Meritus Gas Partners FAQs

In the table below, you can see the answer is 74.04 scf of CO2 gas are in 1 gallon of liquid CO2

CO2 Conversion Data

Legend:

• Scf (standard cubic foot) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 70°F.
• Nm³ (normal cubic meter) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 0°C.
• Liquid measured at 1 atmosphere and boiling temperature.

In the table below, you can see the answer is 115.1 scf of oxygen gas are in 1 gallon of liquid oxygen

Oxygen Conversion Data

Legend:

• Scf (standard cubic foot) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 70°F.
• Nm³ (normal cubic meter) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 0°C.
• Liquid measured at 1 atmosphere and boiling temperature.

In the table below, you can see the answer is 112.5 scf of argon gas are in 1 gallon of liquid argon

Argon Conversion Data

Legend:

• Scf (standard cubic foot) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 70°F.
• Nm³ (normal cubic meter) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 0°C.
• Liquid measured at 1 atmosphere and boiling temperature.

In the table below, you can see the answer is 93.11 scf of nitrogen gas are in 1 gallon of liquid nitrogen

Nitrogen Conversion Data

Legend:

• Scf (standard cubic foot) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 70°F.
• Nm³ (normal cubic meter) gas measured at 1 atmosphere and 0°C.
• Liquid measured at 1 atmosphere and boiling temperature.

Gases solve many food and beverage challenges, such as adequate transportation, processing costs and meeting consumer demands. Food industry gas can freeze foods in minutes instead of hours, maintaining their moisture, texture and flavor. They can facilitate the storage and transportation of fragile foods, enhance the texture and taste of many beverages and even provide alternative energy solutions for processing, serving and selling various products.

Read more in our blog post.

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Less favorable choice than nitrogen or nitrogen/CO2 mixtures

Another less favorable gas option for kegged wine dispense is using argon gas. Argon gas is actually easier to dissolve into a liquid than nitrogen and may be less economical when compared to nitrogen. Nitrogen or more recently mixed-gas (blended Nitrogen & CO2) have become preferred due to the fact that many beer retailers already have nitrogen on site.

Longer shelf life

Recently using nitrogen in conjunction with CO2 on kegged wine has become the preferred method. The advantage of using a nitrogen/CO2 blend is to preserve the wine quality even further than using nitrogen alone. When a nitrogen/CO2 blend is applied, given the keg pressure and cooler temperature, kegged wine will maintain its natural CO2 content and thus keeping the same flavor profile from full keg to empty keg.

Nitrogen

The important role of any gas on top of wine in a keg is to be oxygen free and secondly to act as a propellant in dispensing the wine through the draught wine system. Oxygen-free nitrogen is the oldest used gas for this purpose. Nitrogen is inert and difficult to dissolve into wine. Nitrogen is the most widely used gas for kegged wine.

Yes

Yes! There is a measurable amount of CO2 dissolved in red and white wines. White wines contain more CO2 than red wines. Obviously, wine contains much less dissolved CO2 than carbonated soda or beer but the small amount of CO2 dissolved in wine plays an equally important roll in wine flavor and shelf life. Maintaining the naturally occurring dissolved CO2 levels in wine can extend the flavor profile of kegged wine significantly.

No

We do not install back flow preventers. Back flow preventers are required in all soda systems and are usually installed by a company that specializes in that service or a local plumber. As your beverage gas partner we are happy to assist you in locating a local back flow preventer installation company.

Liquefied CO2 delivered directly into onsite storage containers

Bulk carbon dioxide is liquefied CO2, a safer, low-pressure alternative to dangerous high-pressure compressed gas cylinders. Beverage Grade Bulk CO2 is delivered and stored on-site in your beverage carbonation bulk CO2 vessel. The stainless steel bulk CO2 storage tank is automatically refilled on a regular route based schedule, based on your business’s CO2 pattern.

The Bulk CO2 we deliver is converted into gaseous CO2 inside of our storage tank and sent downstream to various beverage gas systems including beer and soda systems. CO2 gas is a main ingredient in any brewer’s recipe and a major flavor contributor in all sodas. CO2 adds an effervescent and slightly bitter taste to beverages and is responsible for the bubbles we all love!

Ventilate before you investigate.

