Feel like I’ve been ripped off

[Tom R]

OK, my turn now.
I need a CO2 tank.
I pay for a new, full tank.
Later, it's empty, so I TRADE my empty for a full one.

So I came in with a tank, I left with a tank. That part was free.
I only paid for the CO2.
And the LHBS and I both have the same number of tanks as before!

 

[bracconiere]

and they are treated as never to be seen again items.

exactly!

 

[bracconiere]

OK, my turn now.
I need a CO2 tank.
I pay for a new, full tank.
Later, it's empty, so I TRADE my empty for a full one.

So I came in with a tank, I left with a tank. That part was free.
I only paid for the CO2.
And the LHBS and I both have the same number of tanks as before!View attachment 733999

but you still have the F250! and can impress your friends with it! even though you actually would probably beat it up just as much if you used it for actual work.....

 

[Dialator]

I had this happen to me one time and learned how to avoid this going forward. What you are paying a premium for is for the tank recertification. They have to run tests on the bottle and valve to make sure it meets industry standards. The bottles are stamped with a date. Make sure the one you are bringing in doesn't have an expired date. Problem solved.

 

[Beermeister32]

If I get tank that is really ugly and it bothers me, I'll simply paint it.
Problem solved.

Agreed. I have plenty of Rustoleum, good use for it....

 

[homebeerbrewer]

It's math, I don't like it, but it's math.

I'm gonna take one more swing at this dead horse... 1 empty tank in, 1 full tank out = 0 tank loss or gain. At least for tanks. CO2 is another matter...

 

[soccerdad]

CO2 is another matter...

Or it could be anti-matter.

 

[DarrellQ]

Just think of the next guy that rolls on and sees that brand new cylinder and the joy he will have! Pay it forward I say!

Nah, they put the new one the shelf and sold it for $75!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Or it could be anti-matter.

Maybe that's how he's getting the free tank. Anti-matter vs. matter usually ends catastrophically, but if you can somehow manipulate the reaction, you might be able to create something else entirely. Why isn't he a billionaire with that kind of invention?

 

[Skyline225]

That's not cool. Please let us know what you find out.

Unfortunately that fee is normal here in Indiana... been paying it for years. Try pressure fermentation and natural keg carbonation! Fermzilla is a reasonably priced pressure fermenter that will allow you to utilize a spundimg valve to save some co2. Then rack onto priming sugar solution. You'll scrub O2 as well as save on carbonation.

 

[khannon]

Ok ok an f250 for an f250 that's rusted with the paint peeling off lol.

or, in a world where the gas stations are few and far between, swapping your f250 that you coasted in on fumes, for an f250 that has a full tank, the engine was tuned up, with all the fluids changed. Sure, maybe with a few dents or dings..

 

[moorejl57]

A man with a #5 tank and a F250 walks into a bar...

 

[JAReeves]

A man with a #5 tank and a F250 walks into a bar...

It’s not that good of an act, the mouse is a ventriloquist.

 

[marc1]

More like I bring my brand new f-250 power stroke in that I paid a good amount for and get a Fiat in a straight trade now they have my f-250 and my Fiat because I have to bring my fiat back in to be swapped because now it's branded and if I go with somebody else they will see it belongs to said place and won't fill it.

The better model would be what rhino does with their propane and just get a cylinder from them and just start exchanging.

That's how I see it if you feel differently more power to you.

Brew on!

That's not what happens at places in my area. I might get an ugly tank in exchange, but that ugly tank becomes MINE. I can swap it anywhere else I want, or sell it, or throw it away. Once the trade happens, it is no longer the property of the exchange place. It may have stickers on it saying where it was from, but stickers don't mean anything about ownership.

 

[Smudgey]

Fuggin' ugly. Fuggly.

It kinda matches the (not ugly but very multicolored) beer fridge.

I had to swap my 20 pounder today. This is what I had received last time I swapped.

 

[renstyle]

That's not what happens at places in my area. I might get an ugly tank in exchange, but that ugly tank becomes MINE. I can swap it anywhere else I want, or sell it, or throw it away. Once the trade happens, it is no longer the property of the exchange place. It may have stickers on it saying where it was from, but stickers don't mean anything about ownership.

That is the sitch in my neck of the woods.

