CO2 manifold assistance needed

Currently I have one corny keg, but will be ordering more soon. This means I will need to split up my CO2 distribution. All of the pre-made CO2 manifolds I'm seeing online seem online seem really expensive.

I came across this guy's keezer a while back. His manifold is definitely DIY, and looks like it must have been relatively inexpensive:



Anyone know where I could order the necessary parts for something like this?

Thanks!

xumbi said:

Anyone know where I could order the necessary parts for something like this?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Those parts look a lot like my build, the manifold is just an air manifold, you can find this at any place that sells pneumatic air tools.
The other pieces are pneumatic air line quick connects.
A male coupler, a female coupler, and 1/4" barb fittings.
These work great.

Home Depot plumbing section. Total would probably be less than $10. Bring a ball valve to make sure the threads fit and you're good to go.

The way to go cheaply is to put t-barbs in series...the only problem with this setup is...you can't isolate a keg with an individual shutoff/check vavle. But it's not really a problem. You can add a fancy smancy manifold later on if you choose. The important thing is to get co2 to those kegs...

Use check valves. I made a double mistake once. Hooked up my 35psi root beer to my 14psi beer CO2 AND put the CO2 on the wrong post!!!! Thankfully, the main feed from the regulator had a check valve but all the kegs online had to be pitched because of root beer contamination.

I did the same thing for mine. I got it here:

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

... and a pic of the finished product:

Big thanks for all the replies. I will take a look in Lowes' plumbing section first, if that doesn't work out I may resort to t-barbs. kegconnection seems to be the most reasonably priced for manifolds, so that may be an option too.

Thanks again!

That's an awesome idea and rig. If one was to use the "quick coupler," does CO2 come out if the valve is disconnected? Does this eliminate the need for the check valve?

Thanks!

No, once a line/tool is disconnected from one of the quick disconnects, CO2 will not flow out through that connection.
Of course, the seal on those quick disconnects is only as good as the manufacturers tolerances.
I've seen quick disconnects that leak very badly.
As long as a good amount of teflon tape/plumbers pipe dope is used on the ciritical connections this should work nicely.

Any concern over the materials they use vs quality SS?
I know beer is not flowing through it, but if the gas picks up an odor, it could casue the beer to taste funny, no?

It's true that there is probably more potential for leaks but I have not seen any in my system. Also, as mentioned before, the seal is closed when disconnected. You still probably need check valves so this may not be the best option for you. I keg in 1/6 sanke kegs and the couplers have check valves built in.

As far as the materials, I'm not worried. The manifold is aluminum, the fittings are brass, and I still use regular CO2 tubing that is designed for the purpose (as opposed to compressed air tubing).

I use the air QD's all over the place and even have one hooked directly to my dual regulator setup. I can just click it into that to force carb and the click it into the manifold for serving, pretty simple.