Gas bottle size

[Horace]

What size CO2 bottle would every body recommend as a purchase? 2kg for ease of portability, 5 kg for volume or somewhere in between. Also, where in Hamilton (or surrounding area) is easiest/ cheapest for refills? Is Supagas the only place?

Cheers

[JR]

I have a 2kg one.  I went small so that it would fit neatly into the fridge with 2 kegs.  The down side is that it requires filling semi-regularly.  As we live fairly close to the bottle filling place its no problem but if filling is a pain for you then a bigger bottle would be more convenient. 

 

[Kelly Milligan]

Hey mate, 

Ive got a 5.5kg, lasts about 6 months per fill for me :) It is a bit of pain portability wise, I got a Sodastream bottle + adaptor though so now I can just use that for dispensing outside of the kegerator 

[Paul Cannell]

I got an old fire extinguisher (3.5kg) from a bloke in matamata who had a ton. I'll private message you his contact number. Cost 25 bux for the bottle then took it to gas pro in Tauranga who put a new valve in for 130ish.

[Pilgrim]

I've got an 11Kg bottle which is awkward to fill, but on the plus side:

1) I only need to fill it every 8 or 9 months

2) The CO2 is quite a bit cheaper as anything over 8Kg is charged at the commercial rate

I probably wouldn't have been able to justify buying something like this but bought it with a MIG welder complete for $200 :-)

It's piped to 2 fridges and gasses 3 kegs.

I too have a Soda Stream adapter for dispensing at BBQs.

[mattd2]

How many kegs are you going through a month on average (really the question is how long does 11kg last)? And are you saying you got a mig with a 11 kg bottle for $200 all up!

[paul m]

I've got an 11kg cylinder too. I bought it from a bloke in New Lynn- ex fire extinguisher. Can't remember how much could have been $150. He recommended a smaller cylinder 5kg (i think) because he considered it safer. If you have the co2 bottles near a sleeping area and there is a leak... there could be dire consequences. That didn't bother me- the bottle is in my garage and separate from my house. and living out of town makes the fill up a hassle. That was the decision i made at the time but i reckon 5 kg is better if i was getting another. I've had it around 2 years and filled it once. I brew around once a month to 6 weeks