Co2 - is it "easy" to find?

[solecollector]

The more you learn about anything the more worried one gets. I learned a TON about Co2 and I'm glad I did.... Although ignorance is bliss sometimes....

[fstbttms]

OK- I posted the question about CO2 on the probrewer.com forum. Here are the responses so far:

We've been using standard, welding-grade CO2 for almost twenty years. No problem. Just be sure your distributor distinguishes clearly between liquid-delivery cans (with siphon) and gas delivery cans. Nothing ices a regulator up like trying to push liquid CO2 through it, unless it's an electrically heated regulator.

Timm Turrentine
Brewerywright,
Terminal Gravity Brewing
Enterprise. Oregon


From another brewer:

Most co2, regardless of 'grade', still comes from a gas supply store, which is typically supplying the industrial welding industry. Let them know your purpose and they'll get you the right one. The difference in the gas is minimal if anything. It's the container that is more of a concern. Tanks to be used for soda, beer, food applications, are lined, inspected, and cleaned differently than industrial tanks I believe. The gas itself shouldn't be much of a concern.

http://discussions.probrewer.com/sho...116#post139116

[RickG]

Fun discussion about homebrewing on the boat. 30+ year homebrewer and own a brewpub, trying to figure out a reasonable way to brew good beer on the boat. For this discussion, priming in the keg is reasonable for carbonation. You can use the small CO2 chargers for dispense:

Soda Keg CO2 Charger - Misc Hardware - Gas Hardware - Kegging & Bottling Beer - Beer Brewing : Northern Brewer

The part of brewing on the boat the has me hesitant is the kind of condensation you get from a 90 minute boil, normally 10-15% loss of volume. The volume of water required for a heat exchanger is significant and the higher the temperature of the water the longer it takes to chill.

How do those Cooper no-boil kits taste?

Cheers, RickG

[captian ron]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Again my research and experience is based on O2 and He for diving. Yes you can buy food and medical grade gases but except in very, very special grades (like UHP grades IE 5-6 nines or better for lab work) all the gases come from the same tank.

Some just have additional certifications on the paperwork but it isn't different gas or specially refined gas or different in any way from the stuff in the welding tank. Only the paperwork is different.

Diving tanks and the tanks firefighters use both use compressed air, but the "air" in dive tanks have to be filtered a bit more because of the pressures involved, at 4 atmospheres of pressure ( 100 foot depth ) it takes 4 times as much air as it does at the surface, so something harmless at 5 ppm and toxic at 20 ppm has to be filtered out due to density of the breathing air.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by captian ron

Diving tanks and the tanks firefighters use both use compressed air, but the "air" in dive tanks have to be filtered a bit more because of the pressures involved, at 4 atmospheres of pressure ( 100 foot depth ) it takes 4 times as much air as it does at the surface, so something harmless at 5 ppm and toxic at 20 ppm has to be filtered out due to density of the breathing air.

Great post.

[fstbttms]

Another post from Terminal Gravity Brewing:

Gas tanks for welding must be absolutely clean inside. The tiniest bit of dust will clog most welding equipment. CO2 does not pick up flavors from contact with the tank. Again, we've been using standard industrial CO2 for years, both 50 lb. cans and 500 lb. Dewar flasks. Never a problem. And yes, we are inspected regularly, by a whole alphabet of agencies.

Now, I'm not saying some one wouldn't be more than happy to charge a premium for "food grade" CO2, which will certainly be the same thing, anyway.

Timm Turrentine
Brewerywright,
Terminal Gravity Brewing
Enterprise. Oregon