Benifits of having a larger CO2 bottle?

[mattd2]

What are the benifits of having a larger CO2 bottle? At the moment I am only going through 1 keg a month and I could buy a 6kg bottle for $200 (I know its shocking but thats what the prices are like here in little ol' NZ) that would last me probably 6 years! or continue with my 9 oz system which is $11 per swap (works out to be....$244 for 6kg of CO2 - they are 270g actually, not 9 oz).
Now what would you guys say would be the major draw card for a larger bottle; ease, less refills/less chance of getting caught with no gas, cost per refill, something else?

What I like about the 9 oz system I got is swmbo using them in her soda maker so when mine runs out I unscrew it, swap it with her spare and leave my empty one, screw the new bottle in and away I go !
But having to change it out every 3 kegs might be a bit anoying but saying that it is only once every 3 months (unless I start really enjoying pouring my own pints, which going by last week I will )

 

[KillerKellers]

The only downsides I can think of are the larger size to deal with.. and if you get a leak in a keg or something, you will drain a huge tank instead of a small one.

 

[nebben]

I have a big tank. Benefits for me include:

4x the capacity of smaller 5lb tanks,
and same cost in $$ to refill the 20lb tank as the 5lb tank.

Your mileage may vary in NZ with the cost of 20lb vs. 5lb tank, but I bet it's close.

 

[mattd2]

Yeah I imagine most of the cost to fill the tank would be a handling charge irrespective of the tank size.
The cost difference between the 9 oz swap and 6kg bottle is crazy though, $40.74/kg compared with $5.83/kg! ouch! In the end I will bite the bullet and get the tank because after ~3 years I will have spent the same amount on 9 oz swaps as I would of if I bought the tank and I will have my own tank! makes more sense when I also have a 4-5 keg keezer waiting in the wings to be built! but for now I think I will have to suffer the crazy cost of the 9 oz'rs.
Once the keezer is complete (with tank of coarse) at least I will also have a portable system that I can use instead of using one of those CO2 bulb dispenser things!
Note to self: Tell santa I want a CO2 tank for Xmas

 

[Layne]

.. And if you get a leak in a keg or something, you will drain a huge tank instead of a small one.

1+

 

[jeffmeh]

I prefer multiple, smaller CO2 bottles. If you are disciplined about refilling one when it is empty, you never run out of CO2. I have collected three 5 lb. bottles, one for the upstairs serving kegerator, one for the downstairs conditioning keezer/fermentation chamber, and one spare. Of course, two were very inexpensive and one was free, lol.

 

[SumnerH]

if you get a leak in a keg or something, you will drain a huge tank instead of a small one.

That's not a big deal, though, since refilling a big one costs about the same as refilling a small one.

 

[KillerKellers]

That's not a big deal, though, since refilling a big one costs about the same as refilling a small one.

I agree.. I actually keep a larger tank and keep a 5lb tank for when I run out on the bigger one.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

I have a 20lb tank that I use with my kegarator that costs about $36 per swap. That one lasts for a while and since I have it strapped to the wall next to the fridge, it's not really a problem. As long as you teflon tape all your connections you should be ok. I use a 20oz tank for my portable 2.5g setup but that costs about $3.50 to refill. I like having the larger tank. I don't have to worry about refills and since it's a larger volume, once the liquid in it is gone the high pressure gague actually helps to tell me that I need to refill and still have enough to push a keg or two.

 

[Liruge]

I think the best setup would be to have a large wall mounted bulk tank both for stationary kegerator consumption and to refill small tanks for portable keg consumption. Done right, a small tank could be connected to the kegerator while the bulk tank gets filled. The best way to do this would be to have the bulk tank mounted on a swivel so it can be turned upside down so it puts out liquid CO2 to fill the small tanks. When finished, use the swivel to turn it back rightside up and it will put out gas for the kegerator. If I decide to eventually set my kegging system up in this way I'll probably purchase one of these: http://www.anythingxtreme.com/Fill-Stations-C4962.aspx