# Ridiculous CO2 charge



## jmf3460 (Aug 21, 2013)

holy smokes no, the airgas near me charges $17 for refill and no daily charge, what is that even??


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Sounds like you are talking about a rental tank not refilling a tank you own. There is an extra change when you don't own the tank. But then I also find Airgas to be more expensive locally than other spots. I would suggest doing some calling to find who does it cheaper but it does make sense to buy your own tank.


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## Say Car Ramrod (Oct 9, 2011)

I'm going to check some other places such as praxair and worst case I'll buy my own tank and get it filled at a fire extinguisher place. I heard of people going to Airgas and renting a 5lb tank for about $20-30 including a deposit and the fill then a small charge for each refill. I called another Airgas location and they said they don't even rent tanks and that it can vary by location even if they're only 10 miles apart.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I would think for the best value, you would need to get away from the name brands that advertise heavy. A search for "welding gas" in your area should turn up the cheaper places but then you need to get a tank and find which is close enough to make refills practical. Once you get onboard with a particular refill spot and start swapping it solves lots of problems like the tank test date running out. I find the dealers will cover that part when you are swapping with them. 
Each spot is a separate franchise in many cases so prices and policies will vary.


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## latchdan (Sep 7, 2007)

It cost 30-35 to fill a 5lb co2 tank near me and 25 for a 20lb one. There are two places to fill near me and both are the same price (praxair and airgas) The gas goes up and and down depending on the market.

Are you leasing the tank? I couldn't give my 5lb co2 tank away on craigslist, try buying one. It cost me 100 bucks to get a 20lb tank plus 15 shipping on amazon.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I normally pick up used tanks off Craigslist between $50-75 but then there are also some pretty good prices at homebrew stores.


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

There are a couple places near me for co2, the one I usually go to is a hydroponic/home brewing store, they only do exchanges there but a 5, 10, and 20 canister all cost $20 to swap out. I do have an aluminum tank that I like and drive a little ways to get it refilled, it costs $30 for a 20 pound canister there.

I looked into Airgas a while back (couple years) and they wanted something similar to what the OP stated. They didn't offer refills or exchanges, just their program thing. Was $150 to join, $10 refills and $1 a day or prepay $20 a month I believe. The only benefit to this service is they would deliver it to you, so I guess if you live out in the country and have to drive a while to get your canister filled it would work out for you, but I decided not to go that route.


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## Thumper828 (Feb 13, 2014)

5lb fill near me was 11.00...but I have my own tank..


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

That's a really good price! Is it $11 for a refill or exchange? Near me exchanges are cheaper for some reason, I figured they would be more since they usually safety inspect each canister and do the hydrostatic testing on all of them. I really like the exchange near my house, except when they are out of co2 that's when I get super grumpy!! Now I just call them a couple of days before I plan on going up there and ask them to reserve a canister for me.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

Say Car Ramrod said:


> I just called my local Airgas to get a quote for a 5lb tank and they quoted me $30 for the fill and tank then $1 per day until I brought it back. To me, that sounds pretty ridiculous. I've heard of paying a deposit for the tank then $10 for a refill. Has anyone else encountered this?


I googled your area and you have some fire protection service companies. They almost always deal with co2 fire extinguishers and can fill and certify your cylinders. See how much they charge to fill. They are way cheaper than my local welding supplies.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

Check homebrew stores. I got a brand new aluminum 5# tank for $50 at a local place. I get it filled at a liquor store that sells kegs for $14.


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## greaser84 (Feb 2, 2014)

I tried to get a 5lbs tank filled at airgas and they said they don't fill tanks that small. I went to bfpe international and they filled a 5 lbs tank for $18 and a 15lbs tank for $37. They also fill paintball co2 tanks. I will say this though call before you go and make sure a technician who is qualified to fill tanks is actually there. I made that mistake once, all the techs were gone and the ladies at the front desk didn't know how to fill them.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

I get my 5lb exchanged at a home brew store for 10.00, it was much cheaper than what the airgas near me wanted. And apparently there is nowhere in my state (according to the people I called anyway) who would do refills as opposed to exchanges


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## Say Car Ramrod (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys! I'm definitely going to buy a tank and go to a place that refills fire extinguishers!


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