When to fill CO2?????

[flytcp]

I have a home system. Have gone through two 1/4 barrels & two 1/2 barrels. The gauge on my CO2 is showing 650 PSI. This is outside the fridge (approx. 65 deg.). I usually keep the CO2 in the fridge with the beer. Should I just get it filled? Or, do you wait til ber stops flowing? Presently I'm empty waiting for an ordered keg. Thanks so much for your help!!!

[monkey710]

Please see this article:

http://www.micromatic.com/beer-quest...nk-aid-89.html

But assuming that this is a 5 pound tank, you should have at least another 2 1/2 barrels left.

[cubby_swans]

Originally Posted by monkey710

Please see this article:

http://www.micromatic.com/beer-quest...nk-aid-89.html

But assuming that this is a 5 pound tank, you should have at least another 2 1/2 barrels left.

yeah, note that the pressure guage will not begin to drop until the tank is nearing empty. So as soon as you see the pressure start to drop, go get it filled up. It's not going to be dramatic where all of a sudden you have no pressure and can't pour a beer.

[bonefish]

to refill yesterday because I "felt" it was time- 8 kegs. Shop wouldn't fill it because it was not empty. Clerk weighed it, and said I had approximately 3 kegs left. I'm kind of surprised she didn't go out back and empty it, or do a partial fill, for my $23.00. So, weigh your empty cylinder, then you'll have an idea of where empty is.
I know that's so simple.
SEAN

[cubby_swans]

23 bucks? Where are you getting that filled and how big is the tank? I get my 5lb tank filled at a paintball shop for $10. And the paintball place will empty out a tank and fill it back up. Sounds to me like you found a lazy employee.

[bonefish]

I was turned away, in November by several shops, because they only do commercial business. If I've got 3 more kegs in my 5 pounder, I don't have a problem. If it won't finish the keg I have, I have a problem.
Sean

[lunkhead]

This has always worked for me. Keeping an eye on the low pressure gage I'll let it run until the the high pressure gage runs to zero. When you see the low pressure gage just begin to drop (usually when pouring a beer), close the low pressure valve, untap the keg, it will maintain it's pressure and keep it cold. Fill or change out tank, even if it takes a couple days the cold pressurized keg will be fine. Install filled tank, retap, drink.

[bonefish]

I raised the pressure a bit when I disconnected co2, because I didn't how long this might take. Went 2 days without turning co2 on, could have gone more. Just for everyones info.
SEAN

[kegomatic]

Agree with all those posts - it's not dramatic but I go more than a year before I have to refill (assuming no leaks!) - around 6 half-barrels, or more. I usually go to the welding shop - they fix me up at reasonable cost w/no hassles. If the high-side dips into the red, it's time to go before the weekend!

[sadavantiowner]

Just like my LP gas for my grill, I have two tanks. I have no worries about one going empty, just go to the garage and get the full one. Just don't forget to fill the emopty at your convenience.
I fill mine at the welding supply place in an indutrial park. $18 for 5lbs.

[cubby_swans]

Originally Posted by sadavantiowner

Just like my LP gas for my grill, I have two tanks. I have no worries about one going empty, just go to the garage and get the full one. Just don't forget to fill the emopty at your convenience.
I fill mine at the welding supply place in an indutrial park. $18 for 5lbs.

You should check your local paintball shops. I get my 5lb filled for $10.

[KingPin461]

same here, I get my 5lb tank filled for $10, but I get mine done at a fire extinguisher service place.

[skibumdc]

Wow, I must have a leak in my father-in-laws kegerator.
We blew through a 5 pound CO2 tank in less than a sixthel.

Can anyone tell me, or show me a pic of the plastic washer on a single gauge regulator that connects to the co2 bottle?
Last I looked ours had a tiny notch cut out around the outside diameter of the disc. Not the paper disc you put in between the regulator and the tank, but the plastic disc inside the regulator.

