Gas cylinders

Well, I’ve slowed down on brewing… I had 2 twenty pound cylinders of CO2 going… one for brewing side and one for serving side… I brought the cylinder back to the place it originated from… “don’t do that any more”… Seems they passed it on to another shop (this is local shops)… I called the new shop “we don’t deal with that”… I have just over a hundred bucks into deposit I’d hope to get back…
Name on the bottle is Praxair… Went way up north right to them… “name, (searching data) Your not in the system”…
I’m going to list it on the local sales stuff… Even Coke and Pepsi are getting out of the cylinder business… I suspect it’ll end up in my storage shed… along with other brewing stuff.
Sneezles61

Some gas suppliers up here in north west PA are not customer friendly. Friend had a 16 year old 2 pound cylinder. I walk in the store carrying the cylinder and immediately get told never bring any cylinders in here. Left it outside, and he took care of other customers. Eventually, he looked at it and said. This needs hydrotested. I can not refill it. $30 and 3 month wait to get it back. He also said every 3 years they require it to by hydrotested. I told him never mind I will buy a new tank and work with another supplier who just swaps tanks out.

My gas supplier in Pittsburgh, west penn leco, works in a more friendly fashion. To get in the system you supply them with a new tank they swap it out with one of theirs full. Every time you need a refill you just walk in the store with an empty tank and they swap it out with the full cylinders they have sitting in store. Never have to worry about hydrotesting.

Disadvantage is the tank has their name on it so if I try and swap out with airco or another supplier they will not take the tank.

Down here the closest CO2 dealer is about an hour away. I have one of their 5lb tanks that is empty so I hope they will just swap it out regardless of the test date. They deliver once a week to local bars & restaurants so I’m trying to figure out a way to get one delivered or a bar that will let me get one dropped there.

Up north I had a tank from Praxair I tried to get swapped out. They told me I had to pay to have it hydrotested. I said hey it’s your tank. They finally did give in and swapped it after I said forget it and started out the door with it. Fortunately I have another source that doesn’t care whos name is on the tank.

Try looking for a fire supply store. We have one that fills and hydrotests tanks and they don’t seem to care whos name is on it either.

I have 4 5 lb tanks that I take for refills 2 at a time to my local welding supply store. If they’re out of inspection, they swap em out for a new full one. The only one I got re-tested was my original tank that I got with my kegerator. While that was out, I bought a second, then a couple months later my buddy stopped using his so I inherited 2 more. You would think I would never run out. . .but I still do on occasion.

I was just at a customer installing an upgrade to a machine and our distributor for the sale was Dale’s Oxygen. The sales guy I was working with said full sized tanks are in HUGE demand at the moment. He’s driving around to all of his customers and asking for empties. They’re based out of Dubois, PA.

:beers:
Rad

Mines a Praxair… AND has their sticker on it with barcode stuff… I don’t think we’ll run out of small tanks… perhaps even the other way… too many and then your deposit becomes less desirable from their point…
I see those big SS tanks way more now… No lifting the little cylinders or dealing with tying down for the journey… Well, its just the way its gonna be…
Sneezles61

I’ve got three 5lbs, two 10lbs, and a 20lb tank. The place I use sometimes checks for hydro dates, sometimes not. Often depends on what they have ready for exchange. If they have to fill your tank and it’s out of date they’ll charge you the hydro fee, but send you on your way with a full tank with an active hydro date. Seems to be fair either way.
I’ve only dealt with Praxair for work purposes on alcohol standards for breathalyzer calibrations. They are a PITA. They never follow through with what they say, never return calls/emails, and want their tanks back. We ended up buying a part to remove a special valve so we could slip it in the recycling. But it’s a PITA to empty the cylinder before removing the valve. I ‘developed’ system using duct tape, and a rock to hold the valve button open over night.

Our local Praxair guys are great! I just swap out tanks, no problem.

Same here on bonaire did buy when i started kegging 20 lbs size wise 63 cft. If i exchange a tank no questions asked. Only that i had a official company name. And register a chamber of comerce. Use the name of my wifes company. Only now due to transport cost. From34dollar to 50dollar

I’m lucky here to have some good old boys at Bogg’s gas near here in Cocoa, Fl. Just 5 minutes away and super friendly. No Pinheads. Just shoot the sh@t with them and be respectful.
They do adhere to the 5 year inspection FWIW.

Well, I wasn’t caring with the re-cert as I was just wanting to return the cylinder to where it came from and get my deposit of 110.00… :neutral_face:
Sneezles61

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That’s my point with Praxair. Didn’t want their tanks back. If they don’t want them you could try to recoup some of your loss by selling them.

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I’m not sure I understand how you can charge a deposit and not be required to refund it if the item is returned in good condition.

I never figured that I would need to keep the receipt for an exchange tank to have a copy of the deposit agreement since the company name is stuck to or stamped into the cylinder.

I tried to trade up my 5lb for a 10 with Airgas and they wanted $65 more deposit.

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The fleecing of a home brewer!!
Well, I certainly won’t go broke… Heck, that’d get me at least 2 sacks of barley!
Sneezles61

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I may have found a way to get CO2 without driving for an hour. The closest dealer is 50 miles away but they deliver once a week to bars and restaurants within a mile of me. I called and asked if they could just call me when they were in town and I could meet up with them. Answer was no because we cover lots of ground and a zillion stops blah blah blah.

Finally he says why don’t you go to our web site and open an account then we will deliver it right to you.

It’s Airgas and the application form is mostly aimed at businesses with all kinds of credit and corporation questions. So I fill out the form best I can, leaving out most of the answers email it to them and hope for the best. I got back a reply and all they needed was to have me send back in the first page with COD checked.

Fingers crossed.

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If they are delivering to places within a mile of you, scheduling a drop off at your house shouldn’t be too big of a stretch if they are willing, hope it works out!

:beers:
Rad

Is that for down south ?
Sneezles61

Yes. The Airgas is in Key West. Up north we have a very good CO2 company pretty close by. They aren’t picky about the cylinders, except the test date and refill them right away.

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I just got my account number, called and ordered a cylinder and it will be delivered Thursday. Cost is $83.93 first I thought wow that is a lot but with gas the price it is for 100 miles round trip and the CO2 delivered, not that bad.

Plus he insists the cylinder I have is mine. I guess I swapped it out there so who knows where the last one came from. Without having a leak it should last a long time.

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Open a acount if this works will save you traveling. If this dont work. Ask a bar if they can order a tank for you

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I’m all set. CO2 comes tomorrow. Now to figure out where the leak is.