National Homebrew Club Ireland

Hi all,

I,m looking to get into corny systems, and I'm trying to find the best price for bits and pieces.
Hombrew company for the kegs, 3 @€103 - 5% club discount,
Get er brewed for disconnects @ €5 each

This regulator? http://www.wholesaleweldingsupplies.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=47&product_id=428 (http://www.wholesaleweldingsupplies.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=47&product_id=428)
Looking for a co2 manifold too, or make one up my self. gas fittings?

The price for taps seems to vary alot, I'm after 3 I can mount on a vertical board or even tower type.

Thanks
James

Don't get the disconnects from geterbrewed they're the cheap chinese ones, and they're useless. The proper german made CMB ones are the ones you want, the UK homebrew stores sell them for a bit more but it's definitely worth it. The chinese ones I've found don't seal very well and are impossible to remove from the keg posts. I use them for cleaning my kegs only now.

People have been very happy with the HBC kegs, in most cases a good rinse and replace all the seals. As for taps, I've seen them pop up on adverts/dondeal or you could get a three tap tower new from mlh.ie or bti engineering.

+1 on buying proper disconnects. Loosing half a keg of beer cos of bad seal is a nightmare. I've also had a cheap gas disconnect shatter when trying to disconnect it from the post.
Worth paying the difference as you can feel the quality of the material.

That regulator is set to show flow rate, not pressure, so no good for you I'm afraid. You need one in bar/psi, not cubic feet per hour (cfh)/litres per minute (lpm) as the one in the link shows.

If it's for mixed gas though you can work with it. I have a co2 ref with pressure to properly carbonate. Then I switch to nitro mix with one of these regs to push the beer. It's a matter of trial and error to set it and once you get the right pull at the tap your done.

Actually the right hand gauge is not a flow meter. They are tubes with a little ball that floats in the gas stream and measures the flow.

It is in fact a low pressure gauge that has been marked with approximate flow rates at a given pressure.

So for example the 12 lpm mark is probably 10 psi
The mark at the 12'0'clock position is say 24 psi.

The flow rates depend on pressure (as indicated by the low pressure gauge and the size of the tubing and nozzles etc that you are using.

Oh and by the way its an Argon regulator so not suirable for CO2 !!

Just invest the extra few euro into buying the right equipment.
And if you're looking for fittings, try ro-man.com (http://www.ro-man.com/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=286_1120)

Thanks everyone,
Are the HBC disconnects any good? Half price at the moment..

Any of you geniuses come up with a way of serving 3 different beers from the same tap? A 3 way splitter directly behind with on off turn valve on each? Or is it too much messing and risk of contamination?

This genius recommends buying 2 more taps, no charge for that

1. Remove black disconnect from keg A
2. Place on Keg B
3. Serve

I might have to charge you for that one Patent Pending and all that.

Ok I'd better stop there

I wouldn't serve different beers on the same tap. That's just wrong ;)

Ps argon regs only work for mixed gas and not co2

Quote from: auralabuse on February 11, 2016, 07:58:29 PM
I wouldn't serve different beers on the same tap. That's just wrong ;)

I always do it. I run a little down the drain to clear the last beer out of the line. it wastes about a shot but it's a small price to pay ;)

Quote from: Will_D on February 11, 2016, 11:00:54 AM


It is in fact a low pressure gauge that has been marked with approximate flow rates at a given pressure.

So, it shows approximate flow rates then, not pressure?

Less wasteful would be to buy multiple picnic taps and swap the gas disconnect

Or buy a splitter to split gas evenly between the kegs but seeing as you're just getting into it I'd recommend serving one beer at a time. That way you have one serving, one carbonating and a spare. That's what I used to do. Now I have way too many kegs and have up to three serving at once through a splitter and I've currently got three carbonating  :D

Quote from: ManseMasher on February 11, 2016, 09:18:53 PM

Quote from: Will_D on February 11, 2016, 11:00:54 AM
It is in fact a low pressure gauge that has been marked with approximate flow rates at a given pressure.

So, it shows approximate flow rates then, not pressure?

No, It just shows pressure!
There is NO flow in a keg set up!

Then why is it marked in flow, not pressure? I don't see how the two equate? As you said, it depends on pipe bore etc, and an approximation of pressure is just that, an approximation, surely. I hope this doesn't sound antagonistic, it isn't meant to be, but I can't get it to add up. To me it's like having a fuel gauge that doesn't show quantity. And there must be flow in a keg setup, albeit not constant, otherwise wouldn't you end up eventually with a vacuum in the keg? I know when I use mine I occasionally have to top the keg up - doesn't that count as flow, when adding more gas?

