Well, I experienced an eye opener yesterday. My normal place to refill couldn’t do it because my tank needed a hydrostatic test. It would have been next week before I would get it back from testing and refill.
The guy there is pretty cool and we discussed the shortage. He said when he heard about the shortage he had his huge tank topped off to ride out the storm.
Anyway, wanting CO2 prior to next week, I went to a locally owned welder’s supply house which is my old exchange place. He didn’t have any available and said he’s been experiencing problems getting them. So, I went to a national chain which is my secondary exchange source.
The cost of the exchange was $25 which is ~$10 more than the refill. But the kicker was ~$11 environmental fee. Add in the ~$3 tax and I was out the door for just under $40. …for a 5 lb bottle