can an oxygen tank be retrofitted to hold CO2?

[gnef]

Hey guys, i brew my own beer with some friends, and currently we use the bottling method. We would like to move to a keg system, but that would require the use of a CO2 tank. I am able to find some oxygen tanks for a decent price, but I was wondering if they would be safe to hold CO2 as well? I don't want to kill myself just for a keg...

I tried google, but couldn't find much, i'll keep looking, in the mean time i'd like your help!

thanks,

-Gnef

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

tanks aren't too much, they run about 60-80 dollars i think for NEW...used should be less.

call up a place that refills CO2 tanks (welding supply stores, fire safety supply stores) and ask your question.

You'll need a regulator too, plus all the lines and keg connectors.... Might be cheaper in the long run to buy everything together

http://www.brewersdiscount.com/productCat0.ivnu

http://www.beveragefactory.com/refriger...rmain&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc

 

[Judgement]

I've never heard of anyone using an oxygen tank to hold CO2 and I've never seen one being marketed as being able to do so either. All my buddies with kegerators use a 10lb CO2 tank. I'm by no means an expert on the matter though.

 

[gnef]

hmmmmm, i just talked with austin home brew people, and they said the tanks are threaded differently. which makes sense so people won't hook up a CO2 tank thinking it is their oxygen...

d'oh.

60-80 dollars still seems expensive, especially since i am still in college... looking for used, the other parts shouldn't be too expensive, just the keg and C02 tank are the most expensive...

any other sites that sell brewing stuff? I go to www.austinhomebrew.com for most of my stuff right now, but their CO2 tanks are more expensive than the links above.

also, this is separate, but what kind of brews do you guys like? we are always looking for good recipes. :]

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: gnef
hmmmmm, i just talked with austin home brew people, and they said the tanks are threaded differently. which makes sense so people won't hook up a CO2 tank thinking it is their oxygen...

d'oh.

60-80 dollars still seems expensive, especially since i am still in college... looking for used, the other parts shouldn't be too expensive, just the keg and C02 tank are the most expensive...

any other sites that sell brewing stuff? I go to www.austinhomebrew.com for most of my stuff right now, but their CO2 tanks are more expensive than the links above.

also, this is separate, but what kind of brews do you guys like? we are always looking for good recipes. :]

Why would the keg be expensive? A shell should only be about $10... I guess you're referring to the fridge itself?

 

[Trent257]

a full setup not including the fridge runs about 200-250 new. i found an excelent deal int he paper, everything including fridge for 90$ also if you get a used one, it has to be inspected every five years to be refilled. the people at the liquer store always give me crap when i fill up mine.

this is a really good page, tells ya everything you need to get and where to get it
http://www.rayfes.com/me/kegerator/kegerator.php

 

[gnef]

the shell at austinhomebrew it is around 35 - and that's used. where could i get the shell for 10?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

kegging 101

needed parts:
1 co2 tank.
1 regulator. dual regulator recommended so you can read tank and keg pressure
hoses.
connectors.
at least one cornelius keg. (aka soda keg, corny, 5 gal keg)

a total system will probably set you back about 170 +shipping. You can find parts elsewhere, though the time you spend searching isn't worth it IMO.

tank ideas: I understand that large fire extinguishers, the old kind, use 5 and 10 pound co2 tanks...However, tanks must be sqeeze tested every 5 years and may eat up any savings you might have made. PLUS you will still need the valve fitting and everything else.

regulators and tanks can be found on ebay...

check your want ads, join a local homebrew club and see if you can find someone unloading old equipment.

Anyways, I will still argue that the best bet is to lay out the cash and buy a system. You'll love kegging and your only challenge will be to brew fast enough to keep up with demand.

Its a good idea to have at least 3 cornies. I have 10 .

There are places where you can buy them cheaper than at a local brew shop.

ebay: usually a safe bet, but watch out for shipping and 'handling' charges... you'll probably be looking at abuot $20/keg

independent resalers: these guys are out there.... Green Bay Rackers used to sell them for 10 or 12$....not sure if they still are.

PM me if you want an email addy of a guy in Wi selling supposedly 1000's of them. I haven't bought from him, but he seems alright from his emails. probably 12-15$ or so.

Kegs sometimes are dirty, need cleaning, scrubbing even, and might be sort of sad looking. You should consider new gaskets for your kegs, and there are cleaners out there that are recommended. Bleach is not a good idea because it is reactive with Stainless Steel. That 35$ keg at your homebrewshop has been refurbed and is garuanteed to hold not leak.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: gnef
the shell at austinhomebrew it is around 35 - and that's used. where could i get the shell for 10?

