CO2

[jtrux]

Just went to refill my CO2 tank and was denied bc take was over 5 years old. Ugg.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Fire supply/welding supply should be able to hydrotest it for you, allowing you to use it for another 5 years. My local place charged $20 last time I had to do one.

 

[jtrux]

Fire supply/welding supply should be able to hydrotest it for you, allowing you to use it for another 5 years. My local place charged $20 last time I had to do one.

Thanks I’ll give that a try.

 

[Dustin_J]

Some of the larger gas exchange outfits (think Airgas, Praxair sorts of joints) will exchange/swap tanks regardless of hydrotest status. It's another option if you're not attached to your specific tank.

 

[day_trippr]

I have found ^that^ to be true at actual (AirGas) fill depots - where they can do hydro certs on site.
Might not get as lucky at their non-fill satellite outlets...

Cheers!

 

[Punx Clever]

Some people get attached to their shiny new aluminum CO2 tank. Not me.

I've always swapped my tank when it was empty. Sometimes the tank is prettier than other times, but it's always in hydro, and if it goes out, the welding supply shop will swap an out of hydro cylinder that has their sticker on it at no extra cost.

I've even swapped a tank I picked up out in CA for one in VA from the same welding chain.

 

[Pete S]

I called a local welding supply place (Maine Oxy) today to ask about the price of 20# CO2 tanks and the refill cost. I was told $89+/- for the cylinder and $22+/- for the CO2 and refills. So I drove there to pick up two 20# tanks. When the guy at the counter said that it would be $400+, I said "What, I called earlier and was told it would be $112 per tank." Apparently the guy I spoke to on the phone has been working there for two days, and quoted the price for 5# cylinders and CO2 fills, even though I had clearly said 20#. The guy at the counter was nice and said that if I could find a used 20# tank on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. that he would swap it out as long as it has the DOT stamp and is labeled for what gas it contained, even if it was an O2, N2, etc. That was nice of him, but there's virtually nothing available locally at the moment in term of used tanks. Looking online, there are refurbished and tested 20# CO2 tanks available for far less, which have the DOT stamp, but don't have a CO2 sticker, because they are refurbished and empty. The 5# CO2 tanks that they carried locally were tall and slim (~24" tall x 3.5" diameter), which seems like a horrible idea, in that it would need to be strapped to something upright at all times.

Needless to say, I was really disappointed in their actual pricing, compared to what I was told on the phone. I want two CO2 tanks. I would be fine with say a 20# and a 5# tank, as long as they are easy to refill locally and as long as the 5# tank isn't that ridiculously slim tank. I would have had no problem spending roughly $225 for a pair of filled 20# tanks, which is what I drove to get. It no doubt varies greatly by location, but what do people recommend?

I want the ability to keep kegs at standard dispensing pressures. I also want to be able to use a second tank/regulator to push higher pressures to carbonate beer for drinking, or to have a second tank to use when when bringing kegs to events at friend's houses. For the latter, a 5# tank may be nice, but I would have been fine with a pair of 20# tanks.

 

[brewswithshoes]

I called a local welding supply place (Maine Oxy) today to ask about the price of 20# CO2 tanks and the refill cost. I was told $89+/- for the cylinder and $22+/- for the CO2 and refills. So I drove there to pick up two 20# tanks. When the guy at the counter said that it would be $400+, I said "What, I called earlier and was told it would be $112 per tank." Apparently the guy I spoke to on the phone has been working there for two days, and quoted the price for 5# cylinders and CO2 fills, even though I had clearly said 20#. The guy at the counter was nice and said that if I could find a used 20# tank on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. that he would swap it out as long as it has the DOT stamp and is labeled for what gas it contained, even if it was an O2, N2, etc. That was nice of him, but there's virtually nothing available locally at the moment in term of used tanks. Looking online, there are refurbished and tested 20# CO2 tanks available for far less, which have the DOT stamp, but don't have a CO2 sticker, because they are refurbished and empty. The 5# CO2 tanks that they carried locally were tall and slim (~24" tall x 3.5" diameter), which seems like a horrible idea, in that it would need to be strapped to something upright at all times.

