Anyone use an aquarium mini regulator for paintball tanks?

I am looking into building a portable kegging system to take to town concerts and beer festivals. I am planning on converting a square rolling cooler like a build I saw here on HBT.

Ebay has a bunch of mini regulators that fit paintball tanks. Most of them are used in aquarium applications, but I can not figure out what their pressure ranges are. They have single guages that can read up to about 2000psi but they do not specify what the regulating pressures are. Do you think it would work for pouring beer? Here is an example.

http://cgi.ebay.com/W21-8-14-Precise-CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Regulator-Aquarium-/330442774134?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cefec9676

I'm guessing here, but I think the gauge is showing tank pressure and output pressure, I assume in PSI, is just indicated by what number the knob is set to.

That is sorta what I was thinking. I doubt you would put Paintball pressures through an air stone in an aquarium. I might just order one and try it out. They are pretty cheap.

If you can, please keep posting here with how it turns out. I'd love to build something similar before next year's Dark Lord Day in Munster, IN @ 3 Floyd's Brewery.

BTW - that clown in the ebay link is freaking scary!

I've used CO2 for freshwater planted aquariums and in these setups you typically have a needle valve because you're putting CO2 in so slowly you actually end up counting the 'bubbles per minute' released into the tank (usually into a diffuser so the CO2 can be put in solution at levels 25-35ppm so that your plants have enough CO2 in high light tanks).

So I think there's a lot of potential here for this to work, at least as a remote keg dispensing tool...maybe also to force carb.

keep us posted

Why not just get a pin valve to beer regulator adapter? They're even cheaper at $10-15

I was going to go the route of changing the fitting, adding a hose, etc to another reg, then I found one on sale for $30 ready to go. Paintball to 1/4" check valve barb.

B

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smokinghole said:

Why not just get a pin valve to beer regulator adapter? They're even cheaper at $10-15

Click to expand...

Then I would need a beer regulator. Right? I was hoping that this solution for $29 would be all I need. This will fit directly on a paintball tank an be the regulator.

That would work, although you might want to check the pressure markings on the valve to see how accurate they are. It looks like they go from 0-45. Since you want to use this for a travel system it should work nicely.

B

Are you sure it will fit the threads of a paintball tank?
It's not mention in the ad.

I am not sure if that particular one does or not. I was just posting that as an example. I have seen several Aquarium valves that do for sure fit the paintball tanks. Though if you look at the drawing they have in my link. It is the last photo in their set it sure looks like a paintball tank they are threading onto. I am going to order one today and test.

Isn't something like this http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=268 designed for the same purpose?

It is $25 more but all you would need to do is get a paintball co2 canister and you would be set. No?

Yeah but like you said it is $25 more. Plus it is large and bulky. I plan to put this in a rolling cooler. So room will be tight. With the aquarium valve all I need it the co2 tank too. I don't need the guage or extra barb and valve.

I am looking for a cheap but more importantly small valve for my project.

Update:

I just ran into a snag. These will not fit a painball tank. They only fit tanks for Japan, Europe, UK, and Taiwan. They do not fit USA and Canada tanks.

So now I guess I need to find an american version. Which I have not yet seen on Ebay. Maybe I can get an adapter to go from metric to imperial.

I will update what I find.

What about this one?
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=CO-TM10174

Yeah I saw that one. Everyone seems to be out of stock. There are some on ebay though if you dig. I found a metric to english adapter from a paintball store. I might go with the original regulator I posted and the adapter. I am waiting on an email to make sure it will fit.

Brewmoor said:

Yeah but like you said it is $25 more. Plus it is large and bulky. I plan to put this in a rolling cooler. So room will be tight. With the aquarium valve all I need it the co2 tank too. I don't need the guage or extra barb and valve.

I am looking for a cheap but more importantly small valve for my project.

Click to expand...

I've got nothing against saving $25. Subscribed and I hope you can get this to work. It would be good to take a keg over to friends with a small and portable co2 system.

I ran into this same issue. Posted in someone's portable build thread about that exact regulator you found, and came across the same issue - doesn't fit standard pin valve tanks. Feh. I searched for a few weeks, and found nothing, so ended up getting the one from Keg Connection.

I found a company that says they can make me an adapter. It will be metric on one end and English on the other. I sorta forgot about that thing. I got a pink slip in my box yesterday. I think the regulator has finally arrived. I will contact that company again and see what an adapter will cost.

update?

very old thread but wondering if this ever worked out!

This is the thread for my build

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/yet-another-portable-kegerator-254450/

Scroll through the pics and you can see a small, red piece in between the normal kegging regulator and the paintball tank. This was purchased at Rebel Brewer for about $12-15 and is all you need to adapt them. Let me know if anyone has any questions, as I know the photos aren't great...damn iPhone.