Praxair/CO2 questions

[kevputo]

Does the LBG discount only apply at the Lawrence Praxair location, or would the Olathe location honor it as well? Their work hours = my work hours, and I work over in Olathe.

I found a great deal on a used regulator, but was thinking I should probably have it checked before using it. Is this something that they can do for me at Praxair, or is there another place to go to get these things checked out? Or should I just try it as-is?

One final question: Do most people get by with just one CO2 tank, or should I just plan on getting a couple to start with. I can only fit a 5# bottle in my kegerator, but was thinking a 20# bottle for everything else would be the way to go.

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

[Bill]

Hi Kevin, I can't answer the first two questions, but a phone call to that shop should answer them pretty quickly. As for the third question, I have three CO2 tanks. Two 5 lb and a 20lb. I would suggest you have two tanks as there is nothing worse than running out of CO2. The sizes are up to you, but the 5 pounders are great for taking kegs to another location and the 20lb is for the kegerator (or when I'm hosting an event). Oh, and if you can, score a second regulator.

I pretty much have backups for everything. I'd rather have an extra $60 worth of stuff sitting in a box unused than to have something go south during a party/holiday when guests are around.

[klickcue]

I have a 5# and a 20#.

The 20# is the workhorse tank for beer transfer into kegs, keg cleaning and such.

The cost for a 20# fill versus a 5# fill is very little money.

The 5# is just for the serving kegs.

[Jensen]

Al Lowe says save early, save often! Can't have too many backups when it comes to dispensing beer, problems only occur after 5pm with a thirsty crowd.

[Matt]

I have two 20lb tanks of CO2, and a CO2 cartridge thingie for taking kegs anywhere but to and from the kegerator. :) Having more than one tank is a good idea -- as others have said, running out of gas is NOT an option -- just don't spend a lot on them, as you're only going to swap them out wherever you refill. As long as it's valid, they'll swap it out, so cheap ones you find at garage/estate/business closing sales are gold.

Matt

[Jensen]

I ...and a CO2 cartridge thingie for taking kegs anywhere

Actually this is a good first line of attack in preparedneess. You'll have an inexpensive backup for at least dispensing beer while keeping your eyes open for another tank (or two, let's see, one for carbonating, dispencing, traveling...) they do come up cheap often, if you pay attention to forums, craigslist, etc.

[bneuen]

I definitely recommend the 20# cylinders/bottles/tanks for general use as they are much more cost effective to fill (a.k.a. swap out) than the 5#. The 5# are nice because they are portable, but they cost about 3 to 3.5 times as much per pound to swap out. I use a 20# for general use (connected to my kegerator), and keep a 5# for portability and backup.

Unfortunately, craigslist search kind of sucks so, for instance, a search for "kegerators" will pull up some results the a search for "kegerator" does not. I'm not sure why the singular doesn't pull up everything that the plural finds, but I have found this to be the case for some search results. Also, try searching for "co2" and "c02" (with a zero instead of an 'O'). Some people (for whatever reason) list it with a zero instead of an 'O' in CO2. Unfortunately, you will also be flooded with paintball CO2 cylinder results as well, so you'll have to filter through those. This is where a search for "kegerator" might be handier.

The reason I mention searching for kegerator, is sometimes people will just be getting rid of the parts for building a kegerator (lines, beer faucet, shanks, regulators, CO2 cylinders, etc). So one of these "package" deals might help you out quite a bit. I found one recently that had a cylinder, regulator, lines, faucet, shank, and 1/4 barrel keg for $75. I had to do some cleaning and a little repair work on the regulator (replaced a smashed gauge), but it was good deal in the end.

Another note, all you are really looking for is some type of high-pressure cylinder. If you can get an empty nitrogen, argon, or helium cylinder, you might be able to swap it out pretty cheaply for a CO2 cylinder of some size. Be sure to ask what the difference would be to go to a 20# versus a 5# (when I swapped one out, it was only $10 more for the 20# because the 5# was cheaper than the cylinder I was trading in). I doubt an empty propane tank will help you out much in a swap, but you could try it.

Last thing, that regulator is most likely good. I don't know if you can have it tested anywhere easily, but you can connect it to a CO2 cylinder, seal up the outlet port, and see if it will regulate pressure. If you want to check the presure it is reading, this is really a matter of testing the pressure gauge, not the regulator; but you can do this by using a trusted CO2 pressure gauge in the outlet port, and comparing the pressure it reads to the reading on the low pressure gauge of the regulator. On the high-pressure side, the gauge should read around 800-900 psi around room-temperature, assuming you still have some liquid left in your CO2 cylinder. If you chill the cylinder, this pressure will decrease fairly significantly.

-Bowe

P.S. I don't know if the Praxair in Olathe gives a discount or not. Maybe you can find a friend that could swap out your cylinder for you (while you're at work). This might also have another benefit during the summer in that you wouldn't have to leave a cylinder in a potentially hot car while you're at work (even though an empty cylinder is probably not a big issue). It would work out really well if that friend is already taking in a cylinder (or cylinders) to be swapped. If is it a non-brewing friend, maybe you can offer him/her a few glasses of beer in exchange.

[toolman]

Does the LBG discount only apply at the Lawrence Praxair location, or would the Olathe location honor it as well? Their work hours = my work hours, and I work over in Olathe.

Kevin

the praxair discount is good at all stores in the kc/lawrence/topeka area. if your
store personnel doesnt know about it, they should ask mike mcnally. you just need
to show them your lbg card

[Blktre]

Wow, propane must be way up. Usually I pay around $72 for my 100#er. Last week I paid $80 w/tax. Still way better than those little 20# wanna be's but still....