Hey guys, maybe you have seen me around on the general forums but I have a question about equipment. I’m still waiting to bottle my first batch of brew (called away on business and it should be ready to bottle). But anyways the more I read on the various forums online the general consensus seems to be “keg it!”. I plan on using my bottles for the next few batches I make but in the mean time, maybe I can start stocking up on equipment.
I guess the main challenge/question I have about kegging is CO2. My “local home brew supply store” is about a 45 min drive north I’ve only been a couple times now. I’m wondering where do you guys buy/refill your CO2 canisters, and how much does it cost?
I go to a fire safety place. Costs about $12 for a 5 lb refill. More when they need to do a pressure test. Costs less per pound to refill a larger tank. I have a 20 lb for around the house and a 5 lb tank for portable uses.
Thanks, as of right now I have lots of time and not as much money :P I guess I’ll be bottling for a while. Kegging is definitely an avenue I want visit in the future.
If money is tight, bottle. The cost of entry for kegging is much higher than for bottling.
Build your kegging system slowly - look for deals on craiglist or ebay for CO2 bottles and regulators. Check with local gas suppliers on the cost of a deposit on a 5 or 20 lb CO2 tank, and then don’t pay more than that for a tank. If you plan to swap your tanks, don’t pay for one that looks nice. Don’t pay for a dual gauge regulator, the high-pressure gauge is more or less useless. If you can find kegs locally for less than $40, get two or more. Prices are likely to go up. Once you have those pieces you can worry about faucets and hose and such. If you have room, you can probably get a kegging fridge for cheap or free on craigslist, but it will probable suck power so will cost more in the long run.
The fire safety place is good advice.
For the one I use in Ann Arbor:
5 lb.= $10 (was $9 before the last time)
10Lb= $13 (filled with the 5 lb)
20 Lb = $15 (but that might be $16 now)
The gas is almost free. The paperwork, labor, and overhead are not.
The reason I prefer to swap is it’s just faster. I don’t want to have to go back to the place twice, their hours suck around here. 8-4:30 monday to friday is typical. AFAIK, the price is similar at drop off places as where I swap.
I fill mine at the welder’s supply by work. Used to go the a fire extinguisher shop. I avoid places like Matheson Tri-gas that require me to leave the tank overnight since the others will do it in a couple minutes while I wait and for cheaper. ;)
If you need a place to park beer you can use 2&3 liter PET bottles (soda, pop, seltzer) in a pinch. Even carbonate and serve out of them. Just store them in a dark cool place.
You have places that will fill why you wait? All of the places near me send them off to one of their other facilities to have them filled, so the wait is generally more than one day. :-\
Since I prime and carbonate the beer in the keg now and just use the tank to push the beer my usage has gone way down. I filled my #5 tank back February and still have about 700psi in it. ;D
Really the only reason to refill a tank is if you have a nice, clean, new, shiny tank that you’re proud to own. It’s what’s inside that counts. I exchange mine at the local welding supply shop. The fire extinguisher company near me was not a bargain because they had to send them out (probably to the welding supply place).
You do know that, like propane, the only real way to measure how full a CO2 tank is is to use a scale, right? Like propane, that 5# (or whatever) tank has liquid CO2 in it. The gas pressure will only vary with temperature until the liquid is gone. Once the high-pressure needle starts to drop AT ALL, your tank is essentially empty.
Yes. They weigh it out. I’ve seen it. I think ten+ months on a #5 tank is impressive at my consumption levels. I used to do about 3 refills a year when everything was force-carbed. As far as the needle dropping YMMV. I have a saying: in the red- it’s dead.
