where can a guy fill a co2 bottle around here

dictionaaron · Oct 29, 2012

where can a guy fill a co2 bottle around here. here being madison huntsville. prefferably madison but obviously that might be a stretch

H@rry · Oct 29, 2012

I've never had one refilled, I just swap the empty for a full one. In H'ville you can get it at NexAir and Sexton Welding Supply.

Tomoko Schum · Oct 29, 2012

I get mine swapped with a certified bottle by a welding company who comes to my work in Decatur. They charge me around $12 to 15 for a 20 lbs bottle (the cost of gas seems to fluctuate from time to time.)

WesW · Oct 29, 2012

Phoenix paintball on highway 72 will fill it. You can also try calling around to welding shops to see if any of them will fill it instead of swap it.

Tomoko Schum · Oct 29, 2012

I recommend swapping it, though. Otherwise, you have to get it tested and certified periodically (an added cost to you.) I simply ask the welding shop to select a certified aluminum (light weight) cylinder. I usually get a nice shiny new cylinder. I did occasionally ended up with a eye-catching, bright red steel one that looked like a water hydrant and was awefully heavy to get it out my trunk.

WesW · Oct 30, 2012

Swapping works well but I can see why you wouldn't want to swap if you just bought a brand new cylinder... good reason to always get used ones! I use co2 in my kegerator and I've heard of cases where a cylinder was swapped and the filled one had previously contained something other than co2 or has a little oil in it. Oily beer is never a good thing. If you are worried about that you might want to get it filled but I've never run into problems swapping.

If you still want to get it filled instead of swapped and you don't mind driving a little farther, Athens Welding Supply off Highway 31 is cheaper than Phoenix paintball. If I remember correctly I paid $20 to have my tank filled at Phoenix paintball and $8 at Athens Welding Supply. Depending on your tank size they can also fill it more than Phoenix paintball. I have a 10 pound co2 tank and Phoenix paintball only had enough pressure to fill it a couple pounds. If you have a small tank it shouldn't be a problem for them to fill though.

dictionaaron · Oct 30, 2012

thanks guys, ill check a couple of those out at lunch today. i dont mind swapping but i would like to avoid the oil in the tank issue mentioned as its for a homebrew kegerator and that would just plain suck.