how much should a co2 refill cost?

[richbrew99]

I pay 6.00 to fill my tank at a liquor store.

 

[phoenixs4r]

But he was saying the tank had to be cold otherwise they use up a lot of CO2 getting it cold to fill it? That sounds like a bunch of BS... I will continue to make the drive to Laurel to get my $15 fill.

Not bull****. But different scale. PB shops are used to filling 20 ounces tanks and having customers bitch that their efficiency sucked because they didn't slow fill the tank. It most likely wouldn't be relevant to our size tanks.

Edit: also, it wouldn't be WASTING co2 per say, but nit filling the bottle up all the way. I have no proof of the following but I'd imagine its due to the increased pressure sustained when the cold co2 supply goes into the warm tank. It will warm up and put too back pressure, resulting in what the operator believes to be a full tank but really isn't.

I'd like to see anyone raise their hands and yell me they've weighed their tank after getting it filled. A not full tank probably happens more often than not but again paintballers will blow through 1-10 tank per day while we are using one for months.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Getting my 10# tank, that I keep in my Landcruiser, for tires and air tools, filled at the local fire house supply store costs about $15.
Exchanging my 5# tank, I use for the kegerator, at the local brew store, costs $17.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Interesting.

I once took an empty tank straight out of my keggerator to a CO2 refill joint 5 minutes away. When I handed this cold tank to the guy he said it would be easier to fill since it was already cold.

I know this to be true of propane. If the container needing filled is colder than the feed tank, it will fill much faster. This is with a gravity fed propane tank, not a pump fed.
Makes sense it would be true of Co2 also.

 

[Eisendrath]

Northwest CT: $24 for a 20# exchange at weld suply, 12 for a refill at fire equip hrqrts, 15 for a recert if required.

 

[Dan]

I know this to be true of propane. If the container needing filled is colder than the feed tank, it will fill much faster. This is with a gravity fed propane tank, not a pump fed.
Makes sense it would be true of Co2 also.

MB, That's pretty much the jist of what the guy at the CO2 joint hinted at.

Homebrewers unite! Always take cold tanks for refill and maybe we'll start getting a better price!

I've read before that some CO2 places don't like to fill 5lb bottles because it waste CO2 getting the bottle chilled. Sure would be nice if we could get a break if we bring in a cold tank.

 

[rhamilton]

$15 for a 20# exchange @ AirGas

 

[MaddBaggins]

MB, That's pretty much the jist of what the guy at the CO2 joint hinted at.

Homebrewers unite! Always take cold tanks for refill and maybe we'll start getting a better price!

I've read before that some CO2 places don't like to fill 5lb bottles because it waste CO2 getting the bottle chilled. Sure would be nice if we could get a break if we bring in a cold tank.

Freeze your empty before you take it to the refill joint. Transport it in an ice chest to keep it cold. It will fill faster.
Besides doing it that way for forklifts at work, I do it for small propane bottles at home when I fill them from the 20# tank.

 

[jeffd10]

Just today 10.80 for a 5lb fill...

 

[masonsjax]

That exchange or fill? If fill where?


Which paintball shop? I just called a place in gaithersburg (Torrid Paintball). And they they charge $0.25/ounce. So for a 5lb tank that would be $20. But he was saying the tank had to be cold otherwise they use up a lot of CO2 getting it cold to fill it? That sounds like a bunch of BS... I will continue to make the drive to Laurel to get my $15 fill.

This was PEV's in Sterling, VA. They always had had trouble getting my tank to seal properly while filling it and wasted a lot of gas. Now I swap my 20 lb tank at Airgas in Frederick.

 

[Naptown]

$14 for 5lb -Asheville NC. $10- knoxville tn

So where are you located Naptown?

Indianapolis

 

[brettwasbtd]

Not bull****. But different scale. PB shops are used to filling 20 ounces tanks and having customers bitch that their efficiency sucked because they didn't slow fill the tank. It most likely wouldn't be relevant to our size tanks.

Edit: also, it wouldn't be WASTING co2 per say, but nit filling the bottle up all the way. I have no proof of the following but I'd imagine its due to the increased pressure sustained when the cold co2 supply goes into the warm tank. It will warm up and put too back pressure, resulting in what the operator believes to be a full tank but really isn't.

I'd like to see anyone raise their hands and yell me they've weighed their tank after getting it filled. A not full tank probably happens more often than not but again paintballers will blow through 1-10 tank per day while we are using one for months.

