Hey guys help me make sure Im not missing something!!!!!

Hey all,

Im about to start ordering stuff for my keezer project. So far all I have is my Kenmore 8.8 ft freezer. Here is my list of what I was planning, please let me know if I am missing anything. Order will most likely be going into keg cowboy as they seem to be the best value.

Perlick 575 SS (says creamer pours. Is this a better faucet than the 525?)
Hoses (how much for 2 kegs? Will have four one day)
Taprite regulator (what makes this better than their value one. Reliablity?)
hose clamps
cleaning kit
faucet wrench
shanks (which is better the 5 or 3 inch? I know the 5 will get in the way more but seems like it might keep the faucet slightly cooler since theres more metal inside.)

Co2 tank will be local. Should I get disconnects since I wont be home brewing for a few months? I will be buying kegs at bevmo at the moment which I believe come with taps already.

Which temp controller does everyone recomend? I was debating between going with the cheaper 54 dollar analog ones but leaning towards the johnson digital thermostate for 70.

Whats the smartest way to go about distributing the gas to two kegs for now while having it upgradeable for 4 kegs in the future? My goal is to have one soda keg and one creamy stout like ginuess ect. I know the stout will require nitrogen and the soda will require higher psi than all the other tanks. How can I set this up? I love the clean look of the simply 4 way manifolds but I know I might need the secondary regulators. Please advise

is there anything Im forgeting?

thanks everyone
Salvador

Beverage hose length is determined by the serving pressure and desired pour flow rate. You can get all scientific on it, or just figure about .9 ft / PSI of service pressure. That's assuming 3/16 line. Gas lines are just sized to ensure you can DC things.

All of the other stuff you pretty much answered your own question I would say.

Gas lines are determined by your design. Beverage length depends on hose ID, serving pressure, and temperature. I used to use ~12' of 1/4" per tap at 12psi and 42F, but now use barrier tubing which has more complex resistance calculations. You'll need ~3-4x as much line for soda since it's under higher pressure.

Shank length is once again best determined by the keezer design. As you already pointed out, longer helps somewhat with foam control.

You'll need sankey couplers in order to serve out of sankey kegs, although bevmo might rent them. You may also want to look into a conversion kit that has the MFL fittings so that you can quickly and easily switch back and forth between sankeys and cornies.

Temp controllers are a personal preference. I have a couple digital rancos that are nice plug and play, and a couple of the e-bay temp controllers that are cheaper and work well but require some wiring.

It sounds like you already know your options for regulators and manifolds and just need to make a decision. I used $2 harbor freight manifolds and a single reg for a long time, and later added a secondary.

ZamaMan said:

is there anything Im forgeting?

Click to expand...

Tailpieces to fit your tubing and tailpiece nuts? Shank nuts if they're not included with the shanks?

The 575S is typically used for stouts. It basically works like a normal tap if you pull it forward, but you can also push it backward when topping off and it will force a small stream of air through while it is pouring to give you a creamy head.


So you can serve and carb, or serve at different carbonation levels, you will want to split up your regulators. Put a primary regulator on the tank, than get one or two secondary regulators which will allow you to adjust the PSI going out to the kegs. To exapnd to more kegs you have several options. You can get more secondary regulators and thus have individual control over each keg, or you could also get manifolds that allow you to distribute one pressure to multiple kegs. Or you can do some combination of the two.

Are your kegs ball lock or pin lock? Make sure you get appropriate disconnects for the type of connection. Also I really like the quick disconnects that screw on to a separate hose barb stem. There is another style that have the barb built into the QD, but those are not as easy to work with IMO.

575's are a money grubbing gimmick. Brew your beer right, carbonate properly and viola, a nice proper foamy head. If you can't do those two steps well, the 525's will do the exact same thing by just cracking open the tap.

_

You guys are awesome. Looks like I'm on the right track than. Ill skip the 575 and stay with the 525. Only decision left is my regulation. Was gonna be using a taprite from keg cowboy as the primary. It will have 2 lines one running to the soda and the other being split by a secondary. I found a cheap one but am scared of its quality. Any use kegkits regulators?
http://www.kegkits.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=2SecRegSet&Category_Code=SReg

If its no good where is ththe cheapest quality one?

Thanks so much guys. PS just picked up a 15 lb co2 tank filled for 84 bucks. Very happy about no shipping and fantastic price

Definitely get the MFL Disconnects and attach your own barb. AND the 525s vs. 575.

I'm sure the regulator will be fine. Do a search here on HBT to see if anyone has other things to say about it.

For the temp regulator, search for "eBay aquarium Temperture regulator". I made myself one, and it works great (though it is in Celsius). Digital, quick build, and easy to use.

Second on the different line length for soda vs. beer. I personally use 10' of 3/16 beer line. It gives a slow pour, but foaming has not been a problem. Plus, I can still put a overcarbed hefe in the kegerator, no problem.

Things you might be forgetting are tailpieces (and beer nut/washer) for the shanks (unless they have a welded nipple). Plumbers tape. Tap handles. Swivel nuts/barbs if you're doing MFL.

As for the shank size, make sure you do plenty of measuring to make sure you have room for which ever size you get. I (almost) ran out of room in my mod-ed tower because of poor planning.

Awesome guys great stuff. I se'arched for kegkits and they are clearly a scam. Where do you guys reccomend I get my secondary?