CO2 Help

[BrewingBuckeye]

New to kegging and having a hard time finding where to get (food grade) CO2 refill in Columbus Ohio area.
This got me thinking about Soda Stream tanks since they are easily found and I have seen articles using them to dispense beer. I also think they would be good for refrigerator space.
My question is could they also be used (economically) to force carbonate too? If so, how many tanks should I keep on hand? My kegs are 2.5 gallon size. So I would want to carbonate and serve.

 

[Jim R]

Do a web search in your area for welding supply shops. The tanks I get at our local welding supply store are marked as "liquid beverage grade" or "food grade" on the side of the tank.

 

[Nate R]

I think cost-wise you will save much more money by driving to a location with 5# tanks. There are also 2.5# tanks but thoose are harder to find.
I am not sure how big a soda stream tank is, but i bet it would do maybe one or two 5 gallon keg. That's gonna add up.

Edit: google searh "airgas" or "praxair" and even "commercial gas supplier" and i am sure you will find a few hits.

 

[DuncB]

Sodastream is a very expensive option. The largest only holds 60 litres of CO2 so i expect you'd need nearly a whole one to force carb a 20 litre cylinder at 2.5 vols.

Once you have a proper sized CO2 cylinder you can get adapters that will allow you to fill your Sodastream cylinder. Useful if you have one on a mini keg for travel etc. You can get an adapter that allow

 

[madscientist451]

New to kegging and having a hard time finding where to get (food grade) CO2 refill in Columbus Ohio area.

Found this place on Google, but in my experience most industrial gas suppliers swap out tanks instead of doing re-fills, the reviews mention that this supplier serves homebrewer's needs. The cheapest fill per pound is usually a 20 lb tank.
http://geergas.com/

 

[Jim R]

As I recall I pay about $20 to exchange a 5 lb tank and $25 to exchange my 20 lb tank. You are mostly paying for their time to fill them and not the gas.

I also learned that the path of least resistance is to not be emotionally attached to your shiny tank and just do tank exchanges. There are far more places that will do exchanges than there are that will refill your own tank (while you sit there waiting). You will also then never have an expired tank that they won't refill any longer.

 

[BrewingBuckeye]

New to kegging and having a hard time finding where to get (food grade) CO2 refill in Columbus Ohio area.
This got me thinking about Soda Stream tanks since they are easily found and I have seen articles using them to dispense beer. I also think they would be good for refrigerator space.
My question is could they also be used (economically) to force carbonate too? If so, how many tanks should I keep on hand? My kegs are 2.5 gallon size. So I would want to carbonate and serve.

Ok
So it is the tank that needs to be “food grade” not the location that fills it or the gas.Yep, I know that probably sounds dumb. CO2 = CO2

 

[Grizwold1]

no, the tanks themselves are either aluminum or steel and have no appreciable effect on "food grade". I have for years used exchange tanks from either auto parts stores or welding shops without seeing any difference in the gas itself. The food grade question has more to do with impurities that may or may not be in the CO2 itself. That said, I have not worried about low oxygen brewing much until recently--not sure what that brings to the table.

 

[bkboiler]

that's not a dumb question at all...when a tank gets marked food grade it just means that whomever is using it is intending it for that purpose.
When tanks run out, they're usually still attached, and there's no built in check valves on these tanks (meaning it's possible for things to get inside if a user doesn't have a check valve on their system).
So in some instances, like for medical oxygen, they're required to purge the tank prior to filling. for food grade and beverage grade CO2 I believe that's the case as well. (Also for lab and scientific grade).
For industrial, I don't think they purge.
That being said, most of the time, airgas is a total ripoff cost wise...as they charge you for some portion of the recert tank fee each time. Where I am, it's around $35 for a swap of 5# of CO2...I basically just look at the tank and go get it refilled for cheap somewhere small (LHBS?)
until the stamp is ready to expire (hard metal etched into the tank is a month and year, 5 year recert interval on aluminum, 10 year on steel I think), then take it to airgas just before the expiry.

 

[lumbergh]

My soda stream tank is 14 oz. I bought a 5 lb co2 tank so I could fill it and not pay $15 to swap that 14oz tank. And... so I could build a keezer.

 

[DuncB]

I have picked up several Sodastream cylinders at carboot sales etc. If one is empty I fill it when I get the big CO2 tank filled. With a good hour in the freezer ( sodastream) and a new tank you do get more CO2 into the sodastream cylinder. Has saved me as well when the main cylinder ran out and I couldn't get the big tank refilled straightaway.

 

[BrewingBuckeye]

so what about paintball tanks/CO2? Is there a reason this is not a popular option given the numerous sporting good stores?

BTW...Great info and advice all around. Thank you everyone!!!!!!

 

[Bdgarel]

I have to imagine buckeye brew craft could tell you where to go for refills too. There’s lots of options in the Cincinnati area as well.

 

[jerrylotto]

I have a 20# tank that use for my kegerator and a 5# that I use for purging/expunging kegs and fermenters, pushing santizer out of a keg, and pressure testing things. The only reason I keep the 5# around is that it is lighter weight and easy to lug around - otherwise, I would go with 2 20# tanks. Check ou Geer Gas, 1360 McKinley Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43222 (614) 272-4337. They look like the right kind of place online.

 

[Barbarossa]

It might be related to the kind of oil they use, not the tank itself or the gas. I refill at a fire extinguisher place and they use bacon grease on their equipment for people who wants food grade.

 

[JayZeus]

Industrial grade Co2 (including paint ball tanks) are likely to have impurities. This can mean anything from high moisture content to oils and even other gases.
I can't really speak for the tanks but I have lots of experience with the industrial gas. I would not take the chance of ruining a brew that I spent weeks on fermenting. So yeah, not a dumb question at all!

 

[Dutchman52]

New to kegging and having a hard time finding where to get (food grade) CO2 refill in Columbus Ohio area.
This got me thinking about Soda Stream tanks since they are easily found and I have seen articles using them to dispense beer. I also think they would be good for refrigerator space.
My question is could they also be used (economically) to force carbonate too? If so, how many tanks should I keep on hand? My kegs are 2.5 gallon size. So I would want to carbonate and serve.

I checked for welding stores in your area there are three main stores. As to the size ( For kegerator smaller is better 5 or 10 are fine. If you are moving up in brewing, move to a 20 or 50 (same size overall). DONT buy bottle, only exchange. Some dealers like to rent their bottles (don't do it). Difference between industrial C02 and beverage grade is .05% of 1 percent. Cost is normally a few dollars more if you are concerned about purity ( Me industrial is fine). Dip tubes, NO. Bottles are filled through recirculation system and then weighed for pounds. I worked for the #3 company in the world so I get my gases for... free. Good luck and happy Dispersing.

 

[HutBrew]

As someone who lives in Columbus, I can vouch for both Geer Gas and Buckeye Brewcraft refills
Geer gas is only slightly cheaper, and their hours suck- practically only 9-5 M-F
I’d say support the LHBS and pay the extra $2/refill, plus for the convenience of their more flexible hours.
Good Luck!

 

[JayZeus]

For what it's worth, I was in a pinch this past weekend and ended up going with an "industrial tank".
The beer turned out excellent at first but within 3 days, I am noticing a bitter off flavor. I wont be taking that chance again.

 

[DuncB]

@Dutchman52

Not sure if this is in your knowledge bank from time at #3 but if filling a CO2 cylinder with a beer gas mix do you put the CO2 in first then Nitrogen or vice versa?