

 

[big bill]

i have been buying my O2 at Ace Hardware and True Value. They have it in the welding supplies.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

Not to get too off-topic, but home depot also told me they don't carry propane burners or turkey fryers... A quick walk down to the grill section and they had about 10 different models to choose from... Like someone said above, mass-market stores don't really cater to the DIY-er who might need a point in the right direction when entering a building the size of some towns...

For the price of the regulator and the diffusion stone, you might as well get the 40 dollar kit with everything. The stainless steel wand is very helpful in getting the stone to the bottom of your fermenter instead of having the plastic tubing float around...

 

[crlova2]

Does anyone use a HEPA filter with the O2 tanks since they aren't medical grade? If not have you had any issues with just going straight from the tank to the stone

 

[mendnwngs]

As far as a HEPA, I dont think so.. They do have sanitary in-line filters you can use to remove any particulate matter / bugs that could be in the gas stream.

-Jason

 

[crlova2]

Quite a few here do..

You're talking about the O2 tanks you can buy at like Home depot, or Orchard Supply for welding, right?

They even sell kits with the needed regulator, and bottling wand.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WILLIAM_S_OXYGEN_AERATION_SYST-P699C106.aspx

-Jason

Yeah that is what I am talking about and I have an aeration system but I have been using a HEPA filter inline since the O2 isn't medical grade and could easily have contaminants in the bottle. However I think my filter is making it hard for the O2 pressure to be great enough to push anything out of the stone... Should I just scratch the filter out of the equation?

 

[BendBrewer]

Most guys use atmospheric air. Do you think that is Medical Grade? I have no problems with the Red Cylinders. No filter. Just an in-line stone.

 

[crlova2]

Ok just checking. I wasn't saying it was not right to not use a filter I was just making sure people have had good results without one...

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

I have the inline filter but for some reason I never used it. So 2+ years of just using the red bottles from HD and no issues.

 

[malkore]

I don't dispense beer with food grade CO2 either.
Gas is gas.
If the tank has rust inside, it won't infect the beer, but could taste funny.

I don't filter my disposible O2 gas, and never had an issue.