[cubby_swans]

Originally Posted by lunkhead

This has always worked for me. Keeping an eye on the low pressure gage I'll let it run until the the high pressure gage runs to zero. When you see the low pressure gage just begin to drop (usually when pouring a beer), close the low pressure valve, untap the keg, it will maintain it's pressure and keep it cold. Fill or change out tank, even if it takes a couple days the cold pressurized keg will be fine. Install filled tank, retap, drink.

Hey Lunkhead (or anyone else), once the needle dips into the red, how long do you have? Obviously the answer depends on home many beers you drink. I'm thinking fairly moderate use. 6-10 12oz beers a day maybe. A couple beers? A couple days? A week? My neighbor has a Danby too, I was over there yesterday and as he's pouring me a beer, he tells me he's still running the same 5lb co2 tank on his 12th keg. I ask him what his PSI is. So we wheel it out, he has it set to 8 even though I've told him 10 times to set it to 12 and his high pressure guage reads about 50. I told him to fill it now, but this guy thinks he's going to make it through the whole keg that he just got. I think he's going to have flat beer.

[Kpt42]

I haven't had to fill my 20 lb tank in the year and a half that I've had it. I don't have a clue how many kegs have been tapped but a lot.

In a pinch if the line pressure shows what you set it at you are fine. My father has a 20 lb tank at his beach house. The tank gauge was on dead empty and the line pressure gauge stayed steady. He ran through that 20 lb tank though, its a four kegger, I believe the problem was trusting a uncoupled coupler's seals to stop CO2 flow.

Hell I even found a pic of said incident:

[lunkhead]

Originally Posted by cubby_swans

Hey Lunkhead (or anyone else), once the needle dips into the red, how long do you have? Obviously the answer depends on home many beers you drink. I'm thinking fairly moderate use. 6-10 12oz beers a day maybe. A couple beers? A couple days? A week? My neighbor has a Danby too, I was over there yesterday and as he's pouring me a beer, he tells me he's still running the same 5lb co2 tank on his 12th keg. I ask him what his PSI is. So we wheel it out, he has it set to 8 even though I've told him 10 times to set it to 12 and his high pressure guage reads about 50. I told him to fill it now, but this guy thinks he's going to make it through the whole keg that he just got. I think he's going to have flat beer.

He's going to have to keep an eye on the low pressure gage for sure, that will tell him when to change it. Will the pressure still turn up to 12? With my 20lb bottle I can through get a half keg and then some when the needle is in the red, it just emptied. But a 5lb bottle?? On his 12th keg?? Must be 1/4 and 1/6 kegs unless it's being way over filled.

[cubby_swans]

Originally Posted by lunkhead

He's going to have to keep an eye on the low pressure gage for sure, that will tell him when to change it. Will the pressure still turn up to 12? With my 20lb bottle I can through get a half keg and then some when the needle is in the red, it just emptied. But a 5lb bottle?? On his 12th keg?? Must be 1/4 and 1/6 kegs unless it's being way over filled.

Definitely half barrels, I helped him carry most of them to his basement. But he always kept his pressure set at 6-8 psi because some guy at the liquor store told him to do that to keep his beer from foaming.... then he wonder's why his beer tastes 'different' after two weeks. "IT'S FLAT!" I finally convinced him and he's had it set to 12 for the last few kegs. He also let me install a resistor in it so the beer is the right temp, too. But he is just on the start on the 12th keg, so he made it through 11. I told him what you said, keep an eye on the low pressure guage dropping below 12 and to get more co2 as soon as possible.

[lunkhead]

All I can say is that's some kind of majic bottle!! But maybe only running it at half pressure makes it last. I would suspect a 20lb bottle in the red would last longer than a 5 so he'll need to watch the low side, just like you said, shut it off when it starts to drop.

[Draught Prophet]

Take out your CO2 tank (outside of your house), lay it on it's side and slightly open the valve. If a white haze comes out, it's still full. No haze=getting empty.