Owning pub CO2 cylinders

[MacKiwi]

Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm pretty clueless about CO2...

I've a chap in installing some iron fencing, and was chatting to him about the CO2 cylinder on his MIG welder. He said we had plenty of old pub CO2 cylinders in his garage and would happily give me one.

Sweet! But then I got to thinking - are they like kegs and casks, where they are always owned by someone else, and you just rent them? To put it a different way, if I have my own cylinder, will it be easy enough to find someone to fill it for me?

 

[hairybiker]

Good luck getting it filled!
I believe the are still owned by the filling company (BoC or Airparts etc) unless you have paid for the deposit on it.
I can get empty's from the dump/sorry recycling site. But nowhere round here to get them filled.
Airparts wanted something like £7/month for a cly. and BoC didn't even get back to me.

 

[PD]

My local gas place sell a pub size CO2 canister full of gas. Cost £65
The cylinder is then yours ..end of story.
To have your cylinder refilled with gas costs £15 each time.
However in practise you hand in your empty cylinder and get a full one back so you don't actually get your own cylinder back.
Its the same system with Camping gas/calor gas for BBQ's

 

[Steveicky]

Some welding shops may be able to fill one for you BUT most places will not touch them if they have not been tested recently.

Got mine from Air Liquid. I had to pay £40 deposit on the cylinder but the gas is cheap and last for ages.

 

[Fil]

Think its pretty much like any gas bottle 'hire' calor etc.. and any out of cert/date bottles get recertified/recycled when returned. So as long as you identify the correct supplier and If they deal with the public an old bottle should just get exchanged. Some suppliers like breweries may not deal with the public in which case you could ask the aid of a local pub landlord, but i suggest u hint its for welding

 

[MacKiwi]

Cheers for the replies guys, they confirm my suspicions :) If I'm lucky enough to find somewhere nearby to fill the cyclinder then all is well and good. But chances are I'll have to go down the regular route of leasing one, or buying one from someone who will fill it for me.

 

[scott-ayling]

No problem getting it filled , you from fife ? I get mine filled at allsons in buckhaven they will fill it no problem for you

 

[Vossy1]

Think its pretty much like any gas bottle 'hire' calor etc.. and any out of cert/date bottles get recertified/recycled when returned.

T'is true.

If I'm lucky enough to find somewhere nearby to fill the cyclinder then all is well and good.

Personally I think you should get it tested, not just re-filled, if you've seen the damage a faulty cylinder can do you wouldn't even think about doing it any other way. Also worth keeping in mind is that if stored in your house and not stated on the insurance it may well void your insurance...nice thoughts

 

[MacKiwi]

Scott, yeah I'm in Fife, thanks for the tip. :thumb: I'll give them a ring...

Vossy, the cylinder will be out in the shed, so no danger to the house. Just all my brewing kit and beer stash :shock: So I'll be getting the cylinder inspected for sure!

 

[scott-ayling]

They will test it for you too they tested mine I also got a bottle from them think it was £65 and think you get £50 if you return the bottle

 

[AZZKIKR]

I ordered one frome here (I can't post links yet so hope you can google this)
gascylindersuk they have a link on the left of their site for cylinder sales.
they will post it empty to Scotland then it cost me £5 to get it refilled at the local fire extinguisher place. The above was about the only place selling them but I saw some on ebay and they looked to be old/out of test date. The fire extinguisher place said they could test them for £45 quid. The thing is if it fails a test your £45 quid down so you would be as well putting that towards one that is already tested.

 

[PD]

when I swop my empty cylinder for a full one I get one thats fully tested and in date.

 

[graysalchemy]

£5 to get it refilled at the local fire extinguisher place.

Is it Food Grade CO2 ?

 

[Aquila]

LOL there is no such thing. Either its co2 or its something else

 

[AZZKIKR]

£5 to get it refilled at the local fire extinguisher place.

Is it Food Grade CO2 ?

I would assume it's not due to where it's coming from. I had thought that it makes little difference but I could be wrong.

 

[ScottM]

LOL there is no such thing. Either its co2 or its something else

Yeah, CO2 is CO2... the food grade part actually refers to the cylinder. As long as it's a food grade cylinder you can get it filled anywhere that supplies CO2.

Having said that, I'm not sure just how important the food grade part is to our beer, but as it makes no odds to me I'm happy to just go with it

 

[rpt]

Although CO2 is CO2 could it come with impurities? Perhaps it's cheaper if isn't quite pure. I've no idea but I think gray's question is sensible.

 

[ScottM]

Although CO2 is CO2 could it come with impurities? Perhaps it's cheaper if isn't quite pure. I've no idea but I think gray's question is sensible.

When you buy food grade CO2 it's in a different bottle. I believe it's also a female port rather than male, but that could be a CO2 thing rather than food grade.

It's filled from the same tank though, just the bottle that's different.

 

[zgoda]

I have 2 bottles, one food grade and one "normal". They're identical? Or at least they look so.

 

[graysalchemy]

Yeah, CO2 is CO2... the food grade part actually refers to the cylinder.

Yes Carbon Dioxide is carbon Dioxide. However it has to meet EC regulations EC directive 96/77/EC. This will mainly revolve around making sure that the gas is produced to the highest purity and that the way it is produced, handled, stored and transported does not involve any contamination ie all storage vesels, piping, lubricants etc are all food grade.

It is the same as with medical gasses and diving gasses (even divers compressed air has to come from tested compressors if i am correct so as not to have any contamination, I wouldn't want to breath the air coming out of my compressor at work or for that matter use it to aerate my beer)

So no the co2 sold for industrial processes is not the same as that sold for food use.


:thumb: