Kegging Q & A

[cruiscinlan]

In light of the kegs from HBC I figure there will be a few, newbies such as myself getting into kegging.

Now I have read over the very helpful beginner's guide here on the wiki http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/wordpress/beginners-guide-to-kegging/

However it doesn't answer all the questions I have about getting all the bits together to have a complete set up.  One thing I've noticed from looking for CO2 regulators for instance is that there are 1/2" and 3/4" fittings.

When looking for the budget gas tan option i.e. a fire extinguisher, or gas tank for an aquarium are these a standard size?

Also there are Argon/CO2, aquarium etc., regulators...help!!

[Garry]

Mybeerandwine have a special offer on regulators at the moment. That would be the standard type CO2 regulator that most of us would be using.

I just have a single regulator. If I'm carbing a keg I put the gas on it for a few days at 1 bar. If I want to pour a beer from another keg in the mean time I take the gas off the carbing keg. Reduce the pressure to about 0.2 bar and put the gas onto the serving keg. I just swap the gas around to whatever keg I want to serve from. No manifolds or splitters. It's very basic but it's all you need to begin with. You definitely don't need a carbonation stone unless you are very impatient!

[krockett]

Garry- really appreciate the info so far...So - for 2 Corny Kegs how many disconnects would you need for the kegs to connect to the Regulator (8 = 2 *2 *2 ?), and to connect the regulator to the taps (2)?

Also - sound like you're saying getting just one regulator that can be switched to connect to two kegs is best option initially. Would there be any reason to buy two (1 keg) regulators, or one fitted with a splitter? 

[auralabuse]

Garry- really appreciate the info so far...So - for 2 Corny Kegs how many disconnects would you need for the kegs to connect to the Regulator (8 = 2 *2 *2 ?), and to connect the regulator to the taps (2)?

Also - sound like you're saying getting just one regulator that can be switched to connect to two kegs is best option initially. Would there be any reason to buy two (1 keg) regulators, or one fitted with a splitter?

Best way to think about it is to go from keg to tap. So starting with the keg, you will need a gas disconnect and a beer one. They come in pairs on the homebrew shops so that's cool. Next some beer line, a bit to go from the keg to the tap and some from the gas to the keg.  Get a pack of jubilee clips for the connections to keep them right.  So beer line side, you need a tap, this will have a little bit of beer line coming out from the bottom. To connect this to your beer line you need John guest connections, get a few while your at it, they are dead handy.  For cooling you can either get a cooler or just a plain old fridge. So on the gas side, a co2 bottle, aj edge in Bray are great for this. Also a regulator, lots for sale on here or alealex on adverts for about 35 quid. Again jubilee clip around the beer line from regulator to disconnect on your keg.   Some people like to use different line to carry gas than beer line but it works fine for me.  Most of the bits and pieces are for sale on here. Try to avoid beer line from eBay as it's pants

[pob]

For every keg you will need a Beer Out (Black), Beer Line & a Tap.

For the CO2 you can split the line but, only if you want the same pressure in each keg, e.g. carbonating or serving.

For different pressures you would need something like the Dual Primary version of the regulator.

---

So for 2 Corny Kegs, presuming same pressure:

2 Beer Outs (Black)
2 Gas In (Grey) & a John Guest Tee or Y splitter (~€3-4)

[krockett]

Thanks guys. So ideally I should rig up two regulators (possibly with a manifold)?

Looks like it's impossible to get female john quest 3/8-3/4 connectors - are these optional as suggested in the diagram? Can you use jubilee clamps instead?

[pob]

Generally people would only have one regulator & adjust the pressure as required; serving ~0.2-0.4 bar?, carbing ~0.8-1.5 bar (>2.0 bar in a rush).

Need others to add to this: I would carb up a keg @ 0.9 for a week or so (2.5 vols @ 2-3°C, check the CO2 Vols calculator), if I've another keg ready for pouring, I'd swap the gas disconnect onto it & reduce pressure down to ~0.3 for the night. Then switch back to other keg to finish carbing the next day (or so, once I remember).

I'd say the organised guys with multiple beers in rotation/on tap will have a better method.

If you had to have the two running separate pressures (you only need one CO2 tank) then the Dual Primary (bottom right on pic) might be the option.

[cruiscinlan]

On the gas tank side of things,  how do I go about converting an old fire extinguisher to a CO2 tank? 

Does the size of the fitting on the regulator I buy have an impact on what tank I can get or are there converters?

[pob]

If you're around Dublin, you don't, you arrange to go to A J Edge in Bray & get a refurbed tank (extinguisher) for €40 (€30 for the valve & €10 for the CO2 fill & further refills).

[cruiscinlan]

If you're around Dublin, you don't, you arrange to go to A J Edge in Bray & get a refurbed tank (extinguisher) for €40 (€30 for the valve & €10 for the CO2 fill & further refills).

I would have to head out to them to sort out refilling and that, it's just I have a chance of getting a 9kg tank from an aquarium or a 5kg extinguisher (which they're out of apparently).

[Endatheworld]

Hi, trying to size up what fridge/freezer I need to hold the kegs. Does anybody know the height of the Corny Kegs? I have seen both 23" and 24.75" from various sources on the Internet. Also how much height does the disconnects add?

thanks

[delzep]

Get the kegs first then you can find the right fridge. I drew the outline of my kegs onto some cardboard to determine the smallest size footprint and used that to determine which fridge to buy

[Endatheworld]

Get the kegs first then you can find the right fridge. I drew the outline of my kegs onto some cardboard to determine the smallest size footprint and used that to determine which fridge to buy

Thanks but I already have a fridge and a Frezzer and just checking they will fit.

[pob]

Simpler diagram, now on BrewWiki on website with interactive info (hover over image on BrewWiki page for more info)

[Ed]

Are you better off using barbed disconnects and jubilee clips instead of JG fittings for the CO2 to reduce the leak possibilities?

I was going to ask the same thing about the CO2 line, but also because you don't need to clean that do you?