National Homebrew Club Ireland

General Discussions => Brewing Communities => Belfast Homebrewers => Topic started by: phildo79 on October 09, 2018, 12:35:54 PM

Title: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 09, 2018, 12:35:54 PM
Hi guys,

Long story short, I've reached the end of my tether when it comes to bottling up. Taking the plunge and buying a Corny keg. I don't seem to be having much joy when it comes to sourcing the big 6kg Co2 tanks though. Surely somewhere in Belfast supplies them / refills them?

I opened a thread on HBF UK about the whole step up to kegs thing and got some useful advice. I think I would like to try SodaStream tanks and have a 6kg tank that I can use to top up the SS tanks. This way I don't have to start drilling holes into the fridge that I haven't even got yet.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Phil
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 09, 2018, 03:11:20 PM
Nifex on the Colinglen Road. I got a 6.35kg bottle a couple of weeks ago of them for £60 including deposit for cylinder. I think refills are £20.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 09, 2018, 03:22:26 PM
Cheers Lawrence. How much was the deposit?
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 09, 2018, 03:57:57 PM
I presume £40. He charged me £60 for a full bottle. Not certain but I believe a fill is £20.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Roo on October 09, 2018, 11:48:49 PM
Geterbrrewed also do them all nice and shiny but I think they even source them from NIFEX
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 10, 2018, 11:17:47 AM
Cheers Roo.

Just checked their website. £70 for a 2kg bottle or £100 for a 2kg bottle. Seems odd. Only difference I can see is the colour of the tank. You'd need to have serious OCD to choose the £100 option (which is currently out of stock).
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 13, 2018, 04:38:18 PM
Quote from: Lawrence22 on October 09, 2018, 03:11:20 PM
Nifex on the Colinglen Road. I got a 6.35kg bottle a couple of weeks ago of them for £60 including deposit for cylinder. I think refills are £20.

Lawrence, what are the size dimensions of the 6.35kg tank? I got myself a tall larder fridge and am wondering if I could get the sucker in beside the keg.

Cheers
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Roo on October 13, 2018, 05:09:35 PM

[/quote]

Lawrence, what are the size dimensions of the 6.35kg tank? I got myself a tall larder fridge and am wondering if I could get the sucker in beside the keg.

Cheers
[/quote]

That's valuable keg space in there. I had Kingnidge drill a hole at the side of my fridge and have the gas outside with the line running in!
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 14, 2018, 08:21:43 PM
Quote from: phildo79 on October 13, 2018, 04:38:18 PM
Quote from: Lawrence22 on October 09, 2018, 03:11:20 PM
Nifex on the Colinglen Road. I got a 6.35kg bottle a couple of weeks ago of them for £60 including deposit for cylinder. I think refills are £20.

Lawrence, what are the size dimensions of the 6.35kg tank? I got myself a tall larder fridge and am wondering if I could get the sucker in beside the keg.

Cheers

Sorry just noticed this I'll measure it at some point tomorrow and get back to you.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 15, 2018, 02:33:01 PM
Hi the 6.35kg cylinder I have is 68cm tall but you need another few cm to allow for clearance of the regulator dials.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 15, 2018, 03:47:36 PM
Cool. So about the same height as a corny keg. For some reason I imagined them really tall and slim.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: steve71ni on October 15, 2018, 07:10:10 PM
BOC. Ordering can be done online and you can arrange for delivery or pick up. Local depot is Prince Regents Road. Variety of cylinder sizes available.


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Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 16, 2018, 01:05:12 AM
Quote from: steve71ni on October 15, 2018, 07:10:10 PM
BOC. Ordering can be done online and you can arrange for delivery or pick up. Local depot is Prince Regents Road. Variety of cylinder sizes available.

Thanks Steve. Checked out their website. Considering I won't be brewing a huge amount of beer, I don't see the value in having to rent the tanks on a monthly basis. Even though £4 a month is hardly going to break the bank, it all adds up and I reckon I'd be paying way over the odds in between refills.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 16, 2018, 01:06:19 AM
Quote from: Lawrence22 on October 09, 2018, 03:11:20 PM
Nifex on the Colinglen Road. I got a 6.35kg bottle a couple of weeks ago of them for £60 including deposit for cylinder. I think refills are £20.

Lawrence

Do Nifex charge rent on the tanks like BOC do?
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 16, 2018, 02:47:50 PM
Not sure what BOC do. I just turned up asked for Co2 for beer dispense, he asked if I had an empty, when I said no he handed me a 6.35kg bottle and said £60. That was the entire conversation.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: sub82 on October 16, 2018, 03:31:49 PM
Not sure if NIFEX does it anymore. Speak to Eamonn at Gas Tech & Gear (https://www.gastechandgear.co.uk/).
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 16, 2018, 04:01:32 PM
Service with a smile. Class!
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 16, 2018, 04:10:53 PM
Quote from: sub82 on October 16, 2018, 03:31:49 PM
Not sure if NIFEX does it anymore. Speak to Eamonn at Gas Tech & Gear (https://www.gastechandgear.co.uk/).

