duckredbeard

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I'm considering stashing two kegs of the same beer in the back of my fridge. (Big batch split to two kegs) It is difficult to connect the fittings back there and I don't want to disturb them to do so. I'm considering tapping both kegs and using a T to combine the beer lines so a single line can go to the tap. I would also do the same idea with the gas line. When it appears that one or both kegs may have kicked, then I would have to do the keg shuffle. It should be a while for that.

Anyone here do this before?

fastenova

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Here is what you need to do: This will greatly simplify things for you... Make up a short line with the same diameter tubing as the rest of your system. Put a gas QD on one end, and a liquid QD on the other end. Connect the kegs in series. So CO2-> gas in on first keg -> (beer) -> liquid out on first keg -> gas in on second keg -> (beer) -> liquid out on second keg -> tap. Basically the CO2 will push beer from the first keg to the second and the beer from the second keg to your tap.

This will only work properly once the kegs are individually carbonated properly - you can't carbonate both kegs at the same time with CO2 only hooked up to one keg as there is no way for the CO2 to pass from the first to second keg to get into solution... But even if you "burst carb" (shake) both kegs so they are very close, the pressure will equalize between the two kegs given several days.

This is how it's done in large settings where they would be changing 15G kegs every couple of hours because of high demand, to get more capacity. Of course, they're using Sanke couplers but the idea is the same.

duckredbeard

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That is a very good idea. I believe I should go one extra step. The keg closest to the tap would have the CO2 bled off, which would then fill the head space of that keg with beer from the feeder keg. That way the incoming beer would enter the receiving keg (on the gas in port) through a dip tube that is in beer, not gas.

One concern I have is that when the feeder keg kicks, it will be sending settled yeast into the receiving keg.

fastenova

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Hmm, yeah, good point, I suppose in commercial setups they don't have to worry about yeast at all. Personally I wouldn't worry about actually eliminating headspace, as the beer would be falling into a pure c02 environment so you don't have to worry about oxidation, and if you ever needed to actually reduce pressure in the keg for some reason (filling bottles from the tap, for example) you wouldn't be able to do so as opening the pressure relief valve would just result in beer going everywhere. I prefer for my beer to go in my mouth But that's just me!

Also, just out of curiosity, why not just keep one keg outside the fridge or keep the one in the back not hooked up, and pull it forward when the first one kicks?

Good luck to ya!

duckredbeard

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It's a matter of accessing the fridge's innards. Opening the door is difficult due to cramped location. Looking to rectify that with tax returns.

duckredbeard

Recipes 

Just avoiding needless splashing, probably wouldn't hurt it though.

Maybe if I fitted the feeder keg with a shortened dip tube. An inch shorter probably would only cost me a pint. The domed bottom is about an inch, so I doubt it would even be that much.