CO2 tank is reading one notch above “Refill”.
I’ve got two kegs force carbing for a BBQ on Sat, 3 days away. I have them on 30psi now, will drop to 12 tomorrow.
What do you think? Do I have enough gas to carb and serve? Or should I punt and get the tank swapped?
If it wasn’t so hard to fill the tank during the week, I’d just do that.
Is the co2 tank in the fridge or ambient?
I pulled it out of the fridge and let rise to room temp overnight to take the reading. It’s back in the fridge.
Tough call. This is why it’s a good idea to have a spare tank.
Do you really want to risk running out during the BBQ?
No, I indeed do not!
I suppose I’ll sacrifice lunch to get a fill up tomorrow.
Where’s your sense of adventure?
Actually, let me check my finances. Maybe I’ll spend lunch buying a new tank!
Do you plan on keeping the gas on both kegs for the remaining 3 days prior to serving?
They’re expensive for what you get, but the adapter + 16 gram CO2 cartridges are good for emergencies and for serving when you travel.
Can’t you take off the regulator and weigh the tank, subtract the tare weight and see how much is left?
Swap the tank, regulators at that mark could mean another week or another 12 hours, IME theyre not very precise
Yes, I am.
Now that’s quite reasonable. Short on the time needed to disassemble my system, however.
I do have a portable set up for 2.5 gal tanks with a paintball tank, but only one regulator. I suppose if needed to, I could switch between kegs to keep enough pressure for serving.
But I think I’m just going to buy a brand new tank tomorrow for a backup so I can avoid this in the future.
Thanks everyone!
Don’t buy a new tank. Get a used one and save a couple bucks.
You’ll swap it out eventually anyway.
+1000
When I was first kegging, I went out and bought my brand new shiny CO2 tank. I brought it in for a refill, and found out NOBODY in the area would refill it, but you could swap it for another one. Of course, the look on my face when they brought out this nasty looking green paint-peeling monstrosity was priceless. Next swap was for one that could have been my original. Now, who cares? It’s just gonna get swapped out anyway.
+1 as well. I’m fortunate that I’ve never received a crappy looking tank from my local welding supply shop, they’ve all looked pretty much brand new.
Also, if you’re ever in a pinch and need draft fittings and don’t have a LHBS around, try the welding shop. Mine has a limited supply of manifold and some other draft beer parts.
Hmm, this does appeal to my cheapness. And I’d rather buy something to replace my ailing Barley Crusher. I’ll do more research.
I live in a huge homebrewing town, but the CO2 filling situation is pretty disheartening.
Do yourself a favor and find a place that just swaps out the tanks. Don’t get all hung up on how they look. An old steel tank holds co2 just as well as a new aluminum one (granted the aluminum ones are lighter.) If you have a 5 lb tank you will be hard pressed to find a steel 5lb tank anyway. Surely there is a Sexton or other gas supply place near you that will swap tanks. Way better than waiting for them to be filled. And, these places will usually sell you a used tank for cheap.
Yup. I even got “lucky” once and they swapped out my 15lb steel tank for an aluminum one since they had no steel in stock. Lighter is nicer on the bigger tanks, but as far as looks you only look at it when you’re hauling it in to get it refilled.
And if you swap em out fast enough and keep your eye on the date you will never get the surprise extra charge when the tank seal expires.