Newbie here - I’ve bottled a couple of batches with decent results. Moving forward, I figured kegging would be a logical step both technically (in terms of learning) and financially before I begin tackling all grain.
I plan on purchasing the ball lock keg, regulator, and lines from NB but I have some Amazon.com giftcards that I was hoping to use these to buy a Co2 tank. Pending confirmation of cerfication, would a 5lb tank like the one linked below work for a 1 keg setup?
If not, could someone explain why and point me in the right direction?
Yes it would work but DO NOT BUY NEW! There’s no point. At some point it will be empty and you’ll have to get it filled. Many places don’t fill, they just swap and there goes your shiny new tank. Honestly, I wouldn’t buy any of the stuff you mentioned new, except maybe the regulator. Buy a few used kegs and a used CO2 tank. Check craigslist or homebrewfinds.com. They post daily deals and lots of vendors sell used.
You could buy a used regulator, but I’d prefer to buy new. That way you know what you’re getting in probably the most important piece in kegging. Of course you’ll want all new lines, connections, etc, but those are all reasonably cheap.
EDIT: And with all due respect to our host here (NB), but there are cheaper keg supply sites out there. Build a shopping list on several sites and see which is cheapest. I can almost guarantee NB will not be.
Just to offer an alternative to what dobe12 mentioned, if you DID BUY your tank, you may find that there are fire extinguisher refill places in your area that would fill your tank for a nominal charge. In my area, I have mine filled for around $12 while I wait.
Yes, there will be a time that you need to have the tank tested, but that isn’t at all that expensive. My refill guy will do it for $16. And that is good for a few years.
If you do go the way of just exchanging tanks, your supplier will charge you for the first tank. I recently got a nitro exchange tank and I had to pay an initial charge of $80 for the exchange tank. Refills were less than $20.
I would second the idea of buying used kegs and that there are a lot of deals out there for kegging equipment. Even NB runs a sale on kegs every now and then.
I second what everyone says. I’d only buy used or reconditioned kegs and cylinder. Though I have a couple of places near here that will fill my cylinder.
About the CO2 fills… find places around you (welding supply stores) and ask their policies first. Most places by me will just swap. I did find one that will fill, but that’s not the norm… at least by me. I’ve never had to pay an initial $80 swap fee. That’s crazy. If you’re giving a tank, you shouldn’t have to pay extra for the first exchange. Some places will charge you a pressure testing fee the first time and every 5 years, but it’s way less than $80. And some places never even check the date and will just swap no questions asked.
I’m not certain where you’re located but all CO2 ships empty. You will have to have it filled and more than likely you will end up swapping it out. Around here(twin cities) I can get it filled but it cost $5 more than a swap and I have to leave it for 2 days.
I would piece together all that you need rather than buying a set up. I would also buy used kegs. Ball lock are getting tough to find and prices have gone way up. If I were to do it again, I’d get pin locks.
I’ve ordered from them a few times. The refurbished CO2 tanks are great. The 5lb steel tank is a great deal. Don’t get the 4lb or the 7lb. No one will exchange those.
[quote=“eichen323”]I’m not certain where you’re located but all CO2 ships empty. You will have to have it filled and more than likely you will end up swapping it out. Around here(twin cities) I can get it filled but it cost $5 more than a swap and I have to leave it for 2 days.
I would piece together all that you need rather than buying a set up. I would also buy used kegs. Ball lock are getting tough to find and prices have gone way up. If I were to do it again, I’d get pin locks.
I’ve ordered from them a few times. The refurbished CO2 tanks are great. The 5lb steel tank is a great deal. Don’t get the 4lb or the 7lb. No one will exchange those.
Good luck![/quote]
Great info! It’s funny, when I built my kegerator 3 years ago I heard the exact opposite in regards to ball/pinlock kegs. Ball-lock were everywhere and pin-lock were tougher to find. When my brew club had group buys we’d get ball-locks for about $23-25/keg. Pin-locks were a little more. I’d say 95% of our club (which can range from 130-230 members depending on the time of year) are ball-lock users. Looks like the pendulum is swinging the other way.
Another option for getting a co2 tank filled are fire extinguisher supply shops.
I bought a new kegerator last year that came with a shinny new aluminum tank. All the welding supply shops would only do a swap for steel tanks. But I found a fire extinguisher supply that would fill it. 5lb tank $16 and I’m in and out in 5 minutes. Plus they’re closer than the welding shop.
I bought a used tank on eBay, it is a converted 7-pound O2 tank with the connection switched to a CO2 valve. I take it to a welding supply and they refill it. It confuses them whenever I take it in, but they check the validation stamp, and see the connection valve, and it’s good to go. They don’t have a setting on their computer for 7-pound, so I get charged for 5, but the guy in the back fills it with 7 pounds. Good deal.