Ya i guess my thing is that if the tank can hold 5lbs of CO2 then the most I should be charged for a fill is 5lbs worth of gas. The shop owner made it seem like it would take more than 5lbs worth to fill it? Basically, if I understand you correctly it would just take longer if it wasn't cold?

I mainly just want to avoid taking it to this place and having them charge at $0.25/oz for say 6lbs worth. That would be like $24 dollars. Since I can drive 35 minutes each way and burn less than $9 in gas to get a $15 fill at this other place.

 

[WeaponTheyFear]

I just filled my 7lb tank for the first time at a fire extinguisher place and it cost me $32 for a 7lb fill. I know I won't be going back there. Hopefully I'll find someplace that has decent prices.

 

[david_42]

I just exchanged a 5lb tank at a local "oxygen" house here in town. It was quite a bit more than I expected. I paid $14.65.

Now, here is the kicker and I don't mind paying the difference. I took in a steel tank and they only had aluminum. So, I definitely got lucky, but I'm wondering if he charged me for my "luck."

I've paid $8-16 for #5 (it's been going up), but the local welding shop sold me on upgrading to a #10 tank. $20 for the exchange and only $2 more for a fill! I'm ahead after the second fill.

As to luck in swapping to aluminum. When I first moved here the guy asked if I MINDED getting aluminum instead of steel. He tried to reserve the steel tanks for his customers that didn't trust aluminum.

 

[Jamminjoenapo]

Used to pay $12 for a 20lb exchange, but I was good friends with a guy at a gas company. Look for a nexair, airgas or similar company to you and they usually are extremely cheap. They do prefer exchanging tanks which also allows you to never worry about a cert.

 

[BrewingChemist]

At the local place here in cincinnati its 14$ for 5lb refill

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

Around here, the price isn't just for the refill. They also hit you with a "hazmat fee". It's a flat fee, so you fill as many tanks at one time as you can.

Bob

 

[heckels]

I'm around $18 for a 5lb tank at Linweld.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Sheesh...my 5 lb. is around $25 here in central CA, but the only local shop can only exchange rather than refill cylinders.

 

[chwayock]

I paid about 35 for a 15lb refill and 28 for a refill on a 5lber outside Baltimore. Some 15$ Maryland safety tax I was told...

 

[Mickeymoose]

I don't know if you have an "Airgas" store, I just exchanged a 20lb tank for a filled one for $20. Well like 21.32$ with tax. But I think Airgas is a fairly large company and exchange was easy, cheap i guess.

 

[MaxOut]

I think where you live makes a big difference. I live in a suburb of DC and prices here are astronomical. For exchange programs here they want $100 for the first tank and $20 for exchanges after that for a 5#er!. I grew up in Upstate NY and if you have your own tank you can get refills on a 5# for as little as $5. So needless to say I will be getting my tank filled up there whenever I go visit my parents. I've read on here that paintball shops and fire extinguisher stores are usually the cheaper places to go rather than a specialty gas depot.

I'm in SoMd, pay $14.00 for exchange and aluminum tanks look new every time. Three Mules Welding is the source and larger tanks are Way cheaper. I've been getting rid of all tanks smaller than 20 lb.

 

[pascott6]

I pay $2 a pound here. $10 for my 5lb bottle

 

[E-Mursed]

I pay $2 a pound here. $10 for my 5lb bottle

Same here....

 

[weirdboy]

My last refill was right around $14. The price had increased from the previous refill by about a dollar. I might be able to find a place that is cheaper, but the one I go to now is extremely convenient, being only a couple blocks from my house.

 

[evandena]

I pay $14 for 20 lb and $10 for a 5 lb.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

How often do you fill up a 20 lb tank? (or even a 5 lb for that matter).

I suspect that doing more than one tank at a time would save you money. It would save me a couple bucks at the place I go. Given how long a tank lasts I rarely need to fill more than one though.

Bob

 

[BeardedIdiot]

I just refilled (actually traded in) an empty 20# tank for about $17, including tax. They took the beat up old ugly tank I just bought, and gave me a bright shiny (nearly) new one in return.

 

[jmalex]

I pay $2 a pound here. $10 for my 5lb bottle

Interesting. Where at? Is this for a fill (not an exchange)?

 

[pascott6]

Interesting. Where at? Is this for a fill (not an exchange)?

Sellersville Beverage. Refill