CO2 Tank fills?
In the process of building a kegerator. Trying to find a place to have CO2 tanks filled, anyone have any pointers?
The Bishop 
Steve-0 Most sport shops, or any place that deals with paintball guns will fill them. I go to highway sports shop on Rt 31 in Washington.
craftbeerlover I've had better luck paintball depot on 46 in kenvil. What will be your first keg??
atthedrivein Lodi Welding does swaps (Empty tank for a full one) a 5 lb tank will last a year
LibertyThinker Paintball depot in Kenvil on 46. Cheapest and convenient. The one in Washington on 31 wants you to drop it off and p/u later.
Biffy Thanks, folks.
First Keg's going to be a Pale Ale. Second's going to be either a Stout or Robust Porter. Third one's going to be some type of seasonal, haven't figured that one out yet.
Also, plug:
Thanks for all the help in learning to brew, Homebrew University!
Hey Bishop,
I get my 20# CO2 tank filled at Adam's Fire in Rockaway. Best prices I've found, and they'll fill while you wait.
If you ever want to talk brewing, feel free to drop me a line. I've made a batch or two in my day.
Did Warren at HBU tell you about our homebrew club, NJHOPZ?
Joe Fisher Joe - Yeah, and I'm a member, too. We've met before, in Warren's shop.
I'll check out Adam's Fire, thanks for the tip!
Silly questions, would I be able to get my soda stream tank filled at these places too. lol
Smackintosh Apple 
Skippy I'd like to post a followup on my less than satisfactory experience with Lodi Welding.
I paid for two full 5-pound CO2 bottles. I received one mostly empty and one completely empty bottle. Of course I find this out on the weekend, and they're closed.
Ended up taking the two bottles to Paintball Depot on 46. Could only fill one, the other was 4 years past it hydrostatic test date.
Today, I went to exchange the empty and out-of-date bottle. At 2:00pm on a Tuesday, there's nobody in the shop. No hours posted anywhere, their website says, "Call for hours" and when I called, the recording also says, "Call for hours." Last I checked, I just did?
At this point, I cannot recommend them for gas bottles. It's a crapshoot as to what junk you'll end up with and questionable about it being filled. The unreliable business hours don't help, either.
Praxair in Dover. You bring a tank in they give you a full one. Exchange only.
Stated above...never an issue...they give you pretty new looking tanks...
So, being as I didn't want to be stuck with an out-of-date tank I went back to swap the empty. $30 later, I hand picked a newer aluminum tank from the stack of 'full' ones. Get home and put it on a scale, only 3.5 pounds of CO2 in it. $30 is a god-damned ripoff, *and* I didn't get a full tank either.
Done with this place. I'd rather travel further away and pay less. If fact, I would have been better off buying two new tanks and having them filled vs. buying into their exchange plan, it would have been a good bit cheaper in the long run.
I'll be taking the tanks I have now to be filled elsewhere, and I'm not planning on darkening their doorstep again.
Bruin 
Darrin Praxair dover or paintball depot. Praxair does exchanges and much cheaper than lodi.
boobybeergoggles I've been using Praxair in Dover. Far cheaper than Lodi Welding, and you actually get a really full tank.
Food grade CO2 just means the bottles were 'clean' when filled with CO2. The purity is the same. FWIW, the CO2 bottles I've been getting from Praxair have all been stickered as 'food grade'.
Darrin. You should have two. Just like your propane tanks for grills. You never want to run out. You never want to have beer in a keg and not be able to move it to a glass. Rule # 2 of owning a kegerator.
CraftBeerBob It is definitely on my to get list.
I am still trying to get my foaming figured out. I get 50-75% foam for the first 1/2 the keg. Tied a better tap, tried letting the keg settle, tried purging the keg...next I have to try a longer line.
Fridge is set to 36 degrees, actual temp is 38-40 degrees
Originally, for the first keg I was at 12 psi, but purged the keg, then slowly added co2 and ended up at around 4-6 psi
I have been through 1 1/4 and now am on my 2nd 1/2 and all act the same
As for cleaning, I use this kit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TWMGW9K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, upgraded to this tap:
http://www.micromatic.com/keg-tap-couplers-u.s-domestic-system/d-system-keg-coupler-tap-w-gray-lever-handle-7485ss
It sounds like Co2 is escaping some how. Do all your connections have hose clamps and fittings on them and are they all tight. All of the above sounds like it's in order. Temp, PSI and equipment being used. Also are you lines coiled on top of the keg as opposed to dangling on the sides.
Lines are coiled on top of keg.
I always leave the co2 on, and started with a 1/4 tank of co2, have not run out yet. So there are no leaks that i know of. I would think in the month or so i have had it i would of run out.
I have also tried shutting the co2 off and pouring until it wont pour anymore, then slowly adding co2 back. It will pour the first glass like that foam.free, but after the spout gets shut off, the next glass is foam.
Darrin a few questions...
I have had the same issue with foam... I want to make thou you don't have a gas leak and you have a PSI meter..
Is this a new keg?
Do you have this issue with foam on all kegs you get?
What is your PSI
My solution was allow to allow the smallest amount of co2 in a very slow pour will begin to happen after a few pours and once the keg settles you should be fine to slowly increase..
I am proud owner of a kegerator for 10 years
Yes, I have a gauge set, it has tank pressure and regulator pressure.
I have had three kegs a 1/4 and 2 1/2's on the second 1/2 now.
When I started my tank pressure was just in the order gas range. I am down now to the last notch before being out of gas, and that lasted 1/4 and a 1/2 keg, over the course of a month and a half I would think if I had a gas leak I would run out by now?
On the last 1/2 barrel after it got down past 1/2 left the foam seemed to be less. When it was almost out there was no foam\ and a perfect pour.
When I first got it, I just used it as set, which was about 12 psi. Then, because of foam issues and research on the issues, I tried shutting the co2 off and pouring until it wouldent pour anymore, then slowly adding co2 back to only about 4psi. It will pour the first glass like that foam free, but after the spout gets shut off, the next glass and all others is 1/2 foam.
I get about 12 - 1/4 kegs per one 5lb canister of Co2. I am still going with that something is causing the Co2 to get out of the lines. Have you rechecked all your clamps at each connection point. Take them all of and redo them.
When you turn it off you getting a clean pour. You turn it in you get foam. Air and Co2 are mixing causing the foam.
my 5lb co2 tank lasts me years... and that is years... and dozens of kegs... I say you have a leak...
check for leaks with dish washing soap around all connections ... the thick sticky soap will start to bubble...if you have a leak...
Hey Darrin!
For the foaming, it could be a couple of things. Does the pour start very foamy, then clear up after a pint or so? It could be you're not using enough gas pressure and the CO2 is coming out of solution from the beer. 4-6PSI may not be enough to keep your CO2 dissolved in the beer.
So when you get down to a half full keg, you've un-carbonated the remaining beer enough that 4-6PSI will keep it at that level, and you no longer get foam at the faucet.
If you're getting foam at 10-12PSI (which is where I run my serving lines), there are a few things that will cause foam:
- Lines that are too short or too large diameter: you want 5-6 feet of 3/16" ID line for serving at 10-12PSI at 40F.
- Not opening your faucet all the way when serving, or bad/dirty faucet.
Do a search for "keg line balancing" for more reading. And/or shoot me an email if you have any more questions!
Another possible issue is temperature. If the lines and faucet are warm, when the cold carbonated beer hits them it'll break the CO2 out of solution. The resulting foam in the glass will create more foam.
So I went to Praxair Distribution, Inc.for my new co2 tank, at $21 out the door, good deal. (In full prepreation for being snowed in for months LOL)
I did soap all my co2 lines when I put in the new tank, no leaks.
I would say my beer line is about 5 foot of 3/16 ID. My tower is open to the bottom and stays decently cold. Even so, when I drink, I DRINK, so there is not much time for the line set to warm back up.
Faucet is clean, and when pouring I briskly fully open, and have tried the three opening method too.
If I pour a pitcher the first 1/4 of the pitcher is foam, then its a great pour for the rest. Close the tap and come back 5 minutes later, foam again, so that has me thinking what Joe was saying about low pressure may be right, or possibly the idea about the spout or lines getting warm could be on to something.
I have not tried higher pressure since put the better tap on. I originally lowered it trying to alleviate the foam problem. I will try this tonight
Your beer line is too short, is part of the problem. Depending on the carbonation level of what's in the keg, you'll need more pressure. With a short line, you'll be pouring too fast and will get foam from a rocket-fast pour.
I'd put at least 10' of 3/16 beer line on there.
Turning up the pressure to even 9 psi mad the problem way, way worse
I typically run miller light
That's your problem, right there. :D
Seriously, though: You need a longer beer line. Put 10-12 feet of 3/16 beer line on there and it'll get much, much better.
Miller lite tends to be carbonated pretty high, so you'll likely need 9-10 psi (depending on the temperature of the beer) to keep the carbonation where it's supposed to be. To do that you'll need more friction loss, which means longer beer lines.
Darrin in my boredom today I measured the lines in both my kegerators. I have almost the same setup as you in relation to equipment being used. They are both 9 ft.and no issues. Definitely worth a try.
Make the lines long on install; you can always shorten them but it's really, really hard to make them longer!
Just to follow up, the longer line did the trick. I did a full clean, took out the old line, boiled the new line to sterilize. Installed the full 15ft new line coiled on top of keg, bumped co2 up to 10 psi and now have a normal head, and better tasting beer!
Thanks guys!
Time to have people over Darrin to celebrate your good pours. Lol. Glad we could all help. Cheers.
Resurrecting this thread to see if anyone local will swap/fill a C02 tank for a kegerator. Any of the local breweries or Home Brew?
JB400 Hi-Way Sport on Rt.31 in Washington will fill them, I'm unsure if they exchange the larger tanks.
Phone: (908) 689-6208
Address: 253 NJ-31, Washington, NJ 07882
Greg Commenting is no longer available.