Well I guess I was thinking of it along the wrong lines, but whenever we have a kegger it's a $10 deposit towards the shell that you get back once you bring the empty shell back to the store. At any one time buddies of mine will have 3-4 empty shells on their porches/basements that when brought back can take a chunk out of the cost of another keg.

If you don't bring it back, you're only out $10. I don't know about you but I'd rather get a keg from a liquor store and throw a party. Then just wash out the inside and lose the $10 rather than pay $35. I've seen it done lots of times when parties will have homemade kegs of jungle juice in shells they just havent returned yet.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Judgement

Originally posted by: gnef
the shell at austinhomebrew it is around 35 - and that's used. where could i get the shell for 10?

Well I guess I was thinking of it along the wrong lines, but whenever we have a kegger it's a $10 deposit towards the shell that you get back once you bring the empty shell back to the store. At any one time buddies of mine will have 3-4 empty shells on their porches/basements that when brought back can take a chunk out of the cost of another keg.

If you don't bring it back, you're only out $10. I don't know about you but I'd rather get a keg from a liquor store and throw a party. Then just wash out the inside and lose the $10 rather than pay $35. I've seen it done lots of times when parties will have homemade kegs of jungle juice in shells they just havent returned yet.

and thats is technically stealing. $10 is a deposit, not the cost of the keg.

 

[gnef]

thanks for all the replies. i'll look into the options. this isn't an immediate need, we are fine bottling for now. but in the future, we would definitely like to upgrade to a keg system, and if the kegs are as cheap as you guys say, it will be easy to do multiple brews. right now we are doing about one per month, which actually isn't bad since it is a decent amount of change to do a brew.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: gnef
thanks for all the replies. i'll look into the options. this isn't an immediate need, we are fine bottling for now. but in the future, we would definitely like to upgrade to a keg system, and if the kegs are as cheap as you guys say, it will be easy to do multiple brews. right now we are doing about one per month, which actually isn't bad since it is a decent amount of change to do a brew.

How is it any different then the $.05 deposit you put on bottles when you buy beer in some states? Are you stealing the bottles if you return them instead of throwing them away? Don't want to start an argument, but that's always how I presumed it worked.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Judgement

Originally posted by: gnef
thanks for all the replies. i'll look into the options. this isn't an immediate need, we are fine bottling for now. but in the future, we would definitely like to upgrade to a keg system, and if the kegs are as cheap as you guys say, it will be easy to do multiple brews. right now we are doing about one per month, which actually isn't bad since it is a decent amount of change to do a brew.

How is it any different then the $.05 deposit you put on bottles when you buy beer in some states? Are you stealing the bottles if you return them instead of throwing them away? Don't want to start an argument, but that's always how I presumed it worked.

It very well may be different..

Good point though.. I'm really not sure. You'd have to ask the owner of the business... They could have it setup any number of ways.

 

[gnef]

i'm a bit confused by what you guys are saying. we buy our bottles.

 

[Judgement]

Originally posted by: gnef
i'm a bit confused by what you guys are saying. we buy our bottles.

We aren't talking about bottling your own beer, but in some states (mostly in the NE part of the country) when you buy beer in bottles from a liquor store you pay a $.05 deposit on each bottle. When you're done with the beer you can return the bottles and get all your deposit money back, but I don't know anyone who actually does that... they just throw the bottles away.

I was comparing the deposit on the bottles to the deposit on the keg shell in that I always assumed it was no bigger a deal to keep the keg shell and take the $10 loss than it was to take the $.05 per bottle loss on the bottles we always throw away instead of returning.

 

[Trent257]

i know this hasent been disscussed in a few weeks, but you need a special kind of "shell" for home brew, or at least thats what my beer guy says at the liquor store, you cant just use any ordinary

 

[jaedaliu]

Originally posted by: Trent257
i know this hasent been disscussed in a few weeks, but you need a special kind of "shell" for home brew, or at least thats what my beer guy says at the liquor store, you cant just use any ordinary

yes.

you're gonna have a hell of a time getting beer into a "normal" keg. Note the quotes on normal. different beer makers use different kegs that require different taps. If you're just home brewing, you probably want to get a soda keg or 3 (depending on how many different beers you're brewing). I'm not sure where you can find them, but they shouldn't be more than 5 - 15 dollars used. If you're just dispensing beer (if you don't need a fancy bar tap) you can get a cheap, $2 plastic nozzle for the keg. Recharges, cost of the tank, and cost of the tap are the only significant costs (unless you've got a wet bar you want to hook a fancy tap up to)