Cedar Rapids Brewing Society

Anyone know if the places in town check certification stamps when exchanging tanks? I have the possibility of buying 1 (maybe 2) 20lb tanks for $20 each. Not sure if they are certified or not yet. Thinking for this price it might be worth the buy either way but was curious if anyone has had any experiences locally.

Definitely worth the price!  If the seller has any more, I'll take one.  

And, yes, they definitely check the stamps.  I just had one hydrotested and refilled at Hawkeye fire.  I think it cost me ~$40 total.

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I second Jim on that. That is a good price any way you look at it.
Travis

They always check the stamp. Love the 20 lbs. versus 5 lbs. I just filled my 20 pounder a couple weeks ago. Only charged me for 15 lbs so maybe they didn't fill it all the way. My stamp was from the last time I had it filled in the summer of 2009. They are good for five years. Since no hydrotest this time it was only $17 something. Not bad for what will be 3-4 years of gas for me. That is pushing four taps and force carbonating 100-150 gallons of beer a year.

One thing to consider is just doing an exchange.  I've taken a couple of outdated tanks into what is now Matheson and they note the dates but just do the exchange at the normal price. On May 1, 2013 9:16 AM, "Matt F" <brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org (brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

They always check the stamp. Love the 20 lbs. versus 5 lbs. I just filled my 20 pounder a couple weeks ago. Only charged me for 15 lbs so maybe they didn't fill it all the way. My stamp was from the last time I had it filled in the summer of 2009. They are good for five years. Since no hydrotest this time it was only $17 something. Not bad for what will be 3-4 years of gas for me. That is pushing four taps and force carbonating 100-150 gallons of beer a year.



Matt Franklin
Slappy Brewing North

On Tap:
Paddler's Pale Ale
Hefeweizen
Funk You Very Much Belgian Sour
Bourbon Barrel Aged Up in Smoke Imperial Porter

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Jim, what's Matheson charge?  And are they good to deal with?  I know some of the local places have gotten a bit pissy about hobbyist customers.

-Jim

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They do have a policy that any tank over 15 lbs must be transported in the bed of a truck. This isn't a problem for me since I only have 5 lbs tanks.
When you do exchanges they do like for like; aluminum for aluminum, steel for steel.
I think they might be a little pricier than others.  I'm not sure since I haven't checked prices for a couple of years.
When I first started kegging I had a bad experience with Hawkeye Fire.  I had a tank I needed to get tested and filled. They tested but forgot to fill...  They blew me off when I complained. On May 1, 2013 10:29 AM, "JimPotts" <brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org (brew-equipment@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

Jim, what's Matheson charge?  And are they good to deal with?  I know some of the local places have gotten a bit pissy about hobbyist customers.

-Jim

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Hawkeye fire has been pretty good for me. The last three times I've taken my 5lb and/or 20lb tank, they have filled them both up right then and brought it right out to me.

I have always used Hawkeye Fire no problem. They don't car about your vehicle either. I tried Linn Weld a long time ago and they were a#@holes. Maybe the guy I delt with was having a bad day. I have only used Hawkeye Fire since with no issues. I am going to look in to the exchange thing next time as mine will need tested again.

Good news is I got both tanks for $40 and received a bonus on the deal. One tank is completely full and the other is at least half full. The stamps are a bit older though. One is going to hit 5 years in December. Certification is still good for 5 years right? Still not sure I am going to be able to use that much within the year so may end up having to pay for certification but still a heck of a deal!!

I have done the exchange at Matheson a few times without any issue. the guys were pretty decent to deal with from my experience with exchanging a 5lb tank. I can't remember exactly what I spent but I do remember thinking to myself that it may have been a $5 higher then I was expecting last time I exchanged one. The good thing is you are in and out in about 5 minutes and with exchange you never have to deal with certification! Oh and I do have a truck so not sure on the hassling with transporting the tank.

Very good deal!  The full tank will probably last you for more than the 5 years, anyway.

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How much does a certification run?? I got a 20 lb tank with my kegerator and I think it might need to be recertified.

Like no more than $15-$20 IIRC. I had to get mine done last year.

I have been thinking about possibly getting rid of one of the 20 lb Co2 tanks I have. Needing some additional corny kegs (ball lock) and would be interested in trading a full 20lb tank for two kegs. Anyone interested or has any additional equipment let me know.

I exchange mine at:

601 C Avenue Northeast
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
(319) 366-1574

I have a 5# and a 20# and the 5 was from my kegorator purchase and OLD and who knows from where, but they exchanged it for a new bottle. Prices have went up, but I don't fill but every few years unless I spring a leak