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CO2 bottle cost

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  jester56 
#1 ·
ok, looking around, I may decide to purchase a CO2 bottle. I don't need a large one, say maybe a 5 lb. Anyone know of costs to purchase one? I'll probably go to the supplier and purchase from them, but I'm wondering what the "sticker" price should be about.

Aluminum or stainless steel?
I can get a 20 oz paintball canister for about $30 and an ASA Adapter for about $14 locally.
The tank is a 5 gal Fluval Spec, so I don't need a huge tank.

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
For 5lb tank, if you can get a filled new one from your local welding supply store for $70-$80, go for it, because if you buy one online, the cost is around $50, after you go around to get it filled, the total make no difference.
and check craigslist as BriDroid just mention, you may find a good deal.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Google "welding gas supply" and your city name and start calling.

In Canada most places quoted me $120-130 for a 5lb steel cylinder filled, Kijiji can help or you can rent one from many welding gas shops for a pretty low fee ($4/month is what I'm paying).
You could also check out JL aquatics, I think they had an aluminum tank pretty cheap and orders over $100 have free Canadian shipping... they might be the cheapest that I've seen but then you have to find someplace to fill it, some suppliers won't fill tanks that they didn't sell/rent, some don't care.
 
#6 ·
I have no problem with space and do find the "normal" size bottle to be easier to find places to fill them. I do exchanges so don't worry at all about the tank appearance. For economy both on upfront and refills, check welding supply places. Watch for tanks which have expired dates when buying used. The date will be stamped in the metal near the top and are good for five years before being retested.
 
#7 ·
If the choice is between aluminum and steel, call around and find out where and what prices there are for refills versus swaps. I find that it's easier to find a place that does swaps, and they're generally less expensive (though I live in a decent-sized city), so you'll likely be best off, financially, with steel. But you may have a cheap refill place just around the corner, in which case a nice shiny aluminum cylinder may be ideal.
 
#8 ·
I live in a medium size city and we have a restaurant salvage company..... Basically they buy restaurant equipment and resell it. I bought 2 10lb bottles from there for $25 each. Then took them to Airgas and swapped them for full ones @ $18 each. I get about 8 months out of each one.
 
#9 ·
I got mine from Airgas today for $95 filled. That was the cost for the initial tank plus the hydro test? I think thats the name. Anyways, when the tank is empty you bring it back and exchange it for a new tank and pay $18 for the refill and test again. I know it's cheaper to just get the same tank filled over and over, then have it inspected every few years but I don't have that option where I live.

I know they only give out aluminum tanks, so that is a huge bonus! Oh, and don't bother with Norco. They are more expensive then airgas. It seems like most cities either have one or the other, or both.
 
#10 ·
I got mine from Airgas today for $95 filled. That was the cost for the initial tank plus the hydro test? I think thats the name. Anyways, when the tank is empty you bring it back and exchange it for a new tank and pay $18 for the refill and test again. I know it's cheaper to just get the same tank filled over and over, then have it inspected every few years but I don't have that option where I live.

I know they only give out aluminum tanks, so that is a huge bonus! Oh, and don't bother with Norco. They are more expensive then airgas. It seems like most cities either have one or the other, or both.

These items vary from place to place but I think there is some misunderstanding here. I think what you will find is that you do NOT take it back and get a new one. If you are doing a swap, rather than a refill, you are likely to get a tank which is part of their stock tanks. That means it is likely to be one which has gone out numerous construction sites and ridden around in trucks much of the time. To keep tanks from "wandering" off, they are often marked or painted so they can be recognized.

Just a heads-up so that you don't expect to get a shiny new tank each time when exchanging. Locally, the deal on exchanges is that you leave your tank on the dock, pay for the gas and pick one up as you leave. Pot luck on what you get but my folks are nice enough to let me choose nicer over rusty.
 
#11 ·
Yes that's exactly right. You're swapping out of their stock inventory of *steel not aluminum* tanks. Some are rough, some are brand new. If you're like me and hide all this nonsense under your stand it matters not one whit what color or condition they're in. All I worry about is whether the valve blows a hole in the roof as it detaches from the bottle and takes the aquarium and room with it. I don't think aluminum tanks stand out as a safer alternative, hence my use of swappers.

Cheers
 
#12 ·
I got my 5lb Catalina aluminum tank off of Amazon. If you have the Prime membership, you can get 2 day shipping for free. If you have a local paintball shop that knows what they're doing, they can fill your tank with no exchanges. As I am part of a large paintball pro shop outfit, I just fill mine off of a 50lb cylinder. People that bring in the tanks for their Kegerators or drink dispensers, we fill them for $15. If anyone on the forum is close to Mandeville, LA, and needs a tank filled, PM me and I'll take care of you on your tanks - 5lb OR Paintball CO2 tanks... (Mandeville is on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain/New Orleans)

I even figured out how to use a paintball gun regulator to supply CO2 to my 5G Fluval. 20oz tank last me about a month - 5 weeks. If anyone is using a 20oz tank, you should be able to have them filled for around $4.00.
 
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