Adding kegs to Kegerator

Hey all, well its only been one day since my kegerator has been done, and im already wanting more kegs!

- Right now I only have one tap, one Co2 tank, regulator, keg, and the necissary hoses/lines. I can't afford to buy the taps for 2 more right now, but I can afford a 3-way air-manifold/distributor and 2 more kegs.

My question is, would I be able to hook up 3 kegs at once with the one Co2 tank and regulator if I have the a 3-way distributor? I realize I would not be able set them to individual pressure settings, but I can live with a general 10-12 psi on 3 beers.

I just want to be able to have beers ready to go on my one tap when its time to move down the line. This is the best way I can think of. Suggestions on what to do/ equipment?

EDIT: Also, about how many beers will a 5# Co2 tank last?

Thats exactly how I did mine. I just switched over to a new fridge and finally added two more faucets. I still use brass "T's" to go from one gas line into 3 kegs. I leave it set to 12 psi and it works great. On the old setup I had one faucet and two picnic taps. If you go with picnic taps for now I would lengthen the lines on them, I got too much foam due to the short lines they come with.

You can have 3 kegs at the same pressure with a 3 way manifold.

The length of time that a talk lasts varies, but if you have no leaks you should be able to carbonate and push 10-15 kegs on a tank at least.

I have the same thing - I have 2 taps but 3 gas QDs, so that I can have one "on deck" while the other are being served. If you decide you want to start drinking one of the two kegs that you're busy conditioning, WHAM, slap a picnic tap on and you have a instant 2-tap kegerator!

Just make sure to get check valves! Shooting beer back into your gas lines is a PITA to clean!

nyer said:

Thats exactly how I did mine. I just switched over to a new fridge and finally added two more faucets. I still use brass "T's" to go from one gas line into 3 kegs. I leave it set to 12 psi and it works great. On the old setup I had one faucet and two picnic taps. If you go with picnic taps for now I would lengthen the lines on them, I got too much foam due to the short lines they come with.

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Great! Did you use the shake method (count to 100 on 25-30 psi) or did you "set and forget?" Im partial to the shake method myself, so if im still able to do that with the 3-way distributor it would be awesome. I guess that would mean I have to disconnect the gas lines from the other kegs during that 100 seconds while shaking the one keg on 30 psi. Correct?

-Im still not sure how disconnecting gas lines from already carbed and kegged beers will affect them, if at all.

Chriso said:

I have the same thing - I have 2 taps but 3 gas QDs, so that I can have one "on deck" while the other are being served. If you decide you want to start drinking one of the two kegs that you're busy conditioning, WHAM, slap a picnic tap on and you have a instant 2-tap kegerator!

Just make sure to get check valves! Shooting beer back into your gas lines is a PITA to clean!

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Don't most manifolds have check valves? I plan on getting this one: http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=52

That, and I would need 3 more gas lines, and 2 more gas-in disconnects?

Yep, that one says it has them. Mine doesn't, I bought this one, and didn't read the fine print. My own stupid fault

As far as carbing, I've never done the shake method, I just set and forget. 12psi for 7 days (or more) does my basic ales just fine. I squeak it down to 10psi for English ales usually, or maybe up to 14psi for American Pales.

EamusCatuli said:

Great! Did you use the shake method (count to 100 on 25-30 psi) or did you "set and forget?" Im partial to the shake method myself, so if im still able to do that with the 3-way distributor it would be awesome. I guess that would mean I have to disconnect the gas lines from the other kegs during that 100 seconds while shaking the one keg on 30 psi. Correct?

-Im still not sure how disconnecting gas lines from already carbed and kegged beers will affect them, if at all.

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I have a second co2 tank and regulator that I use to force carb. I do plan on adding a fourth gas line in the fridge so I can carb a fourth keg while keeping it cold.

Chriso said:

Yep, that one says it has them. Mine doesn't, I bought this one, and didn't read the fine print. My own stupid fault

As far as carbing, I've never done the shake method, I just set and forget. 12psi for 7 days (or more) does my basic ales just fine. I squeak it down to 10psi for English ales usually, or maybe up to 14psi for American Pales.

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But don't you only have one choice on psi since you have only one regulator? Unless you have 3 basics on at once, or 3 English ales at once, etc.

