Question Regarding CO2 Manifolds

Hey guys!

Well no thanks to all that bad influence form YOU people, but I finally broke down and bought a used "basement" refrigerator that I'm going to use to store beer ingredients, some extra freezer space, and of course, HOLD BEER KEGS! I already have one complete kegging setup, and will be making measurements and drilling the hole for the faucet in the near future...

So now my attention turns to this intimidating can of CO2, a bunch of tubing, and a gas manifold.

Now, I understand the concept here, but I'm wondering if a gas manifold might cause more headache than I want...

My GOAL with this thing is to store about 4 kegs, and be able to rotate out batches as one finishes, etc. But I know some beers should be served at differing levels of carbonation, and I'm starting to realize (I think) that with just a simple gas manifold, this isn't going to be an option...

Do I need to put a pressure regulator on each output of a 4-way manifold in order to keep each beer at a different carb level?

Also, is there any kind of chart/graph/spreadsheet/ancient wall paintings that will teach a noob like me what kind of gas pressures to use in order to get desired carb levels for a beer? Will Beersmith help with this at all?

Thanks guys, and if the wife asks, I'm blaming all of you...

ViperMan

I'm in a very similar situation with a 4 way Corney keg system. Here are my thoughts:

1) 4-way manifold is a solution for dispensing beer from keg. The check valves will allow on/off option for each keg.

2) 2nd Primary Regulator is necessary for carbing different beers at different temperatures. I'll have to get an extra hose & coupler too.

3) A extra Corney keg lid with air lock adaption will allow me to ferment in the keezer.

My keezer will fit 4 kegs max & was my only option due to space allowed.

HBT is great for ideas & DIY projects. Any other options?

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

You'll need a separate regulator for each line to serve at different pressures. Much cheaper to get an extra regulator and control two lines at a time with the same pressure.

chris41 said:

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

You'll need a separate regulator for each line to serve at different pressures. Much cheaper to get an extra regulator and control two lines at a time with the same pressure.

Click to expand...

WAAA!!! That chart is awesome! Now to print, laminate and hang on the refrigerator itself.

Wondering what kind of regulators I can get and where to get them from - is there something I can install in-line between the CO2 tank and the keg, or even the manifold and the keg?

Thanks for the chart! Always a useful reference.

I'm aware that each style has its own optimal Carb level. But in the interest of simplicity I use a 6 portmanifold and Carb all of my beers at 12 psi. Honestly I think they are all great. I have served everything from a hefe to stouts on my set up.

One day I may want to get into secondary regulators and all of that, but for now my set up works for me and it was a lot less expensive and very simple. I couldn't justify buying 6 secondary regulators when most of the time, most of the beers on tap will be in a pretty similar Carb range.

If you want to set up every line on its own reg that's cool. You could also use a manifold to serve a few of the similar beers at the same level, and have one or two regs for different styles.

That's the great thing about this hobby. The possibilities are endless!


Edit: I use the set and forget method to Carb my beers. I simply hook up to my manifold at servingnpressure and leave it. If you want to do the 30 psi for two days thing or some other faster method, you would need a secondary reg. I'm a big fan of the set and forget method. The beer always turns out the same, and you won't end up posting about foamy pours

If you don't already have your CO2 regulator, get a dual regulator (3 gauge, including the tank gauge) and use it for dual serving pressures. You can then split either or both of these. I have a 3 faucet kegerator and do just this- high pressure for my root beer, low pressure is split to the other two for standard ~10 psi serving for the rest. I could just as easily swap it though if I wanted two high pressure and one low.

If you DO have one already, and want to serve at multiple pressures, you want secondary regulators, which hook up to the primary (attached to the tank) much as a manifold would in-line. The tank regulator just needs to be higher than the secondary. You can use a splitter or manifold upstream from the secondary to make use of the high pressure as well, OR to hook up several secondaries in parallel.

If you have enough room for many kegs at once, there is really no effective limit to how many secondaries, splitters, or manifolds you can have fed off of one tank.

Here's another chart i made for CO2 volumes and recommended temperatures for various styles of beer:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/temperature-vs-co2-volumes-serving-beer-301592/

I've been quite happy having all my beers at the same temp/pressure so i only put in a manifold ($10 on ebay) that came with ball valves on each output. Future plans include another 1/2dz taps (and faucets : ) and some lagers for the in-laws so i'll have to add secondary regs.

FWIW, even though I have two regulators, I choose to serve all of my beer at the same pressure/carbonation level (~2.4 vol). It's much easier, and I don't really care for the "proper" carb levels with many styles. It's all about personal preference though, and if you really like a super low carb level for a mild or stout, and super high for a hefe or saison, then go for a bunch of secondaries. For me the second regulator is put to better use in my brew shed on my spare tank for doing counter pressure transfers, purging kegs before filling, setting the pressure on my spunding valves, etc.

"Secondary Regulator" was the word-or-phrase I was looking for in order to allow Google to show me the way!

Once I typed that (with "CO2" on the end) I suddenly found a SLEW of products - very expensive products - that basically answered my question.

I like the idea of having 1 or 2 secondary regulators - one for "rapid carbing" if it's ever needed, and then the other for "serving pressure." In fact really, if I wanted to regulate the pressure on 4 lines, I really only need 3 secondaries, right? One line would receive max pressure from the primary regulator and would be used for rapid carbing, while the remaining lines could be individually regulated (to lower pressures of course) for serving, sodas, etc.... Right?

And again, when I tell my wife "Hey I only need another $142 dollars..." I will blame it on all of you very helpful HBT members. lol!


Thanks for the help.