Why I support my LHBS

[zacster]

Last weekend I kegged my beer, a 9%abv IPA, and decided I better just swap the CO2 tank for a new one as the gauge said mostly empty. When I took off the regulator I noticed that the gasket on my Taprite was worn out, and wasn't the right one in the first place as I improvised when I did it last time. Well, since I was in a rush I put it all back together with another improvised o-ring, and left the house for an overnight trip.

When I got back the next day I checked and of course I found the tank empty as it leaked. I got yet another tank, and this time I looked for the proper Taprite gasket. Per another thread here I found the exact spec, but try to find this at Lowes or HD. Nothing even close. McMaster has them, $10 for 100, but I only need a handful. I'd have bought them anyway if I couldn't find it. I tried the hard plastic washer that other regulators use, but it doesn't work with a Taprite.

This is where the LHBS comes in. They are a bunch of good guys in there, I bring samples, and they all know me because I'm the old guy (61) in a shop full of 20-somethings. Hey, it's hipster Brooklyn after all. Anyway, he checked but didn't have one either, but then he said, "you know what, I can give you the one from the display. I'll order some too so we have stock". My beer is happily carbonating.

 

[MrAverageGuy]

If you're on Yelp, give them a great review and five stars, plus write your story there - it will help them drum up business. Have pretty much the same situation with my LHBS - super service-oriented young owner (and I'm the old guy at 57), he will make special orders, drop what he's doing to help., fill grain orders via email, etc.

 

[Stillraining]

Yep I feel very fortunate as well to have such a great HBS close by. They are great bunch of knowledgeable guys.. A while back I was in there and needed to replace my scale but they were out of the normal ones they carry, but the owner said wait, he had this off brand, new in its box collecting dust under the front counter. They just gave it to me! Great PR and great attitudes for sure. I love supporting them as well.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/homebrew-heaven-everett

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Last weekend I kegged my beer, a 9%abv IPA, and decided I better just swap the CO2 tank for a new one as the gauge said mostly empty.

FWIW those tank gauges dont actually tell you much. If theres pressure it shows full, or empty if not ...there really is no in between.

 

[k-moe]

FWIW those tank gauges dont actually tell you much. If theres pressure it shows full, or empty if not ...there really is no in between.

There's probably something wrong with your gauge. I don't keg, but I do weld. The pressure gauges on welding tanks are pretty darn accurate.

 

[wallybangbang]

Napa Fermentation in Napa CA gave me my start in homebrewing by selling me my first kit. The guys there are super helpful and gave me a lot of pointers that all turned out to be great advice to the noob I was then. While I do order a lot online now for convenience I still try to make it out there to support them and bring some samples every so often. Great store for beer and wine making if you are in the Napa area. They have good prices on hops also, $2.99 for 2 oz bags.

On the flip side of that there is a LHBS that I try and avoid if possible. Rude pretentious staff, not helpful, always have a smug attitude telling you that everything you are doing is wrong etc..... I wont spend my dollars there. Maybe I have just gotten bad staff because it is a very large store and Ive only been few times but would rather go to Napa.

 

[Zekk]

I like supporting mine more because they're local and their grain prices are pretty good. My area has high unemployment and the shop is in a bad part of town. I figure they provide a few jobs and prevent another empty building from showing up in downtown. They are also pretty knowledgable and have good customer service.

 

[zachattack]

There's probably something wrong with your gauge. I don't keg, but I do weld. The pressure gauges on welding tanks are pretty darn accurate.

It has nothing to do with the gauge, it has to do with the fact that the compressed CO2 is mostly in a liquid phase, so unless you're "running on fumes" the pressure in the tank has nothing to do with how much liquid is remaining. It's like with propane, you need to weigh the tank.

I love it when a LHBS comes through in a pinch. Mine had the exact part that I needed to solve a leak (CGA nipple/stem for my regulator) for only $3 and they let me their wrench and PTFE tape to swap it on the spot.

 

[k-moe]

It has nothing to do with the gauge, it has to do with the fact that the compressed CO2 is mostly in a liquid phase, so unless you're "running on fumes" the pressure in the tank has nothing to do with how much liquid is remaining. It's like with propane, you need to weigh the tank.

Fair enough. I'll still disagree with you though. Acetylene is stored dissolved in acetone in the tank, so it's mostly a liquid too. Oh, the pressure gauge on my propane tank works just fine as well. It is true that the pressure drop comes quickly, but if you're paying attention you'll have a day or more of notice before you're totally out (depending on your rate of useage).

 

[zachattack]

Fair enough. I'll still disagree with you though. Acetylene is stored dissolved in acetone in the tank, so it's mostly a liquid too. Oh, the pressure gauge on my propane tank works just fine as well. It is true that the pressure drop comes quickly, but if you're paying attention you'll have a day or more of notice before you're totally out (depending on your rate of useage).