Correct. While I'm carbonating, I turn off the other two kegs' gas (handy ball valve on the regulator, I don't disconnect the line) and let the target keg run at 10, 12, 14 psi. Then, once I'm satisfied with its carb level, I leave it at the lowest of the 3 settings. So if I have two kegs carb'ed to 14 psi and one to 10 psi, I'll leave it on 10 psi until later.

I'm working on finding all the individual parts to hack apart my existing manifold and add in some SciPlus secondary regulators. I'd like to be able to serve Apfelwein at 18psi , Americans at 12-14 psi, and English ales at 8-10 psi. Soon, very soon.

Chriso said:

Correct. While I'm carbonating, I turn off the other two kegs' gas (handy ball valve on the regulator, I don't disconnect the line) and let the target keg run at 10, 12, 14 psi. Then, once I'm satisfied with its carb level, I leave it at the lowest of the 3 settings. So if I have two kegs carb'ed to 14 psi and one to 10 psi, I'll leave it on 10 psi until later.

I'm working on finding all the individual parts to hack apart my existing manifold and add in some SciPlus secondary regulators. I'd like to be able to serve Apfelwein at 18psi , Americans at 12-14 psi, and English ales at 8-10 psi. Soon, very soon.

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I got ya now, I didnt know it would work out that way. I would have thought that once you go to the lowest setting of the three for one keg that the other 2 would eventually go down as well. Nice to know

They do, gradually, let CO2 off into the headspace, which balances between the other two kegs. A check valve would prevent this from happening at first, but as pints are drawn from the two higher-pressure kegs, they eventually only hold 10psi instead of 15 psi or whatever they were at before.

I usually drink my kegs quickly enough that it doesn't make too much of an impact. If I've got it to an acceptable carb level, I don't really notice it backing back down because it's doing it so slowly.

So in essence you're right, the other 2 would eventually go back down.. just slowly, and gradually.

Chriso said:

They do, gradually, let CO2 off into the headspace, which balances between the other two kegs. A check valve would prevent this from happening at first, but as pints are drawn from the two higher-pressure kegs, they eventually only hold 10psi instead of 15 psi or whatever they were at before.

I usually drink my kegs quickly enough that it doesn't make too much of an impact. If I've got it to an acceptable carb level, I don't really notice it backing back down because it's doing it so slowly.

So in essence you're right, the other 2 would eventually go back down.. just slowly, and gradually.

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Yes, so it's kind of a "jerry rigged" set up, but it works. In my case, I have only enough room for two kegs in my beer fridge. So, sometimes, when one kicks, I move the next one in and shut off the valve to the one still in the fridge. Then, I turn it up to 30 psi or so for a couple of days. I can still drink the first keg, and it stays carbed even with the valve off. If it starts to pour so too slowly, I just briefly open the valve a tiny bit to put enough co2 in to push it. When the second keg is carbed decently, I just purge and then put them both on 12 psi.

Now, I realize it's not ideal, but it works. I almost always have American ales on tap, though- or like now, an English IPA and an American Amber which are both carbed at the same psi. Next is my AB clone, and then an APA, and then a blonde. So, they are all good at the same carb level. Even for English Browns, I don't mind pulling a pint, and letting it sit a bit to warm up anyway.

Like I said tho - I just need to sit down and "get in the hardware mode" and rip my splitter apart. Then, a couple of SciPlus regulators and some fittings and gauges, and I've got a 5-hose 3-pressure-zone setup. Apfelwine will be sparkling as hell.

Chriso said:

Like I said tho - I just need to sit down and "get in the hardware mode" and rip my splitter apart. Then, a couple of SciPlus regulators and some fittings and gauges, and I've got a 5-hose 3-pressure-zone setup. Apfelwine will be sparkling as hell.

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Thanks for your help guys! Ya know you have me jones'n for some apfelwein now! And on tap I bet it is even tastier! I was thinking about using ale yeast this time, and now that I have kegs I can stop fermentation about 3/4 the way and keep some of that sweetness when I keg it. I was using splenda in bottles before.

-Apfelwine im guessing needs about 4 volumes of Co2? thats going to be fun to balance with the other 2 kegs when the day comes, hah.