Traded thanks (WTTrade: new/unused 5# Al CO2 tank for stuff)

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1

Hi all,

Backstory: I have a 5# aluminum Co2 tank from Midwest Homebrewing that came with a kegging setup.  Bad part about that is the gas suppliers here only do exchange, no fill up, and recommend against leaving a shiny new tank for an exchange. I have had it for about 6 months and it’s just taking up space

So, I was wondering if anybody would want to do a trade.  I am thinking along the lines of kegs, a keggle/kettle with valve, grain mill (long shot I know) or something I haven’t thought of.  The price of the tank is $84.95 from Midwest but I’m not to worried about getting exact value, just something that I’ll actually be able to use.

I’m happy to ship anywhere in the US but if you live in Wyoming, Salt Lake City area, or northern Colorado I might be able to meet with you for drop-off/pickup. Please PM/Email me if interested.

Thanks,
Dave

2

did they say why not exchange.  Years ago, even before homebrewing I bought a kegerator from Costco.  It came with a brand new 5# tanks as you describe.  I exchanged it, and never looked back.  Well, until someone needed to get rid of a 20# tank.  Got that for a case of Blue Moon.  LOL.

3

Yeah I wouldn’t worry about the exchange thing, particularly if you are otherwise going to sell it. I got a shiny new 10# tank with my kegging setup and exchanged it for a funky old steel one. The guy at the gas store said that if I get a shiny new one in exchange at some point again I can drop it in the morning and pickup in the evening and they will refill but I am not really that worried about it. They all get tested safe on a regular basis anyway. with the exchange you never have to pay for that test!

4

Yeah, they said no exchange because you had to buy one of their branded/marked tanks to exchange there.

On the bright side, I went in yesterday to airgas to start an exchange account and the new manager said he would take mine for exchange and just do a cash account.  On the bad side, a 5# exchange is $30 at my airgas not including hazmat fee.

Thanks,
Sou

5

$30?!  That’s outrageous, we pay half that at most.

6

Yeah, it sucks.  I’m calling around tomorrow to see if I can get a more reasonable price somewhere else in town.

7

$30! Ouch.  My last 20# fill at the fire equipment place i use was $17+tax.

Good luck on finding a different source.

Paul

8

So… besides AirGas, where do y’all take your CO2 tanks to get filled cheaply?

9

I exchange my tanks at an industrial welding supply shop. It’s $20 for a 20# tank.

10

I take mine to Iowa Fire Equipment Supply.  They refill fire extinguishers and will gladly do beverage tanks.  They like to pile up a bunch of them so it can take a week to get your tank back but I have more than one so it isn’t a problem for me.

You can also usually get them filled at scuba dive shops that fill dive tanks.  They do mixtures of gases to match diving conditions so pure CO2 isn’t usually an issue.  they are normally cheaper than Airgas and many will fill it while you wait.

Paul

11

I have heard some dodgy things about airgas. Didn’t someone on here get sold beer gas on the pretense that it was illegal for them to sell pure CO2, they called it ‘freshblend’

Find a locally owned welding supply or fire equipment shop. Local because they actually care about keeping your business whereas a huge national chain really only needs to keep some business, not yours in particular. and the guy behind the counter at the local place might well be the owner, or a friend or relative of the owner while the national guy is probably getting minimum wage and could care less about you, the store, or anything else.

EDIT to be more semantically correct that should be ‘Couldn’t care less’ END EDIT

12

+1

13

I go to Central Welding, but they are limited to the Puget Sound area.

14

We only have one place in our little town.  5# is $18, 20# is $22.  (don’t ask me)

15

Just got a quote from a welding shop for $22.

16

I would guess the bulk of the price is the hydrostatic test fee and other maintenance costs and the CO2 really only costs a few cents a pound. the math works out to around 16.70 for tests, maintenance etc and .26 per pound for CO2.

17

probably not - they usually make you pay separately for a hydro test if your tank is expired.  my guys told me the bulk of the price is the labor - doesn’t take but a few seconds more to fill a 20 vs a 5lb tank, but it takes the same amount of time to prep, hence why its only a few dollarsr more for 20 - I think the 100lb tanks aren’t much more than the 20s.

18

only for filling, if you exchange there is no worry about the test fee. one of the plusses in my mind.

19

I use  the welding supply store here, I think it’s the only place in this area to fill tanks. But it is cheap.
2#=$6
5#=$8
20#=$12
50#=$20
Plus I was dropping off my 2 20# tanks and the owner asked what I used them for.  I told him, he said he could help and gave me a
tank that’s probably 30# and one that’s probably 35#, both filled at the 20# price.  That’s why you look for a local operator.

20

Have you taken him some samples yet? :slight_smile: