keezer research after long hiatus

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twd000

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After moving cross-country (Arizona to New Hampshire) and settling in, I'm getting the itch to brew and keg again. I kept my electric all-grain setup but sold my side-by-side fermentation-chamber/kegerator before leaving. It was a good project and kept me in fresh draft beer, but now that I have more space including a basement, I think dedicated units are the right answer. I assume there haven't been any breakthroughs allowing us to ferment and serve from the same chest freezer? I guess I'll look into a small upright freezer or dorm fridge for controlling fermentation temperatures.

I'm looking for a new ~7 cubic foot chest freezer, any current deals out there? Hoping to hold 3 kegs on tap, plus two more conditioning. I'd like to fit a 10 lb CO2 tank on the compressor hump.

I had pin-locks in my side-by-side since they were skinnier. Thinking about switching to ball locks. Are they still the most common ones on the used market? I'm seeing $75 for a used ball-lock! Serious inflation since I built my last system. Who's got the best deal on 6 used kegs shipped?

Looks like I bought my kit from kegconnection.com -are they still the best game in town? I see AIH has some kits as well. I like the kit just to ensure I don't forget any fittings.

I had Perlick 525PC taps on my last system and loved them. Now I'm reading great reviews on the 650SS. I understand they let you serve at different pressure without adjusting line length? Does it also replace a counter-pressure filler for filling growlers and individual bottles?

Thinking about going with a dual-body regulator with a three-way manifold. Hoping this will cover most contingencies for a three-tap serving system. Since all the kegs will be held at 40F, what range of carbonation volumes can I achieve? Is the dual-body a waste of $50, or do you guys really adjust by style?

I put BevSeal lines on my old system; I remember it was a PITA to fit them over the hose barbs, but trouble-free performance after that. It that still the way to go?


Sorry for all the rapid-fire questions, but it's been awhile and I'm hoping the brain trust here can help guide my research :mug:
 
[...] I assume there haven't been any breakthroughs allowing us to ferment and serve from the same chest freezer?

That'd be pushing the bounds of practical, so I'd go with "No".

I'm looking for a new ~7 cubic foot chest freezer, any current deals out there? Hoping to hold 3 kegs on tap, plus two more conditioning. I'd like to fit a 10 lb CO2 tank on the compressor hump.

Probably not going to happen. Check out this post.

I had pin-locks in my side-by-side since they were skinnier. Thinking about switching to ball locks. Are they still the most common ones on the used market?

Ball lock kegs are actually skinnier than pin locks, by about a 1/2"d.

I put BevSeal lines on my old system; I remember it was a PITA to fit them over the hose barbs, but trouble-free performance after that. It that still the way to go?

Use John Guest fittings at each end of that tubing. Easy peasy.

Cheers!
 
Id start here...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=377518

I think 5 kegs and co2 tank is going to be petty much impossible at 7cu ft but I certainly wish you luck.

You're right. Since I'm only serving three, I would be happy to lager one additional ball lock keg, instead of two. I see several 7 cubic foot freezer that would accommodate four ball locks plug a 10# CO2 tank. That would work for me.
 
After moving cross-country (Arizona to New Hampshire) and settling in, I'm getting the itch to brew and keg again. I kept my electric all-grain setup but sold my side-by-side fermentation-chamber/kegerator before leaving. It was a good project and kept me in fresh draft beer, but now that I have more space including a basement, I think dedicated units are the right answer. I assume there haven't been any breakthroughs allowing us to ferment and serve from the same chest freezer? I guess I'll look into a small upright freezer or dorm fridge for controlling fermentation temperatures.

I'm looking for a new ~7 cubic foot chest freezer, any current deals out there? Hoping to hold 3 kegs on tap, plus two more conditioning. I'd like to fit a 10 lb CO2 tank on the compressor hump.

I had pin-locks in my side-by-side since they were skinnier. Thinking about switching to ball locks. Are they still the most common ones on the used market? I'm seeing $75 for a used ball-lock! Serious inflation since I built my last system. Who's got the best deal on 6 used kegs shipped?

Looks like I bought my kit from kegconnection.com -are they still the best game in town? I see AIH has some kits as well. I like the kit just to ensure I don't forget any fittings.

I had Perlick 525PC taps on my last system and loved them. Now I'm reading great reviews on the 650SS. I understand they let you serve at different pressure without adjusting line length? Does it also replace a counter-pressure filler for filling growlers and individual bottles?

Thinking about going with a dual-body regulator with a three-way manifold. Hoping this will cover most contingencies for a three-tap serving system. Since all the kegs will be held at 40F, what range of carbonation volumes can I achieve? Is the dual-body a waste of $50, or do you guys really adjust by style?

I put BevSeal lines on my old system; I remember it was a PITA to fit them over the hose barbs, but trouble-free performance after that. It that still the way to go?


Sorry for all the rapid-fire questions, but it's been awhile and I'm hoping the brain trust here can help guide my research :mug:

I have a 7.2cuft and I get a 10# CO2 (hump) and 4 kegs in there, dual body regulator, 4-way manifold. I think the collar is 8".

Yes, get that dual body. Not only can you carb beers differently, but it will allow you to do soda or tonic water, which is carbed ~35psi.

Those 650ss look awesome. I have 525ss but would like to switch someday to reduce the amount of beer line in my keezer.

You should seriously consider staying with the bevseal and using John Guest fittings. No barbs to deal with. Make sure to get shanks without the integrated barb if you go this route. Very clean and simple assembly for your keezer. Push-fit from the shank to the keg disconnect. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=405112
 
You're right. Since I'm only serving three, I would be happy to lager one additional ball lock keg, instead of two. I see several 7 cubic foot freezer that would accommodate four ball locks plug a 10# CO2 tank. That would work for me.

Like everything else in this hobby there are lots of ways to do things. I think 5lb Co2 tanks are the most common so you could consider that to save space. Also, I started with my tank/regulator inside but moved it outside on a small platform in back. I like it outside much better and I serve 4 kegs with a 5th inside conditioning in a 7cu ft with 1x10 collar
 
After further deliberation, I'm going to do my build in a bottom-freezer refrigerator, instead of a chest freezer.

We need a spare freezer for the kitchen
I like having the taps at chest-level
I like not having to hoist kegs over the lip of the chest freezer
Less floor-space/footprint
No need for an STC-1000 or Ranco, just dial in the fridge to hold 38 F

Trying to figure out all the transitions and fittings I need. Is "push to connect" the same thing as a John Guest fitting? is it a brand name? Maybe I'll just buy a bunch of the John Guest fittings and return what I don't use
 
I'm reading up on the Perlick 650ss taps, and I see this warning

PLEASE NOTE THIS FAUCET IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR LOW pH BEVERAGES SUCH AS HARD CIDERS, WINE, KOMBUCHA, OR SOUR BEERS

If this is true, these taps won't work for me. Has this issue been resolved? I see some conjecture online, and same retailers post the warning, while others do not
 
all the CO2 regulators and manifolds I'm seeing terminate in barbs. Do I need another adapter to convert from the barb to John Guest? is it really possible to build a system from end-to-end without any barb fittings?
 
also is there any benefit to standardizing fittings to John Guest on the gas side as well as liquid, or just stick with the cheaper barbs on that side, and use John Guest on the beer side only?
 
I'm reading up on the Perlick 650ss taps, and I see this warning

PLEASE NOTE THIS FAUCET IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR LOW pH BEVERAGES SUCH AS HARD CIDERS, WINE, KOMBUCHA, OR SOUR BEERS

If this is true, these taps won't work for me. Has this issue been resolved? I see some conjecture online, and same retailers post the warning, while others do not

There's a thread or two extant on this topic. It has affected some, others not so much.

all the CO2 regulators and manifolds I'm seeing terminate in barbs. Do I need another adapter to convert from the barb to John Guest? is it really possible to build a system from end-to-end without any barb fittings?

Look more. Regulators and manifolds are available with 1/4" MFL fittings.
At that point, the answer could easily be "Yes".


also is there any benefit to standardizing fittings to John Guest on the gas side as well as liquid, or just stick with the cheaper barbs on that side, and use John Guest on the beer side only?

I like 1/4" MFL fittings on my gas systems to swivel nuts and barbs with pliable gas tubing. It's not the same problem as fitting up BevSeal Ultra which can be a ***** to get over barbs (hence the popularity of the JG fittings in that application).

I wouldn't spend the money for those on the gas side...

Cheers!
 
what line length should I be looking at with the 650SS taps? I found some leftover Accuflex and may not need to buy a whole new roll
 
what line length should I be looking at with the 650SS taps? I found some leftover Accuflex and may not need to buy a whole new roll

Good question. I've got 12' on my taps, but I'm using 630SS at about 8psi serving pressure. I'm not sure about with the 650SS. I've read people start with about a 20' length per tap, and then you can easily cut it back if it's too long to dial in your pour. But of course you can't really add to it if you start too short in the first place.
 
OK, I got my bottom-freezer fridge on Craigslist this weekend. Looks like I can fit 4 kegs in there plus CO2 bottle.

I also have a partial order of fittings.

I bought this 5/16 x 5/8 BSPP (Shank Connector) Push To Connect to connect the shank http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/5-16-x-5-8-bspp-shank-connector-push-to-connect/

So if I buy Perlick 650ss faucets, which shank do I need? 5" should be long enough to get me through the door with plenty extra for fittings. Is this the shank I want? http://www.homebrewing.org/5-18-Shank-for-Faucet-_p_949.html
Will it fit that push connector? I assume I want to match the 3/16" inner bore to the 3/16" inner diameter of the Bevseal hose?
 
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