Question about multi-regulators for multiple kegs

Ok, so I just bought a kegerator, and it can hold 3 cornies. I'm currently RE-waterproofing the thing (see the other thread) and modifying the tower, etc etc etc.

I have a little extra money to play with in the next few weeks, and I believe that if I'm going to convert this, I'm going to do it properly. That said, I'm not Scrooge McDuck with expendable income - I want to do it right... on a budget.

Here's my question. I'd like the option to keg and serve beers at different CO2 levels. I'm fine with doing the math and adjusting the sugar (actually, spiece) levels to accomodate the style-specific carbonation, but is all of this silly without having separate regulators, one per keg?

I've never kegged before, but if I had to guess, I'd say that if you had 3 kegs with different carbonation levels and a single regulator and a gas-line splitter for the 3 kegs, all the CO2 levels would eventually equalize, and your efforts lost... no?

Is it even worth it to run a multi-regulator setup? Does anyone notice? Do you??

I'll have more questions later, don't worry...

thanks.

kvh

Yeah, you need seperate regs. You also can carb from co2 ratehr than priming sugar. Or another method is to transfer your beer into kegs while it is still fermenting and let the ferment finish in the keg. The co2 from the yeast will carb the beer.

As for whethere it's worth it or not. That depends entirley on you styles. If you are serving beers that are aorund the same co2 volume levels, then a splitter of a single reg works fine. but if you intend on serving almost flat stouts AND a hi carbed beer like a hefewizen.. then you really need seprate regs.

you can do separate regs for not too much money. Check out this thread for a source of inexpensive secondary regs ($5.75), then you just need a guage and some plumbing.

Buy some of these quick! They are Milwaukee secondary regulators for $5.75, on clearance.
http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=12095

You will also need to buy low pressure gages.

I have two of these in my kegger. The main regulator provides CO2 at 30 psi. That goes to the soda keg and the secondaries. Each secondary has a splitter, so I have three pressures available.

david_42 said:

I have two of these in my kegger. The main regulator provides CO2 at 30 psi. That goes to the soda keg and the secondaries. Each secondary has a splitter, so I have three pressures available.

Click to expand...

I also just picked up two of those regs and am wondering if they can handle the high pressure right from the tank or do they have to go through a primary first? I was planning on hooking up my primary to the tank and then through the high pressure pass through (where tank gauge is) hook up the other two regs in series. I am away from home for a month and had them shipped to a friend so I don't have good access to them. I would love to have three different pressures ideally, but I could settle for two.

david_42 said:

You will also need to buy low pressure gages..

Click to expand...

Where do you get low pressure gauges? Got any pics of your setup? Thanks.

They can only handle 100 psi and have right-hand threads. Either put a splitter between the primary and the secondaries or do it the way I did.

I got the gages from the LHBS.

Not completely current, but close. The line in the upper-right goes through the wall to the main regulator and tank. The manifolds are adjacent to the taps they serve. The line coming out the bottom of the regulator stack is at primary pressure (not tank) and goes to the soda water. I could probably cram another keg in there, but I'm building a new kegger. This one is rusting out.



Those lines aren't dirty, I just drink a lot of dark ales.

EdWort said:

Where do you get low pressure gauges? Got any pics of your setup? Thanks.

Click to expand...

I found Beverage Factory has low pressure gauges for about $9.00, they should be good quality too. My system was from BF and has the same gauge. I also found this one at Kegworks, but I don't know anything about it it is only $6.65.

david_42 said:

Not completely current, but close. The line in the upper-right goes through the wall to the main regulator and tank. The manifolds are adjacent to the taps they serve. The line coming out the bottom of the regulator stack is at primary pressure (not tank) and goes to the soda water. I could probably cram another keg in there, but I'm building a new kegger. This one is rusting out.

Click to expand...

So, looking at the photo closely, you have 2 regulators, and each of them run 2 possible kegs. I see one, maybe 2 'master' CO2 lines feeding your regulators, but I also see a brass tube connecting them. Are they run in succession? Is there a 'pass through' port on the regulators so you can daisy-chain them? If so, that would be a simple build...

*EDIT* - nevermind - reread your comments, I think I figured it out.


My CO2 setup came with a regulator - like everything else in the purchase, it's pretty funky, beat-up, and confusing (to me at least).... I might try to trade it in for something clean and new...

kvh

TheFlyingBeer said:

I found Beverage Factory has low pressure gauges for about $9.00, they should be good quality too. My system was from BF and has the same gauge. I also found this one at Kegworks, but I don't know anything about it it is only $6.65.