Because its meant to be used with a TIG/Mig welder where there is a continuous flow of gas.

It is a welding regulator after all!

Just buy a mixed gas reg or a CO2 reg.

That makes sense thanks, and it goes back to my original response I guess, in that it isn't suitable for the OP's needs.

So is a co2 regulator different to other gas regulators?
Manifolds would be universal though right?

All in one option?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/like/201507589123?format=1&hlpv=1&cond=1&clk_rvr_id=981457141952&rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F5282-53468-19255-0%252F1%253Ficep_item%253D201507589123%2526customid%253DD8YJULKBND%2526campid%253D5337076706%2526icep_ff3%253D2%2526toolid%253D10013%2526ipn%253Dpsmain%2526kwid%253D902099%2526mtid%253D824%2526kw%253Dlg%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.ie%25252Fitm%25252Flike%25252F201507589123%25253Fformat%25253D1%252526hlpv%25253D1%252526cond%25253D1%2526srcrot%253D5282-53468-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D981457141952&ul_noapp=true

Or do I need different pressure for each keg as I plan on different beer in each?

Also......
Lets say I have 3 kegs and one tap, to switch I have to turn off or remove the co2, release the pressure from the keg before disconnecting the beer line? Does the beer disconnect have a non return valve to stop what is in the line Returning to the keg or going all over the lace when I disconnect?

If I'm being good and it's a whole week between pints, is the beer in the line now flat and wasted?
Should I be keeping a keg full of starSan or similar for cleaning the line?

Does stout need a different pressure or different gas?

When it comes to carbonation,  can I just keg as I would a king keg with priming sugar and wait patiently or do I have to force carbonate?

Thanks all..

No they are wicked disconnects, so they seal when you disconnect. There's a small drop that comes out when you change a line, but no need to worry about depressurising the keg.

They don't have a valve, more a spring loaded cut off to reseal when disconnected.

I only drink at the weekend and have no issue with the beer in the line, provided my lines aren't crazy warm. Heat makes the beer really foam when poured.

Are the Home Brew Company disconnects better than the geterbrewed ones? They are on sale at €8.95 each at the moment.

Also what size beer/gas line should I use?

3/8 is the most standard
5/16 for stout if you have proper reg and pub tank otherwise 3/8 is good for that too

Quote from: Jamesbil on February 13, 2016, 09:18:51 AM
All in one option?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/like/201507589123?format=1&hlpv=1&cond=1&clk_rvr_id=981457141952&rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F5282-53468-19255-0%252F1%253Ficep_item%253D201507589123%2526customid%253DD8YJULKBND%2526campid%253D5337076706%2526icep_ff3%253D2%2526toolid%253D10013%2526ipn%253Dpsmain%2526kwid%253D902099%2526mtid%253D824%2526kw%253Dlg%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.ie%25252Fitm%25252Flike%25252F201507589123%25253Fformat%25253D1%252526hlpv%25253D1%252526cond%25253D1%2526srcrot%253D5282-53468-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D981457141952&ul_noapp=true

Or do I need different pressure for each keg as I plan on different beer in each?

That's similar to the one I got from mybeerandwine a few years back and it works well for me.  I'd only have 2 taps on the go at one time though.  You don't need different pressure for each beer but it depends how fussy you are.  I find I like a similar amount of fizzyness for ales and stouts.  If I'm making ciders or lager I tend to bottle them anyway.  The biggest issue I've had with kegging is excess foaming so once I found a balance I tend not to mess with the pressure.  Flow control taps also help out here.  Have you got a fridge or freezer to store your kegs yet?  If not, i'd make that my first purchase as some of the other equipment you buy might depend on that.

I see from your other thread that you're from Ballina. If that's the one in Mayo, you're more than welcome to drop by and take a look at my set-up. Just send me a pm and we can sort something out.

Thanks Richie.

I'm looking at a 10l corny, 2 co2 bottles, reg and tap for €80 plus delivery. All used. It that Ok.

Quote from: Jamesbil on February 20, 2016, 09:25:42 AM
Thanks Richie.

I'm looking at a 10l corny, 2 co2 bottles, reg and tap for €80 plus delivery. All used. It that Ok.

Sounds ok to get you started but hard to say without seeing the equipment. 10l corny is handy to have if you brew 10l batches but you'll need a couple of 19l kegs to get the full benefits of kegging over bottling.  Co2 bottles - I take it they're at least 2kg and filled. Anything smaller won't last too long. Good quality taps, regulator and fittings will save you money and heartache in the long run.