Meh there's nothing to disagree about, we're talking about facts and what you're saying isn't wrong. My point (and FuzzeWuzze's above) is that unless you're about to run out of liquid CO2, the gauge is only useful for giving you an idea of what the temperature is. Once you start to run out the gauge does indicate how quickly you're running out, no argument there. There's no way you can tell how much CO2 or how much propane you have remaining by just looking at the pressure gauge. This is why large residential propane tanks use float gauges rather than pressure gauges, and why we have to weigh our CO2 tanks to get an idea of the fill level. For both CO2 and propane the product is stored as a liquid so the pressure is just the vapor pressure of the liquid at the storage temperature.

Day_trippr likes posting this chart, at room or fridge temperatures it confirms the pressure is essentially useless:

Now beergas, argon or nitrogen on the other hand, if the temperature is steady the pressure is directly related to how much gas is left.

 

[k-moe]

Fair enough. Gas law, while fun, is a bummer sometimes.

 

[zacster]

FWIW those tank gauges dont actually tell you much. If theres pressure it shows full, or empty if not ...there really is no in between.

That's my point really, it was showing near empty so I swapped it knowing that it was no longer at full.

The other thing is that while my keg was not on gas for a week, it was actually carbonated enough to drink. I had dialed it up to 30psi for a day before the tank leaked, and I guess it absorbed it and equalized to whatever temp and pressure it had left. By this coming weekend it should be just about right.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

That's my point really, it was showing near empty so I swapped it knowing that it was no longer at full.

The other thing is that while my keg was not on gas for a week, it was actually carbonated enough to drink. I had dialed it up to 30psi for a day before the tank leaked, and I guess it absorbed it and equalized to whatever temp and pressure it had left. By this coming weekend it should be just about right.

And to clarify my point its there is no such thing as Nearly empty on a CO2 tank gauge. Its either at a high PSI when there's gas or its at 0 PSI when its empty. Theres no in between...i wish there was it would save me a lot of heartache

I only clarify this because a lot of new people buy their tank and see 800PSI or whatever the gauge shows at room temperature, then stick it in their kegerator for a few days and then look at it and see it dropped to 300PSI and think that they are running out of gas when in reality its just how the gauge reads at different temperatures.

 

[Toejam792]

Mine tells me when im nearly out of co2. IT goes down slowly after all the liquid co2 is gone. It gives me a 1-2 day warning that I need to get more.

 

[Stillraining]

 

[BrooklynTom]

I am only guessing " Bitter and Esters"? If so, a great bunch of guys, always ready to help.

 

[beernutz]

Last weekend I kegged my beer, a 9%abv IPA, and decided I better just swap the CO2 tank for a new one as the gauge said mostly empty. When I took off the regulator I noticed that the gasket on my Taprite was worn out, and wasn't the right one in the first place as I improvised when I did it last time. Well, since I was in a rush I put it all back together with another improvised o-ring, and left the house for an overnight trip.

When I got back the next day I checked and of course I found the tank empty as it leaked. I got yet another tank, and this time I looked for the proper Taprite gasket. Per another thread here I found the exact spec, but try to find this at Lowes or HD. Nothing even close. McMaster has them, $10 for 100, but I only need a handful. I'd have bought them anyway if I couldn't find it. I tried the hard plastic washer that other regulators use, but it doesn't work with a Taprite.

This is where the LHBS comes in. They are a bunch of good guys in there, I bring samples, and they all know me because I'm the old guy (61) in a shop full of 20-somethings. Hey, it's hipster Brooklyn after all. Anyway, he checked but didn't have one either, but then he said, "you know what, I can give you the one from the display. I'll order some too so we have stock". My beer is happily carbonating.

That was nice of the whippersnapper to take apart the display and save your day and would earn a good bit of my customer loyalty.

FWIW I buy those washers at the gas company where I refill my tanks. I used to get them at AirGas but now use a regional gas company called Wesco, 2 for $1. Even if you don't get your refills there they typically have those kind of parts.

 

[zacster]

I am only guessing " Bitter and Esters"? If so, a great bunch of guys, always ready to help.

Yup. The other store, Brooklyn Homebrew, closed, but I'd been going to Bitters and Esters almost since they opened anyway.

 

[zacster]

The gauge dropped from full to near empty, which to me means I'm running on fumes. There would still be some pressure left after the liquid is gone. And yes, I recognized the difference between warm and cold on the gauge.

As for those washers, the white plastic ones don't work on a taprite, and the supply shop didn't have anything else. This was an industrial gas supply place, not a beverage place, and they didn't have tap equipment. In any case, Bitters and Esters is going to order a bunch and I'll take a few the next time I'm there.