I took my solo 10lb tank in for a refill at the local carbonics shop, the guy fills everybody's tanks on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Since i was willing to wait to get my decent looking steel tank back, while I was there I asked if they had any full tanks for sale.

...so now $80 (tank) + $20 (fill) = $100, I have a backup. Recertification stamp is 5/21. I can't complain.

 

[Bobby_M]

OK, I'll try again.

Let's say I own a shop, and I have 10 tanks on the shelf, 9 homebrewers walk in without tanks and each need CO2. I give them a tank full of gas and only charge for the gas, not the tank. Now I only have 1 tank, but 9 are out in the general population, but I still have 10 tanks on my books. Now happy homebrewer #10 walks in with his nice new shiny tank and swaps it for my last tank and leaves his behind. Now I still have a tank, but have 10 in the general population (10+1=11). So now I have 11 tanks on the books.

The reality is that I was riped off of 10 tanks (if no one comes back), and only have a shiny empty one to look at

The major flaw in your reasoning is that I'm not aware of a single vendor that would loan you a tank for free. There are places that charge you a "deposit" and it says that on your receipt. There are places that charge you a rental fee (annual) for as long as you have any tank of theirs. There are places that sell you a tank to get in to their exchange program. The last one is how I do it because I'm not going to keep a database of what customers have my tanks and try to squeeze rental fees out of them or chase them down for loaner tanks. You buy the tank full. If you never come back, see ya.

At my shop you either buy a tank that's full and then swap it perpetually to get your gas or you bring me one of yours and swap that. There is no scenario in which my tank inventory increases unless I'm buying a pallet of new tanks. In fact, it's constantly decreasing to the tune of 300 tanks per year.

 

[Bobby_M]

I had this happen to me one time and learned how to avoid this going forward. What you are paying a premium for is for the tank recertification. They have to run tests on the bottle and valve to make sure it meets industry standards. The bottles are stamped with a date. Make sure the one you are bringing in doesn't have an expired date. Problem solved.

As a vendor that sells full tanks and swaps (for selling just the CO2), this was one of the hardest things to figure out. We pay $20 a tank for a hydro test (recertification) after that 5 year period. If we just eat that cost, people will just bring us their out of date tanks, crap they found on ebay, etc and we perpetually lose money. Of course you don't turn away business so we will still take those tanks and once we get about 25 that need testing, we farm that out to a facility that does it. The thing is, once you trade in an outside tank, the one you get in return has our name on it but we will never charge for an out of date tank ever again as long as our name is on it. That's a win win for everyone.

There really is no other way that works because we will have full tanks in inventory that are nearing recertification dates and it will expire before the customer brings it back. Can you imagine charging them for a out of date tank when we just swapped them into it a month ago?

 

[shoengine]

I bought a used 20# years ago. Re-certify was about $30 in April. I have it filled at local welding supply for $36. No swapping and more gas for only $6 more than a 5#

I get my 20# refilled for $24. Since I swap I don't have to get them hydro tested. Fortunately no one ever complains about the CO2!

 

[verboten]

Can you imagine charging them for a out of date tank when we just swapped them into it a month ago?

I actually had a place attempt to do that to me, and they definitely don’t get good press from me.

 

[fuzzybee]

I don't care how my tanks look, a long as they hold gas. I do have an aluminum tank, though, that I prefer to have filled rather than swap just because it is a good bit lighter than the steel tanks.

 

[RevDroz]

I suppose I should consider myself lucky since I don't have to pay for my CO2. I am a welder and our supplier decided that to do the paperwork on a 5# fill wasn't worth it so he accepts a growler or 2 of my HB in exchange for a CO2 swap.

 

[SMD]

I was in the same boat, I had a shiny perfect condition 5# tank I bought for $35 on Craigslist from some old man who made sparking water and had only filled it a couple times. One homebrew shop nearby only did exchanges, and of course they were all beat up tanks. Luckily I found another shop that did fills and $18 later I had a full tank.

 

[superiorsat]

Just got 2-20# tanks filled. It went from $20 a tank ( it has been $20 a fill for the last 6 years ) to $32 a tank since the last fill a couple months back. Had to get both recertified to boot at $26 a piece.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I took two nice looking 20# aluminum bottles to Holston Gas, the closest place to where I live now, thinking "oh crap what am I going to get back",and received two pristine bottles that looked brand new. Luck day, they were $25 each plus sales tax.