Tap A Draft Cap Mod

**aiptasia** · 09-05-2011, 06:55 PM

I'm curious, about making a mini-kegerator using my Tap A Draft bottles. If I had a small CO2 regulator with a paint ball sized CO2 tank, what would I need to do to modify the caps on a Tap A Draft bottle for CO2 nipple/fittings?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Dahoov · 09-05-2011, 08:03 PM

See the link in my signature for pictures and details of my setup.

I drilled and tapped the cartridges to accept an adaptor. I have used 1/4 and 1/8 NPT (I prefer 1/8 since it is smaller) and have used air chuck (air tools quick disconnects) 1/4 Flare fitting (commonly used for corny kegs) and 1/4 hose barb both metal and plastic.

Some pictures for reference.

**aiptasia** · 09-05-2011, 08:29 PM

That's awesome, and close to what i'm looking for but not quite. I'm looking to use the bottles without the home draft taps themselves. Similar to your carbonation cap, i'd like to design a cap for the bottles that would allow you to push out the beer from inside of a kegerator cooler (keeser?) with taps on the outside of the cooler.

Would a two adaptor cap be feasable? One adaptor to push the CO2 into the bottle with perhaps a line run inside the bottle towards the rear to pressurize the beer and an adaptor on the other part of the cap run to a pull tap with a check valve in-between?

Dahoov · 09-05-2011, 08:42 PM

I looked at something similar before I decided on my route.

http://billbufkin.com/cheap_3_liter_kegs.htm

The 3 liter soda bottles you can pick up at the dollar stores have the same cap size as the 6 liter Tap A Draft bottles.

I also considered drilling 2 holes in a cap for a separate in and out arrangement.

Check valves can be found at Grainger.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/SMC-Spring-Check-Valve-4DHY3

If you are creative and willing to spend time in the plumbing section of the hardware store the possibilities are almost endless.

**aiptasia** · 09-06-2011, 03:24 PM

Thanks again for that tidbit. Very similar to what i'd like to do, only using a single mini-regulator and a gang valve run to multiple 3 liters or tap a draft bottles off of a 5 lb. CO2 bottle. That 3 liter keg link you posted at least gives me an idea for how to mod the caps on some 3 liter bottles to run them to the shank ends of a few small tap handles. It looks like down at the bottom of his page, he's also using it as a fill system for the keg bottles, which is cool for doing transfers to a 3 liter from another keg.

I wonder if a TAD or 3 liter bottle would hold the pressure enough to force carbonate rather than using priming sugar. I don't mind using priming sugar to carbonate, just curious if it can handle the same 30 psi of co2 for a force carb in case i'd ever have to rush a batch of homebrew out of the bottle in a hurry.

rick689 · 09-22-2011, 01:09 AM

I think they can. I have my brown bottle connected to a paintball tank and regulator I set it to 15psi and in a day or so they are carbed up nice.