Cheers mate. I'll drop him an email.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Lawrence22 on October 16, 2018, 07:22:01 PM
Quote from: sub82 on October 16, 2018, 03:31:49 PM
Not sure if NIFEX does it anymore. Speak to Eamonn at Gas Tech & Gear (https://www.gastechandgear.co.uk/).

They have the same address as NIFEX. Are they not the same?
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Roo on October 16, 2018, 07:50:59 PM
I think they are rival family members but I'm not sure. I get mine from Eamon....on the left as you go in.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 17, 2018, 10:48:39 PM
Thanks for all the help and advice guys. Much appreciated. Met Eamonn earlier today and he sorted me out with a 6kg tank that fits perfectly in the fridge. Seems like a decent bloke. He talked me through the hooking up process and offered me some extra bit of kit, should I have needed it.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Roo on October 18, 2018, 08:18:33 AM
Did he ask you for a beer the next time you refill?
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 18, 2018, 01:10:02 PM
Quote from: Roo on October 18, 2018, 08:18:33 AM
Did he ask you for a beer the next time you refill?

He certainly did! I wonder how long it'll take me to get through 6kg of Co2 though. He might be waiting a while on that beer.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Will_D on October 18, 2018, 08:48:45 PM
Quote from: phildo79 on October 18, 2018, 01:10:02 PM
He certainly did! I wonder how long it'll take me to get through 6kg of Co2 though. He might be waiting a while on that beer.
About a week if you don't check for leaks and just leave the bottle on when you are not pulling pints.

Do a leak test:

Bottle on. Check the pressure gauges: [Contents and dispense pressure]

Turn off the bottle and monitor the pressures. If you loose pressure in less than an hour then you have a leak.

24hrs then you have a tinny leak

A few days then you are prolly ok to leave the bottle on. BUT only if you are pulling pints daily
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 22, 2018, 01:40:27 PM
Cheers for the tip there, Will.

I didn't tighten the regulator enough first time out and I think the thread around the valve has frozen. I couldn't close the valve or open it any more. And when I say open, all I got was less than half a turn. The PSI gauge is at zero and the other gauge says 45. This happened late last Thursday and I didn't get a chance to look at it again until last night. Both gauges still say exactly the same thing. I will try to close the valve completely when I get home tonight but it might be a case of bringing it back to Eamonn so he can have a look at it.

Maybe it has a faulty on/off valve or maybe I've bodged it by not fully tightening the regulator first time out. But once I tightened the regulator, I was able to seat the corny keg lid at 30 PSI and vent the oxygen a few times.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: DaveG on October 23, 2018, 01:03:52 PM
NIFEX showing as permanently closed on Google - not sure what the story is there as I filled up a few months back.  How much do Gas & Gear charge for a fill?
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 23, 2018, 01:26:20 PM
Quote from: DaveG on October 23, 2018, 01:03:52 PM
NIFEX showing as permanently closed on Google - not sure what the story is there as I filled up a few months back.  How much do Gas & Gear charge for a fill?

Depends on your size of tank. A 6.35kg tank is £20 for a refill.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Bazza on October 23, 2018, 01:50:34 PM
Was planning a trip up that direction for a fill soon, so my question is, if I roll up into that same yard with an empty tank will someone fill it with CO2 for me? It's almost an hour's round trip for me, and time is money :P

Who was the grizzled middle-aged guy who filled the tanks? Is that Eamonn? For some reason I thought he was called Charlie. Either way, he's a character.

-Barry
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: DaveG on October 23, 2018, 01:54:20 PM
He was great craic.  Always going to his caravan in Omeath to get lit.
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: Bazza on October 23, 2018, 01:58:06 PM
Quote from: DaveG on October 23, 2018, 01:54:20 PM
He was great craic.  Always going to his caravan in Omeath to get lit.

You want to be up there on a Saturday morning before 12pm closing. He's still on his Friday night out :)

-Barry
Title: Re: Co2 Tanks - Where to get them in Belfast
Post by: phildo79 on October 23, 2018, 02:04:44 PM
As far as I know, you just swap your empty for a full one. If you need a specific size of tank, i.e. height and diameter, then phone ahead first and find out if he has one that'll suit. Otherwise you might get a totally different shaped tank.

BTW, this is with Eamonn at Gas, Gear & Tech. I've not dealt with Nifex.