Needless to say, I was really disappointed in their actual pricing, compared to what I was told on the phone. I want two CO2 tanks. I would be fine with say a 20# and a 5# tank, as long as they are easy to refill locally and as long as the 5# tank isn't that ridiculously slim tank. I would have had no problem spending roughly $225 for a pair of filled 20# tanks, which is what I drove to get. It no doubt varies greatly by location, but what do people recommend?

I want the ability to keep kegs at standard dispensing pressures. I also want to be able to use a second tank/regulator to push higher pressures to carbonate beer for drinking, or to have a second tank to use when when bringing kegs to events at friend's houses. For the latter, a 5# tank may be nice, but I would have been fine with a pair of 20# tanks.

Seems a lot to pay for a tank.
I have a 20, two 5s, and a 1 lb paintball tank. Got them all basically free or Uber cheap. The 20 stays hooked up to the keezer but that has dual regulator settings to do higher carb setting as you mention wanting. But honestly, the 1 lb tank gets a lot of use as it’s nimble and can be used in multiple scenarios. My two 5s mostly sit around unused until the 20 or 1 lb tank go empty. ThenThey only serve backup roles till the others get refilled. The 5s seem too small to drive my keezer gas needs (7 kegs) but also are too big to use with my portable 2.5g keg cooler setup.
I know it doesn’t help if you need it now, but I can ensure you that diligently watching Craigslist or letgo can net you a cheap CO2 tank within a months time.

Everybody’s needs are different so just offering my two cents. Good luck with the tank search.

 

[VikeMan]

Some of the larger gas exchange outfits (think Airgas, Praxair sorts of joints) will exchange/swap tanks regardless of hydrotest status. It's another option if you're not attached to your specific tank.

My experience with Airgas is that they will take your expired tank in exchange if it has an Airgas sticker on it. Otherwise, they'll offer to charge you some additional amount (about the same as a hydro-test fee, IIRC), take your exchange, and give you a tank that has their sticker.

 

[Pete S]

My experience with Airgas is that they will take your expired tank in exchange if it has an Airgas sticker on it. Otherwise, they'll offer to charge you some additional amount (about the same as a hydro-test fee, IIRC), take your exchange, and give you a tank that has their sticker.

I was planning on calling Airgas this morning, and just did. Their prices were a bit more reasonable than Maine Oxy. For 20# tanks, you can lease a tank for $30 per year or purchase for around $150. Either way, they do a tank swap when you need a refill, which is about $22. A 5# tank can be purchased for around $100, including the initial fill.

I did look online for used tanks last night and there doesn't seem to be much available, and it seems to be a bit of a gray area around what different gas suppliers will accept for exchanges.

I think a 20# tank and either a 5# or 10# tank will be a good combination for me.

 

[matt_m]

When the guy at the counter said that it would be $400+, I said "What, I called earlier and was told it would be $112 per tank."

Odd, I had the exact same experience at an Airgas location 20 minutes away. To be fair I was surprised they were so much cheaper than my local supplier. Airgas did make it up to me by swapping my empty 10lb CO2 for a full small (20cuft?) O2 tank at just the normal O2 swap price even though that's not normally allowed.

I ended up buying "refurbished" 20lb tanks on eBay, one for $78 and one for $89 including shipping. They are no problem to ship empty. My local gas supplier swapped them out for the usual $18 swap price with no hassle. Now that I have tanks with stickers from my local supplier, they will do swaps even if they go out of date without charging the hydro fee since they are "their" tanks. They will fill "my" tanks if I drop them off by COB Friday for fill by their CO2 delivery truck on Saturday morning but then I'm responsible for keeping them certified.

Edit: Neither seller I bought from has much available. The one does have 20lb aluminum tanks (mine for $78 was steel) but its over $100 shipped. 20 lb ALUMINUM WITH CARRY HANDLE CO2 Cylinder Fresh Test Good CGA320 Valve for sale online

 

[Pete S]

I ended up buying "refurbished" 20lb tanks on eBay, one for $78 and one for $89 including shipping. They are no problem to ship empty. My local gas supplier swapped them out for the usual $18 swap price with no hassle. Now that I have tanks with stickers from my local supplier, they will do swaps even if they go out of date without charging the hydro fee since they are "their" tanks. They will fill "my" tanks if I drop them off by COB Friday for fill by their CO2 delivery truck on Saturday morning but then I'm responsible for keeping them certified.

