CO2 tank: inside or outside

[guldalian]

Putting my keezer together this weekend. Just wondering, if space is not an issue, do you keep your tank inside the keezer/kegerator or outside and why?

 

[harry_the_face]

Mine is inside because my freezer was tall enough that I didn't need a collar. I am considering a collar just so I can move the tank outside but that means more air leaking and a bit more energy to maintain temperature. In the end I would say outside is better.

 

[processhead]

Outside. I already have too many things to schlep in and out of awkward locations. Also, the high humidity and low temps + condensation inside a refrigerated space tend to shorten the life of gauges and regulators.

 

[WBCo]

I'm using an over/under fridge/freezer so not exactly the same, but I have a 20# bottle on the outside. Freezer is hops storage, fridge is kegs (usually 3), random bottles and yeast storage.

I decided to use the bottle outside to save on space, but also because I bought a dual regulator and I can use the second line from the regulator for things like purging or sealing kegs without opening the fridge door. I use an MFL bulkhead from chicompany through the side of then fridge so there is no temperature loss

 

[Morrey]

All of mine (3) are inside. But Mongoose33 just posted a collar build that is sweet, probably going to try that and then move the tanks outside. Drilling in thru a freezer is risky, but by drilling into a wooden collar, you wont hit any vital organs...lol.

 

[Owly055]

I use mini kegs 1.75 gallon, and keep them on the top shelf of my fridge. For CO2, I use paint ball bottles (24 ounce), which fit nicely behind the keg. One bottle services both kegs. I just switch the hose from one to the other.

There is no inherent advantage of outside or inside, except perhaps at the bitter end of the bottle, when it is essentially empty anyway. The bottle pressure will be higher, but by the time you reach that point, the bottle is for all intents and purposes empty.

It's entirely a matter of convenience.........A bottle inside takes up space, which may or may not be important. A bottle outside means having a hole in your fridge / kegerator, which no matter how well it is sealed, will carry warmth into the cooler via the metal passing through. Less so for plastic. But it probably is insignificant in terms of cost for most of us.

H.W.

 

[seatazzz]

Mine sits outside the kegerator, mainly due to space considerations. I had a 2-keg kegerator until recently, now I have a re-purposed refrigerator that can fit 4 cornies. It already had the hole drilled in the side for the co2 line so....also I've had issues with co2 leaking in the past so it's much easier to keep an eye on the regulator when it's not in the fridge. Also much easier to change out the tank if you don't have to shuffle kegs around to get at it.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Mine is inside. I have a 2x6 collar, but prefer the clean look of a freezer without anything hanging out. Also, fewer penetrations = less spots to leak cold and introduce humidity.

 

[beernutz]

When I built my keezer in 2013 I had a 5# tank inside but when I moved up to a 20# CO2 tank I moved it out of the keezer as I could only fit 4 kegs with the 20# in but it holds 5 with if out. My keezer though is in my garage so storage room and wife-acceptance-factor are not issues.

FWIW, the additional 300% of CO2 for a 20# tank only costs me 75% more money than when filling my 5# tank plus I have to bother with refilling it much less frequently.

 

[IKR]

Mine is inside because my freezer is in the garage and during a heatwave in the summer I'm not sure how hot the tank would get midday. Probably extreme but I can deal with replacing gauges better than a tank going boom.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

inside. but i got the room.
I just got my first keg and installed the kit into my spare fridge in the basement, then i nearly soiled myself after putting the tank in the fridge and seeing the gauge drop by half overnight.

Was spraying everything with soapy water looking for the leak.
Then my pre-coffee brain started working again and i remembered that happens to canisters of gas when they get really cold.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

There is no inherent advantage of outside or inside, except perhaps at the bitter end of the bottle, when it is essentially empty anyway. The bottle pressure will be higher, but by the time you reach that point, the bottle is for all intents and purposes empty.

My thought is that when the CO2 is out side the fridge, it stays warm. Possibly warming the beer it is carbonating. And possibly over-foaming the final product.

But if it is inside the fridge the CO2 is the same temp of the beer it is carbonating.

Thoughts?

 

[processhead]

My thought is that when the CO2 is out side the fridge, it stays warm. Possibly warming the beer it is carbonating. And possibly over-foaming the final product.

But if it is inside the fridge the CO2 is the same temp of the beer it is carbonating.

Thoughts?

CO2 is a liquid in the tank. It vaporizes as it leaves the bottle. When it vaporizes it actually absorbs heat.
Feel how cold your CO2 tank is after you have purged a keg or fed gas at high rates.

Even at room temperatures, gas on top of cold beer isn't going to affect the cold beer fed from the bottom of the keg through the pickup tube.