If you suspect a leak in your CO2 or beverage system, first open any outside doors to ventilate out any possible carbon dioxide build ups. CO2 displaces oxygen and does not support life. CO2 is heavier than air and will collect in low-lying areas such as basements and stairwells. Special care should be taken before entering enclosed spaces such as coolers, closets or basements. These spaces should be well ventilated before entering to check CO2 supply or to look for leaks. If a life threatening situation is apparent call 911 immediately.

The most common places to check for CO2 leaks are:

• Empty Bag-in-Box causing a soda syrup pump to operate continuously
• Loose keg fittings and couplers

If you have found or suspect a leak, please contact us to notify us of the change in usage.

Propane and natural gas are locally produced fossil fuels. Both are colorless, odorless, clean-burning and cost-effective alternatives to electricity. They may be used interchangeably for a variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications ranging from heating homes, cooking, water heating and powering appliances, machinery and vehicles.

While they have many similarities, they also differ, including their chemical composition, energy efficiency and storage and distribution methods. Below are the main factors that distinguish propane and natural gas so you can make the right choice for your home, business or industrial use.

To learn more about their differences, read our blog post on the topic.

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We will gladly assist you!

We will gladly assist you in purchasing a CO2 alarm. Please ask one of our beverage gas specialists for assistance. Whether you’re planning on installing the alarm yourself or you would like our certified beverage technicians to perform the work, we are your partner in providing your employees with a safer work environment.

Dial 911 and ask for your fire department to respond.

If you think you have a serious safety situation, call 911 and request your local fire department’s assistance. You can then call your local Meritus Gas Partners distributor to advise us of the situation.

Be aware of confined spaces, shutoff gas supply if you can safely do so.

First, be aware of any possible confined spaces that may be accumulating high concentrations of CO2 or nitrogen. CO2 and nitrogen displace oxygen and do not support life. Keg coolers, closets, basements, and enclosed rooms should be aired out thoroughly before entry.

If you suspect there is any chance of an accumulation of any type of compressed gas do not enter that area.

If you can, shut off the gas supply that feeds the leak without placing a person at risk of entering a confined space.

If you cannot safely shutoff the gas supply to the leak and you think there is a safety concern, contact your local fire department for assistance. You should also call your local Meritus Gas Partners distributor for further assistance and instructions.

CO2 alarms and more.

A CO2 alarm is a great tool to warn of high CO2 accumulations in a confined space. The typical CO2 alarm installation includes a CO2 sensing probe (installed in the confined space) and a control unit (installed just outside the confined space being monitored) which displays the current CO2 level. An audible alarm and visual indicator will warn of high CO2 levels from a safe place before entry into the confined space.

Other Leak Detection

Other leak detection tools are available including over-run alarms on green air supply nitrogen separators and in-line flow meters for beverage gas monitoring. As always, the active monitoring from CO2 level alarms are far superior to the passive leak detection of balls floating inside of flow meters. If you have this type of leak detection currently (tiny floating ball inside of a plastic tube) be aware that this type of leak detection is ineffective during busy service times.

We recommend active monitoring of CO2 levels over passive leak detection to our customers. We can advise you on the cost and supply of most available leak detection options.

Hands free N2 supply with a lower carbon footprint.

Simple!

• Nitrogen separators provide perfectly carbonated beer and wine for greater beverage profits.
• Separators also offer a much lower carbon-intensive means to deliver nitrogen for beer and wine dispensing systems.
• Separators provide hands-free operation and customized gas blends for all types of keg dispense systems.

Perfect pints equal maximum profits!

No!

While 25% CO2 is perfect for your stout creamed beers it is absolutely not acceptable for any normal ale or lager type of beer. The result will be under carbonated or flat beer.

The perfect ration of CO2 to Nitrogen is customized for your exact draught beer system. Typically 60-80% CO2 will be the range for most long draw beer keg systems.

Each beer system has its own ideal mix ratio to deliver the perfect pint. Our local beverage gas experts can calculate your ideal gas mix and assist you in how to increase your draught beer system profits.

Yes!

Absolutely! The correct gas mix and gas pressures will dictate the profitability of your draught beer system. Improper gas types or mixes and incorrect gas pressures will cause undesirable outcomes including over carbonation, foamy beer, flat beer and general customer dissatisfaction.

Contact one of our local beverage gases specialists for recommendations to maximize your draught beer profitability.