I looked at refurbished tanks online as well. Some were as cheap as $59, not including shipping, although that would probably end up being more than the $89 you paid. I didn't check out eBay yet. The guy at Maine Oxy said that the tanks needed to be DOT certified and have stickers showing what gas they contain. The refurbished tanks don't appear to have stickers, which is to be expected if they haven't been filled since being refurbished. It seems like I should be able to swap in those refurbished tanks, but I'll need to check with the gas suppliers.

 

[jrgtr42]

I just got a refurb 10# steel tank from Adventures in Homebrewing, for I think $60. There was a shipping charge with my order, but I'm not sure if is was the tank; I ordered a bunch of other stuff.
I just got an email the other day that refurn aluminum tanks are now in stock for $50 for the 10#.
Personally, I've been watching Craigslist for tanks for a while and I haven;t seen much - just a couple that keep popping up, used tanks for the same price I could get a brand-new one online for.

 

[Pete S]

I picked up a pair of 20# steel tanks today from Airgas. The cost of purchasing a tank from Matheson would have been about the same, but Matheson refills would be about 50% more expensive than Airgas, where I'm located. Instead of purchasing, I'm leasing the tanks for $30 each per year. Purchase is around $150 each. Obviously, purchasing could be cheaper long-term, but maybe I can find a used tank or two eventually for a good price, then not renew the tank lease at the end of the year. I also may travel for a year or two, once our world gets back closer to what we used to consider to be normal. If I owned the tanks, they would sit in storage, or I would sell them at a loss. The filled pair of 20# tanks was a total of about $113 for tanks, CO2, taxes, and other fees.

If I understood the Airgas guy correctly, the rental fees on the smaller (than 20#) CO2 tanks were still $30 per year, but refills are less cost effective. That said, a steel 20# CO2 tank seems ridiculously big to bring along to pressurize a couple 2.5 or 5 gallon kegs to a party.

 

[gnef]

I think it's all about perspective. I've got a mix of steel and aluminum 20# tanks, as well as two 50# steel tanks. I don't find the 20# tanks too difficult to move around, though I don't do it all that regularly, and the aluminum ones are definitely more convenient due to the handles and weight. The cost savings is just too significant in my mind to go with smaller tanks, and as long as you mitigate leak risks, you should be good!

 

[Gusso]

I have (2) 5# tanks that are well out of date. I generally use my (2) 20# tanks but I wanted to fill the 5#ers for emergency backups. I could exchange them at the AirGas in town but they never have 5#ers in stock. The local homebrew shop does exchanges but charges extra for out of date tanks (about $45)! I was heading to Philly to visit family and decided to bring them with me to see if I could get them filled at a welding supply in my old neighborhood. No problem! Had both tanks filled for just $15. No taxes, just $15 cash for the pair.

 

[jddevinn]

I've picked up several used 20#ers for very cheap on Craig's list and FB that are out of date, one was painted with an old Pepsi logo and stamped prop of Pepsi. Never had Airgas even look at cert dates. They also haven't cared when I've brought them a siphon tank and asked to change to a non-siphon.

 

[seatazzz]

I've picked up several used 20#ers for very cheap on Craig's list and FB that are out of date, one was painted with an old Pepsi logo and stamped prop of Pepsi. Never had Airgas even look at cert dates. They also haven't cared when I've brought them a siphon tank and asked to change to a non-siphon.

I had the same situation last year; bought some used kegs from a friend of a friend, he had a 20# tank that he let me have for $10 (!!!). It had "property of coca-cola" all over it in bright red with some legal mumbo-jumbo basically saying if we catch you with our tank we'll sue the pants off you. Some lighter fluid took that right off because I was paranoid, took it to my local gas shop and they exchanged without even looking at it. As I recall it was way out of date too. I get my 20's (I now have two, got another one with a used kegerator later last year) exchanged for $28 at the same shop, my LHBS wants $45.