Question about CO2 refills

[seamusct]

Hey, first time posting, and new to using a kegarator, so be patient. I got a nice system set up at home, but have used up the CO2 in my bottle. The place I got it from, and will refill, is a long enough drive to want me to find a closer location to get the bottle refilled. Someone mentioned to me that you can get places that refill CO2 containers for paintball guns to refill it.
Now, when I went to a store in town to refill, they said that they should not, because they fill the containers with liquid CO2 and it would contaminate the beer? Is this true, or is it OK to get refills at the paint ball store? Has anyone ever had a problem filling up from a paint ball store? And if I should not get refills there, any suggestions on places to get refills? Thanks so much, any info would be greatly appreciated.

[mmmBeer...]

Anywhere you take it will fill your bottle with Liquid CO2…if you filled it with CO2 gas there would be little pressure to push the CO2. CO2 becomes a liquid under pressure and thus fills the bottle. When the CO2 reaches “normal” pressures it becomes a gas.

So the long and the short of it is filling at a paintball store is fine…the same thing will happen anywhere else. The pressure in the keg is low enough for the CO2 to be a gas…if the pressure was high enough for it to be liquid you would need a keg the thickness of your CO2 bottle.

[stronk]

And it's rubbish about contamination. Imagine trying to survive as a bacterium in an atmosphere with co2, no nutrients and enough pressure to turn co2 into liquid...

[seamusct]

Thanks guys, I thought it would be ok, but didn't want to waste a good keg of beer if I was wrong. Now I only need a 5 minute drive to get CO2 and beer, versus driving about 35 minutes for the refill. Next stage, learing how to brew by the keg myself!

[gallowd7]

I would be very careful when you refill at a place where they don't know that CO2 can be a liquid and a gas. Just make sure that you check the lbs/pressure. I had a tank filled at a fire station (within a steel mill) and all it cost me was a few donuts. Except when the release valve blew and the tank discharged in my back seat. I was not in the car, but when I came back to the car it was "smoking" and little kids were crying. Must have been something.

Moral: Don't overfill.

[mmmBeer...]

Originally posted by gallowd7
I would be very careful when you refill at a place where they don't know that CO2 can be a liquid and a gas. Just make sure that you check the lbs/pressure. I had a tank filled at a fire station (within a steel mill) and all it cost me was a few donuts. Except when the release valve blew and the tank discharged in my back seat. I was not in the car, but when I came back to the car it was "smoking" and little kids were crying. Must have been something.

Moral: Don't overfill.

What a great story! That must have been pretty funny...

[seamusct]

Wow, I will keep that in mind when I get it refilled. Thanks a lot!

[HiRichRules]

Can you please expand on that story a little more. I started to chuckle and we only caught the preview. Man, to be there to see that!

[swzine]

Hey guys, I'm new to this board, but not new to the keg fridge! I was wondering if I could refill at a paintball store as well, and Google brought me here!

I used to live in Philly and had no clue where to go in the Houston area. I called Academy Sports & Outdoors and found out they do refills and was hoping I could go there since it's in walking distance from where I live! Thanks for the valuable info.

Now, back to the overfilling story. That's pretty scary. "They" (whoever they are) say a tank blowing like that could turn into an unguided missle!