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pizzaman · 02-20-2009, 03:55 AM

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This thread is 30+ pages of my journey into kegging. I go through some very silly ideas and eventually wind up using cornelius kegs, a standard co2 regulator and a paintball sized co2 tank. I learned some interesting things along the way, and found and posted links to sites with all kinds of ingenuity related to kegging. If you are thinking about getting into kegging, do it. If you think you can come up with a better way than the methods already out there, please read this thread first.

My journey begins with the idea of using a bike pump and a water bottle......

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I remember a few months back seeing a website selling kegs which required no CO2. They were basically a bottle with a plastic liner which you would put in some kind of pill which created expanding gasses. As more beer was siphoned out of the keg, the plastic bag would inflate more, taking the place of CO2.

This got me thinking, what if I took a 5 gallon water bottle($5), put in a large, clean, plastic bag($1), connect a bike pump valve($2) to lead into this bag, attach the necessary kegging equipment($15?) to the vessels' lid, and voila! I have a reusable keg that I can pressurize with a few strokes of a bike pump(or the flip of a switch on a portable air pump).

Any relevant comments and thoughts are appreciated.

SumnerH · 02-20-2009, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pizzaman

I remember a few months back seeing a website selling kegs which required no CO2. They were basically a bottle with a plastic liner which you would put in some kind of pill which created expanding gasses. As more beer was siphoned out of the keg, the plastic bag would inflate more, taking the place of CO2.

Party Pig? Welcome To The Pig Farm!

**BargainFittings** · 02-20-2009, 01:01 PM

Water bottles are not designed for pressure.

Flying shards of plastic sounds like a bad idea to me.

pizzaman · 02-20-2009, 01:26 PM

Good to know, thanks for the input. I've decided to build a small 2Liter version and go from there. I'll do some trial runs with it in a safe location filled with water in case there is an explosion.

**BargainFittings** · 02-20-2009, 01:46 PM

I'm sure some will hold pressure most of the time but Murphy will get you in the end. I would stick with a pressure rated vessel.

**Revvy** · 02-20-2009, 02:09 PM

If you haven't seen the latest BYO magazine where John Palmer was extolling the unorthodox methods and DIY savvy of the Australians, then you might not know that they have been breaking some interesting barriers of inventiveness in Brewing for well over 30 years. They do things with junk and even ingredients that put us to shame, and often goes against the common wisdom that we have come to hold as gospel.

In fact the first Brewing Podcast came form the aussies, it started over 10 years ago as an actual radio show, then jump into the web with gusto. I spent my Christmas vacation listenning to every podcast of theirs I could find online...The two hosts have combined 60 years of brewing experience....

Anyway, Graham Sanders the hose has an article that you'd be interested in:

FANTASTIC PLASTIC KEGS

Pressure sprayer kegs;

I love the built in beerguns.

The rest of the articles are equally interesting Australian Craft Brewing

And here's the links to the podcasts CraftBrewer Radio

Have Fun DIYING!!!!

I'm thinking about doing this and getting one of those small co2 painball chargers for CO2.

Chello · 02-20-2009, 02:22 PM

Apart from the problem getting a cost effective container, i think there would be a problem keeping the plastic liner from getting sucked up the dip tube when dispensing.

I'd say if you were taking your keg to a party, just dispense with the bike pump. If your making good beer it wont last more than a couple hours at any decently sized party so oxygenation isn't an issue.

**beerthirty** · 02-20-2009, 02:31 PM

As the bag filled with air it would be pulled to the top. This should keep it clear of the diptube.

pizzaman · 02-20-2009, 02:31 PM

That's awesome Revvy, thanks for the info and links!! I've always felt like I had a little Australian in me...little bugger keeps trying to come out. Those beerguns do look like fun. It looks like one of those sprayer bottles sells for aournd $20 for a 1 gallon. Not exactly cost efficient, but possibly necessary. I'll spend the next few days hunting the internet for any cheaper alternatives for sturdy plastic containers.

pizzaman · 02-20-2009, 02:33 PM

Just found this link after one second of searching: Onebeer.net :: Homebrew :: Minitap

[EDIT] and this one... http://home.swbell.net/bufkin/cheap_3_liter_kegs.htm [/EDIT]