Is a CryoDax Chiller Worth It? See the Numbers for Yourself.
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Liquid CO2 is a consumable. Every run burns it. A chiller costs once, then only power.
What the numbers look like in 2026
On bulk tank supply, liquid CO2 runs about $0.65 to $1.00 per liter all in, including delivery and tank rental, and prices are up about 15 to 25 percent since 2024. Sites on dewars usually pay more, around $1.15 per liter. A 20 LB system running 8 runs a day, 5 days a week, uses about 157,000 liters a year, which is $102,000 to $157,000 in LCO2.
At those prices a CryoDax 20X pays for itself in about 1.5 years, and a 30X in about 2 years, then keeps saving every year after. A chiller also removes the delivery schedule, the tank lease and your exposure to the next CO2 shortage. In 2022, spot prices ran several times higher.
Cool-down time
| Cooling method | Minutes to -70°C (-94°F) |
|---|---|
| Liquid CO2 (field result) | 30 |
| CryoDax 20X | 26 |
| CryoDax 30X | 16 |
| CryoDax 60X | 9 |
60 lb (27 kg) of butane in a 100 lb jacketed solvent tank, from 20°C (68°F) to -70°C (-94°F), including the tank steel and jacket fluid. Live resin runs at -60 to -70°C (-76 to -94°F), and a chiller sized for -70°C covers standard cold extraction at -40°C (-40°F) with room to spare, so -70°C is the number that matters.
When a chiller is not the answer
If you run infrequently, or your LCO2 volume is low, the math changes and liquid CO2 can stay the cheaper option. Run your own numbers: your LCO2 price per liter, your liters per run, your runs per week and your electricity rate. We will run them with you.
Payback covers the chiller only. The cooling loop, a secondary chiller for cold climates, and installation vary by facility and are quoted separately.
Call the shop at 541-330-6409 and we will walk you through model selection, facility requirements and a full project estimate. CryoDax chillers are available through N.B. Oler.
Sources. Figures normalized to a standard 20 LB configuration. LCO2 use is the average of 714 logged production runs at a customer facility, January to July 2020 (78.5 L per run). 2,000 runs a year (8 a day, 5 days, 50 weeks). Chiller power estimated at 60 percent of rated current, 0.85 power factor, 10 hours a day, 250 days a year, $0.13 per kWh. N.B. Oler REF-CH-01 Chiller Capacity, Rev. 2026.1.