Minor keg questions

Are quick disconnects really needed? If so, why?
Are elbow shanks needed for tower setup? Other alternatives?
Best source for parts? Kegconnection?

I've ordered some Shirron's from ebay today so I'm going to start collecting parts. I just hate bottling.

I suppose quick disconnects aren't needed, you could probably find something that would thread onto the dip tubes, but disconnects are easier for obvious reasons.

Elbow shanks are required for a tower, but unless you're making your own tower I believe most towers come with them - make sure you verify when you order. If your fridge has room you could just use straight shanks through the door.

Not sure what the best source is, probably if you shop around you can get things from various places. I buy from kegworks.com because of their connection with Canada Post (kegworks is US) in dealing with shipping and customs.

Also:
1/4" beer, 5/16" gas?
Does the regulator attach directly to the CO2 tank?

But why are disconnects needed? Are the ball locks permanent or hard to disconnect?

If your talkin lines you need 1/4 gas and 3/16 beer to get the proper restriction. Otherwise you'll have a bunch of foam.
The regulater screws right onto the co2 with a little nylon seal.

The male end of the ball lock is threaded onto the keg. the female end on your line isn't permanent. It pops right off.

JeffNYC said:

But why are disconnects needed? Are the ball locks permanent or hard to disconnect?

Click to expand...

The ball lock posts are threaded. The posts contain poppet valves that let you disconnect from gas and beer lines while maintaining the pressure in the keg (ie. no beer shower). If you have a threaded connection you wouldn't be able to remove the keg without releasing the pressure it first.

I understand the desire to save money, but honestly the quick disconnects aren't the way to do it. You'll save far more money bargain shopping for your regulator or making your own manifold to make up the couple of bucks you'll save but you'll have WAY less aggravation if you go with the disconnects.

Not about money, just trying to simplify the parts list and understand the reasons behind it. It's not easy to find a complete list of parts needed. Understandably this is pretty basic for those with kegs. Thanks for the info.

1/4" gas, 3/16" beer is an interesting point. I've read a lot and this was the first to come up, and seems pretty fundamental. Glad I asked!

Jeff

Sorry, when you asked if they were necessary I just assumed it was a cost-cutting question; my bad!

The size of the gas line isn't really important as long as it fits onto the disconnect and the regulator/manifold side. The beer line is more important because it's one of the factors that determines the line length vs serving pressure. 3/16" smooth wall beverage line (or beer line or however it's labelled) is pretty standard so you would be safe with that. It tends to have thicker sidewalls in my experience (don't know if that is a general thing or not though).

I think he's asking about quick disconnects used inline in ADDITION to the ball lock connectors. I don't know of many people using them, but that's what I comprehended when reading through this thread.