CO2 Regulator(s) multiple pressure keg setup

I am building a 4 tap kegerator from a fridge I picked up on craigslist. I know I want to at least have two regulators, so I can force carbonate one or two kegs, while still enjoying some already carbonated beer too. My question is, since I am going to have 3 taps for beer plus one for root beer (for the kids), would I need more than two regulators? I am wondering if I can simply serve everything that is already carbonated at the same pressure, while I am using the 2nd regulator to force carb at a higher pressure? I would appreciate any insight.

Yep.

You probably wont need a separate regulator for the root beer though. One regulator can be dialed into serving pressure and the other can be your adjustable force-carbing regulator. On mine, I have my primary regulator set up as my higher pressure "carbing" side. I go anywhere from 10PSI to 18PSI on it. I have a brass Y splitter on its output- one branch is connected to a shutoff valve with a corny quickconnect on a length of hose for force carbonation, and the other leg is connected via a jumper hose to a secondary regulator mounted elsewhere in the keezer. This secondary regulator takes the varying pressures and provides a constant 3-5PSI for serving. This secondary regulator is then connected to a 4 way draft distribution block with shutoff valves to each keg. I can serve 4 kegs and carb one more, but don't do that because I'm confined to 4 kegs total in the keezer itself.

You can see the secondary regulator and draft block here-


The primary on the CO2 tank is out of sight, but it is pretty simple to connect.

I am looking to do the same think when I finally move to kegging. Will the regular serving pressure for the beer, work for the Root Beer as well? I still need to do more research on the soda forums when the time comes...

You need only 2 pressures - One for the beer, and one for the pop.

Beer should be carbed and served at the same pressure - about 10-14 PSI depending on temperature and desired CO2 levels.
You beer will carbonate at serving pressure! It'll take about 2 weeks. You can do it faster with higher pressure.
The Root Beer should be higher pressure (IIRC - I don't serve root beer, so I've never really looked that close). If you want, you can use that pressure for force carbing to speed the process.

The thing to remember is that the carbonation level of your beer is a function of pressure and temperature. If your beer is perfectly carbed at 12 PSI and 40 degrees, and you drop it to 3-4 PSI to serve, it will lose it's carbonation. This works for some people, but I think it's a pain in the ass.

Search the forums for "Balancing" your system - This explains how beer hose length impacts the foam in the glass. This is the correct answer to foamy beer, rather than dropping the pressure.

Search the soda forums for proper root beer pressure. I'm guessing it's 20+ PSI, and therefore quite usable for "Fast" force carbing in less than 2 weeks.

And for a load of ways to force carb your beer really really fast, search for "Force carbing" or something like that. You'll have lots of ideas, and just as many people that will thoroughly explain why it's a bad idea (I do it, when I need to - I'm not hatin )

I too would go with a single regulator, manifold, and a secondary to dial down the root beer psi to beer psi.

Its ALL force carbing, and I'm not a fan of tryign to carb in 2 hours at a bazillion psi. Why rush the beer? Have we not learned anything about patience from CharlieP?
Relax, set it to 12psi, and have a beer next week.

Root beer takes 25-30psi and about 22 feet of tap line to balance out.