Click to expand...

McMaster has some too, with lower pressure settings (accurate to 2%, good enough for me)... Item # 3941K53

I assume you just find an adaptor to run from the 7/16th to the 1/4 thread size??

kvh

david_42 said:

Buy some of these quick! They are Milwaukee secondary regulators for $5.75, on clearance.
http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=12095

You will also need to buy low pressure gages.

I have two of these in my kegger. The main regulator provides CO2 at 30 psi. That goes to the soda keg and the secondaries. Each secondary has a splitter, so I have three pressures available.

Click to expand...

Damn it. they only ship to US addresses.

kvh said:

So, looking at the photo closely, you have 2 regulators, and each of them run 2 possible kegs. I see one, maybe 2 'master' CO2 lines feeding your regulators, but I also see a brass tube connecting them. Are they run in succession? Is there a 'pass through' port on the regulators so you can daisy-chain them? If so, that would be a simple build...


My CO2 setup came with a regulator - like everything else in the purchase, it's pretty funky, beat-up, and confusing (to me at least).... I might try to trade it in for something clean and new...

kvh

Click to expand...

The brass tube (threaded nipple) is available from Home Depot. These are in a series so the one closest to the regulator is of higher pressure than the distal one.

It may be difficult to hook these secondary regs directly to the main reg. As d_24 stated, these are RHT. Some Regs are LHT and others are RHT. If they are threaded differently you will have to have a RHT to LHT nipple. I had a difficult time locating one.

Looks as though 42 solved this with flared barbs.

A member of our club brought a "show and tell" one night. 3" long piece of 1" stainless flat bar with 2 holes in it. Run a nut and wing bolt through each hole and keep tightening until it pinches down the CO2 volume where you want it. Simple idea, and cheaper than a regulator. I work at a place that uses a ton of s/s, so it's cheap for me. Aluminum would also work.

Brewer3401 said:

A member of our club brought a "show and tell" one night. 3" long piece of 1" stainless flat bar with 2 holes in it. Run a nut and wing bolt through each hole and keep tightening until it pinches down the CO2 volume where you want it. Simple idea, and cheaper than a regulator. I work at a place that uses a ton of s/s, so it's cheap for me. Aluminum would also work.

Click to expand...

Um, am I wrong in thinking that that won't regulate pressure? It will certainly gate the rate that the CO2 can flow, but it will still eventually equalize pressure on both sides of the pinch. Won't it?

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

You pinch the beer out line, not the gas in.

TheFlyingBeer said:

I found Beverage Factory has low pressure gauges for about $9.00, they should be good quality too. My system was from BF and has the same gauge. I also found this one at Kegworks, but I don't know anything about it it is only $6.65.

Click to expand...

Sweet. Thanks!

Ok, so I'm building my shopping list. However, I've looked everywhere for a bushing that will convert the 7/16"-18 thread from the regulators down to the 1/4" NPT thread of the pressure gages from McMaster #3941K53.

I'm assuming (because I don't know any better) that the regulator is an NPT thread... - is this a safe assumption?

Help anyone?

thx.

kvh

Might be pricey but this is what I bought to run my 3 kegs from one CO2 tank.
I do have a standard regulator on the tank first then going into this one.
http://www.beveragefactory.com/3033.shtml

Anyone feel like buying me 2 or 3 of these and shipping them to me up here? I can paypal you the moola required.

Denny's Evil Concotions said:

Anyone feel like buying me 2 or 3 of these and shipping them to me up here? I can paypal you the moola required.

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I purchased two of em and now when looking back at it would love to have 3... too bad they have a minimum purchase of $10 and the $5 shipping kills for just one regulator. I would consider purchasing another for myself and then getting you some but... I am not going to be back in the States until the beginning of July, so nothing would get shipped from me until then. Let me know and I will see what I can do.

Denny's Evil Concotions said:

Anyone feel like buying me 2 or 3 of these and shipping them to me up here? I can paypal you the moola required.

Click to expand...

Sure - I was just going to wait until mine arrived and I could get you an accurate shipping cost before ordering, but if you are sure you want them, I'll order them right away.

Jester369 said:

Sure - I was just going to wait until mine arrived and I could get you an accurate shipping cost before ordering, but if you are sure you want them, I'll order them right away.

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Yeah, thanks a lot jester. I got your pmail.