Feel like I’ve been ripped off

[IslandLizard]

Do like I did and just buy an extra cylinder.

A 20# cylinder?

 

[Reneauj62]

A 20# cylinder?

Size does not matter (at least my GF said)... the problem is that your cylinder will still be at the refill point and you will be out of CO2 for a week to three weeks waiting for it to be refilled. Even if you only had 2-five gallon cylinders you could stagger the refills so you would never run out.

 

[day_trippr]

Buy a 20 pound siphon tank and a transfer hose w/bleed valve. It solves all kinds of issues

As for the OP...about 10 days ago someone asked to review an all-inclusive starter kegging kit - one keg, one primary reg, some tubing, some QDs - and a gas cylinder. As I always do I warned said someone that unless they'd done the homework to identify a "fill on demand" location NOT to buy a new CO2 cylinder because they'd just be waving bye-bye to it in short order...

Cheers!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Double or quadruple the size of the current CO2 tank when refilling. Not much difference in cost. Yes, the larger tanks are d*mn heavy, but you'll have a per pound cost of CO2 that's great.

 

[hout17]

Regarding the OP I need to get my two 5# CO2 tanks recertified and when I go to the place to get them recertified and filled I'm not going to trade them in I would rather pay more to keep my nice thanks than settle for their BS. Also my LHBS refills them so probably take them down there to refill once recertified.

 

[Bobby_M]

I doubt the swap places necessarily do any better than the fill-while-you-wait places. It's the same process for filling, and if they're going to pinch you, they're going to pinch you.

Only way to know: weigh it when you get it home and subtract the stated tare wt.

That's why I said to put it on a scale. You don't need to doubt it, there used to be a few local places that offered to fill tanks on site and would frequently put 3.5 in a 5 and 13 in a 20. I don't fill tanks, I swap them and get the fills done at a dedicated gas facility that has the equipment and skill to fill them. When we started offering swap service, dozens of customers asked me why the tanks were lasting so long because they were now getting full tanks. Interesting that no one that fills tanks is still in business anywhere near here.

 

[seatazzz]

I'm gonna repeat what someone above (kinda) said; I want pretty beer, I don't care what my co2 tank looks like. My current 20lber has sticker residue all over it, beat to crap (but certified) and it does what it is supposed to do; carbonate my beer. I'll go a step further and note that NONE of my equipment is "pretty" or "shiny", but the beer it makes/dispenses is beautiful.

Another note about swapping vs filling; the first 20lb tank I bought was obviously from a large soda manufacturer that shall remain nameless (but rhymes with Loca Lola) and I was scared witless that the welding shop I brought it to would instantly brand me as a thief and corporate embezzler; to the point that I used lighter fluid to get all of the branding off of it before I took it in. Learned later that most of these places don't give a rip what the tank looks like, or who it may have belonged to; they just take it and give you a full one. I've had pretty ones (my 5lb tank is a very shiny aluminum one that I just haven't gotten around to swapping because it's my field trip tank, and haven't had to take a keg anywhere for a while). Both of my 20lb tanks are ugly but I don't care.

TL;DR; swapping/exchanging is usually much more cost/time efficient than filling.

 

[bracconiere]

My current 20lber has sticker residue all over it, beat to crap (but certified) and it does what it is supposed to do; carbonate my beer.

i want to see a pic! gotta swap my tank tomorrow, or thursday! depending if i can burst carb with only 500psi in it left!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/show-us-your-fugly-azz-co2-tank.693300/

 

[madscientist451]

kinda made me mad that they took my brand new bottle and still charged me $12.00 for the POS bottle they gave me in return.

I buy POS bottles used and sometimes I get POS steel bottles in exchange, but right now I've got two nice aluminum ones.
I'm thankful we have people willing to do the dirty work checking and re-filling the tanks. Where would we be without tank fillers, truck mechanics and people like that?

 

[soccerdad]

I was surprised this week to pay 6.95 on top of 28.02 when I exchanged a tank at the welding shop. 28.02 USD for 20 pounds of CO2, and a 6.95 Hazardous Material Fee. Raised my gas cost by 25%. The HQ is in a nearby town so I asked them by e-mail if this was a State of GA fee or a fee implemented by the company. No answer yet.

 

[bracconiere]

Hazardous Material Fee.

i wonder if they charge that for a fire extinguisher?

 

[fuzzybee]

I was surprised this week to pay 6.95 on top of 28.02 when I exchanged a tank at the welding shop. 28.02 USD for 20 pounds of CO2, and a 6.95 Hazardous Material Fee. Raised my gas cost by 25%. The HQ is in a nearby town so I asked them by e-mail if this was a State of GA fee or a fee implemented by the company. No answer yet.

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

 

[Bassman2003]

I have moved to spunding or sugar priming so my serving CO2 use has gone way down, but the liquid purge of kegs CO2 use has gone up! If I fermenter purged the kegs the CO2 use would slow to a crawl. Any way you slice it, CO2 is not cheap if you use a lot of it.

 

[Joggin]

I noticed price of gas going up near me at weld shop.

 

[soccerdad]

[Edited -Mod]
The latest from the welding supply HQ (by phone) is that they "might" have charged me a fee that is meant for deliveries even though I was picking up. They will get back to me.
But this is crazy too. If I am stupid enough to pick up a tank at mid day, stop at the strip club for an hour, let my car heat up to 120 f, then the tank might blow in my car shooting the valve though the roof. It ought to be less hazardous for them to deliver than for someone as stupid as me to pick up.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

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

And this is what I received this time.

