CO2 Exchange and Refill Program

This is probably the most asked question we get!

Yes you can absolutely exchange it 99% of the time (we have seen some keg fridges provide red CO2 tanks which we can't exchange)

All you need to do is visit us in-store or pre purchase a buy in along with a 5lb gas exchange.

We hear this a lot. All of our CO2 tanks are in great cosmetic condition and are fully certified. The buy-in fee our customers pay to get into our program essentially covers your tank's first recertification. We have strict rules on what kind of tanks we let into the program precisely because we want to make sure everyone gets the same quality of tank.

But, if you do not want to exchange your tank we are happy to have it filled for you. Just keep in mind fills are typically done twice a week, though we may be able to perform a rushed service for you at an extra cost.

Absolutely! We have done this a bunch of times. If you would like to upgrade to a larger tank, all you need to do is pay the difference in price between the two sizes, and pay for your new tank to be filled with gas.

Whatever tank you possess is the one you own. You are free to do with it whatever you like. Go ahead and get it filled elsewhere, or you can exchange it elsewhere. Just make sure the tank you get back is eligible for our program (aluminum, not painted).

If you move, take the tank with you, it is your tank.

We do not offer buy-in refunds, nor do we buy back tanks.

The easiest way to tell is with a magnet. If your tank is magnetic, it’s steel; if it’s not, it’s aluminum.

Another method is by weight: an empty aluminum tank weighs about 7–8 lbs, whereas an empty steel tank is almost double that.

A lot of regulators come with gauges that show you the level of gas in your tank. Those gauges can be somewhat unreliable. Temperature of gas, size of tank can adjust the measurement.

We find the most accurate way is to put your tank on a scale. Your tank will have a TW (tare weight) of what it weighs when empty. Typically 7-8lbs. We put 5lbs of gas into our 5lb tanks. Meaning, when the tank is full it should weigh around 12-13 lbs, and when empty 7-8. Put it on a scale and subtract the TW weight to see how much gas you have left. We also are happy to do this for you at our store!

We recommend serving your beer around 6-10 PSI. Anything higher than 10 and you will likely have a lot of foam in your pour.

It's hard to pin down an exact number, but anywhere from 5-20. That is a big range, but it depends on what you are doing.

How big are the kegs? Are you carbonating and dispensing the beer or just dispensing? How high is your serving pressure?

But we find a tank lasts a long time typically.... Unless you have a leak in which case it runs out really fast.

There are a lot reasons why a beer could be coming out foamy. Here are a couple common ones.

• Serving PSI is too high (above 10). Drop is down to 8 and see if that helps.
• Keg is over carbonated. This happens with both commercial and homebrew kegs. We recommend pull the pressure relief valve on your coupler (sanke) or on the keg (cornelius) to reduce the pressure in the keg. It will not let anything inside the keg, but will just get rid of the excess CO2. That often helps
• Short beer lines. If you beer line going from the keg to the tap is short it can lead to foamy beer. We recommend a length between 6-10'.
• The Tap - most kegerators come with absolutely awful beer taps!!! They tend to get sticky, and pour foamy beer. We (and other retailers) see replacement taps that are significantly better. Nuka Taps are really good and well priced, Perlick Taps are gorgeous but tend to be a bit more expensive.
• The first pour of the day is almost always foamy. It is the beer that has been sitting in the beer lines over night and tends to be warm and flat. But it does pour foamy. We recommend pouring the first 50-100ml of beer and then using a new glass to pour the first pint.

There are very few facilities in Ontario that recertify tanks, and they are perpetually back logged with tanks. The actual process is pretty quick, but it takes a while to get to the front of the line. Sometimes it can be sooner, but we want to establish that it will be a long wait normally!