CO2 cylinders in Wellington?

[James Sturman]

Hello everyone,

I've recently (as of 2 nights ago) acquired all of the equipment I need to setup a keg system other than the CO2 cylinder, which I am hoping to purchase rather than rent from BOC.

 

I know this subject has been discussed before, but I was wondering if anyone had any Wellington specific advice about where best to purchase a cylinder?

 

So far I've contacted Wards who quoted me $425 for a full 6kg cylinder (I thought that was a bit expensive). I've spoken with the workshop at Wormalds and they don't have any reconditioned cylinders at the moment, but they suggested that I look on trademe for a cylinder with at least a 2-5 year testing cycle. A mate of mine phoned the USA and got a price for a "aluminum" 10lb cylinder for ~$120 USD. I've also found http://kegresources.co.nz/ who sell 2.6kg cylinders for $280 from Auckland.

 

Is it realistic to think I could source a cylinder for less than $300 or am I kidding myself?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

James

 

 

[Ian]

Hi James,

  I live in Picton and got my cylinder from the local fire servicing guy. Can't remember what I paid but I gave him a call for you and he says they have a special on 5kg bottles for $280, which sounds just the ticket. Not sure what it would cost you to get it from Blenheim (where they are) to Wellington. I think I got my regulator and gauges etc from Dunedin Malthouse with the kegs, but I'm sure Jo at Liberty will stock those.

Cheers,

Ian

PS you can contact Paul Cambie of Fire and Safety Systems on 0508352637 or [e-mail]

[Chris Banks]

Try Porirua Cylinder Testing last time I was in there they had a converted fire extinguisher for sale not sure on the pricing but they always seem fair when I have dealt with them!

http://www.pctl.co.nz/contact.htm

[James Sturman]

Thanks Ian and Chris for checking this out for me.

Porirua Cylinder Testing seem to have something that will do the job for a reasonable price. I plan to head out there tomorrow to check it out.

A 5kg bottle for $280 sounds like a good deal too. If I have no luck in Porirua I'll give Paul a call.

I've got the regulator, gauges, manifold, tubing, disconnects, kegs, etc from a friend who brought them over from San Diego (converted to fit the NZ BOC CO2 cylinders). I also purchased a cheap chest freezer from trademe and a temperature controller from Mash Master in Australia. The plan is to get this all working in the next 2 weeks or so.

Cheers

J.

 

[James Sturman]

Here's some more information for keg system owners near Hastings.

 

You can get a pre-owned 3.5kg CO2 cylinder from Gasworkz for $200 filled. Refills $11/Kg.

[Ian]

Nought wrong with that. Mine is about 3.5 kg and just fine.

[Sam]

Hi, how was Porirua cylinder testing? I'm planning on trying them some time this week (hopefully tomorrow) and maybe Wormald. How much did they charge? 

Cheers

[James Sturman]

I paid $250 for a "reconditioned" cylinder full of glorious CO2. I forgot to check last night, but I think mine is 2.5-3kg and it requires a test every 5 years. The best thing is it fits perfectly between 2 corny kegs (5 gal) in my converted chest freezer.  

The only issue I've had with my system is a bit of damp and mold inside the converted freezer. I use damp rid to help with this, but fixing external taps instead of using picnic taps would help too.

I hope this helps,