 

[soccerdad]

Fuggin' ugly. Fuggly.

 

[bracconiere]

Fuggin' ugly. Fuggly.

when i got a tank that ugly, they gave me a $6 discount on it.....

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I did comment on the condition of the previous tank, but he said that's all they had. I shoulda asked for a discount. I will next time. But I'm happy with this tank. No one but me sees it anyway.

 

[hout17]

Regarding the OP I need to get my two 5# CO2 tanks recertified and when I go to the place to get them recertified and filled I'm not going to trade them in I would rather pay more to keep my nice thanks than settle for their BS. Also my LHBS refills them so probably take them down there to refill once recertified.

To add to my post above it's more about giving said company free tanks to add to their rotation I don't care if they are pretty but if you are going to swap a tank I own compensate me for it since you will be getting free tanks and making money off of it. That's where it's total BS and unsuspecting new homebrewers keep getting taken by it.

 

[bracconiere]

That's where it's total BS and unsuspecting new homebrewers keep getting taken by it.

as far as i know if i move somewhere else, i can take whatever tank i happen to have with me? what i did when i moved here, no problems swapping it locally....


just noticed a recertified steel tank goes for ~$80 20lb'er....shipping is a bitch though.....

 

[Bobby_M]

To add to my post above it's more about giving said company free tanks to add to their rotation I don't care if they are pretty but if you are going to swap a tank I own compensate me for it since you will be getting free tanks and making money off of it. That's where it's total BS and unsuspecting new homebrewers keep getting taken by it.

I'm must be failing at reading comprehension today but If you swap a tank in and get a tank back, how exactly is that the shop getting a free tank?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I'm must be failing at reading comprehension today but If you swap a tank in and get a tank back, how exactly is that the shop getting a free tank?

I had to read it twice, wondering where the "free" tank came from. Still don't get it.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

i have a welding shop nestled into a residential area out past the suburbs near me.
$5 for a 5 gallon tank for yrs.
then some guy i never saw banged me for quite a bit more for a 5lb tank i forget exactly but it was over $20. oookay.... whelp that ride is over i thought.

then i went back and it was one of the regular guys and it was back to $5.
now this special is apparently is just for home brewers.

they charge more for extinguishers and welding tanks for sure.
they don't exchange and if i showed up with a 10 or 20# tank i'm pretty sure they would charge me the normal rate.

 

[Konadog]

I'm must be failing at reading comprehension today but If you swap a tank in and get a tank back, how exactly is that the shop getting a free tank?

I had to read it twice, wondering where the "free" tank came from. Still don't get it.

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

company has 10 original tanks, and I give them mine, now they have 11 tanks. Doesn't matter how many people are using them as that fluctuates all the time. There tank inventory went from 10 to 11 with no cost to them for the tank.

 

[bracconiere]

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

company has 10 original tanks, and I give them mine, now they have 11 tanks. Doesn't matter how many people are using them as that fluctuates all the time. There tank inventory went from 10 to 11 with no cost to them for the tank.

i'm at a loss? so in my head the equation looks like this (10+1)-1=10


sometimes it might not dress up to go out. but i never HAVE to return it? i can move to new york, or texas, take it with me. and find a welding shop there to do a swap?

 

[Konadog]

Your missing the point, it's the tank inventory (potential if they were all collected) that goes up without cost. Users come and go, but the inventory goes up.

I understand your math, and your correct if your comparing the user taking a tank when they bring one in. But if your just looking at tank inventory, they they are getting tanks added to there inventory at no cost.

 

[bracconiere]

Users come and go, but the inventory goes up.

how so? i assure if by some act of the devil, i get out of homebrewing i'm not going to give it back to them? i might sell it. but i'm not going to give it back to the 'current' shop i swap at.....


as far as i know, this isn't like a good faith keg deposit...as it stands now i OWN this 20lb tank.....if i want to sell it for $100 bucks i can do it.....


edit: probably shouldn't have said, might give some dishonest people ideas! buy steel tanks and sell aluminium....

 

[duffy5018]

Your missing the point, it's the tank inventory (potential if they were all collected) that goes up without cost. Users come and go, but the inventory goes up.

I understand your math, and your correct if your comparing the user taking a tank when they bring one in. But if your just looking at tank inventory, they they are getting tanks added to there inventory at no cost.

If you trade your car in and drive away with a new one, sure, you'll pay more for the new car cuz your old one was worth less, so you pay the difference. But the car dealer's inventory didn't "go up". Even if they're the only car dealer within 500 miles, so all car deals need to go through them.

 

[Konadog]

how so? i assure if by some act of the devil, i get out of homebrewing i'm not going to give it back to them? i might sell it. but i'm not going to give it back to the 'current' shop i swap at.....


as far as i know, this isn't like a good faith keg deposit...as it stands now i OWN this 20lb tank.....if i want to sell it for $100 bucks i can do it.....


edit: probably shouldn't have said, might give some dishonest people ideas! buy steel tanks and sell aluminium....

That may be true for a lot of people (and I agree if I originally gave them one) but not everyone will do that, and during the time that you were a customer, they had an extra tank on the books.

It's semantics guys, in a perfect world, they would win. In reality, I think they loose more than gain.