Cornie Carb-0-Lid

[Bobby_M]

Is wiki wrong?

Carbonic acid (ancient name acid of air or aerial acid) has the formula H2CO3. It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water, which contain small amounts of H2CO3.

Another interesting tidbit lower down is:

* For a CO2 pressure typical of the one in soda drinks bottles (\scriptstyle P_{CO_2} ~ 2.5 atm), we get a relatively acid medium (pH = 3.7) with a high concentration of dissolved CO2. These features contribute to the sour and sparkling taste of these drinks.

* Between 2.5 and 10 atm, the pH crosses the pKa1 value (3.60) giving a dominant H2CO3 concentration (with respect to HCO3&#8722 at high pressures.

It sounds like the higher pressures used for burst carbing does cause a higher percentage of carbonic acid to form. It will take a little bit of time for it to equilibrate back to the new lower pressure that you set it to. Olllllo suggested a day or so. I think it's accurate enough.

 

[Clayton]

ALL CO2 in solution in water is carbonic acid
it has nothing to do with speed.

 

[Bobby_M]

You keep making that statement and adding underlining to assert its truth without providing some reference or at least explaining why you're so sure.

I freely admit that I have no chemistry background and reading out of context can be dangerous. With that disclosure, I'm reading Understanding Acid-base By Benjamin Abelow, Abelow. Page 45:

"When Co2 dissolves in water, it reacts chemically with water molecules forming bicarbonate and protons, with carbonic acid acting as an intermediary. It is important to recognize, however, that only a small fraction of the dissolved CO2 reacts in this way. the rest remains just as it was, as dissolved CO2."

Am I reading this out of context. Help me understand if you know.

Practical application? My beer tastes decent prior to carbing even though it's green. After a week on gas, it is horrible. After another week, it's back to good again.

 

[The Pol]

I have a great idea... Relax, Dont Worry, Have a Homebrew. I "SHOCK" carbonate my beer and have never noticed anything odd with the carb level or flavor. Then again, I am a simpleton.

Leave the rocket science to rocket scientists, they need something to do when they arent getting laid... do you?

POL

 

[GNBrews]

Brewpastor,

Can you tell us again what fittings you used to put this thing together? I noticed that you put the threaded end of the hose-barb adapter up inside that other fitting. Did you NPT thread the inside of that other fitting, or do you have the threads of the hose-bard adapter built-up with enough teflon tape that you just used a tight press-fit?

 

[uwjester]

Brewpastor,

Can you tell us again what fittings you used to put this thing together? I noticed that you put the threaded end of the hose-barb adapter up inside that other fitting. Did you NPT thread the inside of that other fitting, or do you have the threads of the hose-bard adapter built-up with enough teflon tape that you just used a tight press-fit?

I found one that was threaded on the inside as well as the outside. The barbed adaptor will screw into the inside.

Also, when I tried to build this, it seems like nothing is really holding the poppit in place and it can drop down. Did I miss a piece? I'm wondering if the poppit is even necessary since that could be used to relieve pressure when you want to take the carb-o-lid off.

Thanks

 

[slimer]

Maybe use a lock nut on the inside?

And Brewpastor, can you give a general parts list?

Poppet
Diffuser Stone
Fittings...

 

[MrNate]

Yeah, I'm very interested in knowing what off-the-shelf brass fitting a QD post threads onto.

 

[GNBrews]

I did d bit of searching last night. It seems that a 37º (NOT 45º) flare adapter for 3/8 tube size is the right 9/16-18 thread that most kegs (Firestone V Challenger, Firestone VI Challenger, Firestone Super Challenger) use on the posts. The flare type is also known as JIC in hydraulic fittings (look for JIC#6).

McMaster part #:

Flare to NPT (male) adapter
Brass - 50675K164 ($2.76)
Stainless - 50715K164 ($8.84)

Hose barb fitting (1/4" tubing) - female (local hardware store probably has a better deal, and you can buy one)

Brass - 5346K52 ($8.20/5)


OR

Flare to NPT (female) adapter
Brass - 50675K174 ($5.18)
Stainless - 50715K174 ($15.87)

Hose barb fitting (1/4" tubing) - male
Nylon - 5228K23 ($5.95/10)
Aluminum - 5357K33 ($3.98)
Stainless - 5361K33 ($9.76)

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I plan to make all of my corny lids a dry hop lid. I think that is genius. Basically weld a tab to the inside to tie a bag to. No more futzing with bringing the string throu the seal.

 

[HenryHill]

There's just one thing I haven't seen mentioned by anyone.

When the beer is carbed the next day, having foregone the pressure relief feature, (all mine are manual + auto) how do you release pressure to swap to a standard lid?

Push in a poppet?

 

[BrewBeemer]

There's just one thing I haven't seen mentioned by anyone.

When the beer is carbed the next day, having foregone the pressure relief feature, (all mine are manual + auto) how do you release pressure to swap to a standard lid?

Push in a poppet?

Make darn sure it's the gas in and not the liquid out poppet on the corny.
This is not as bad as depressurizing a keg of very stale bier before
removing the spear out. You only do this mistake once.

 

[hafmpty]

I realize this is an OLD thread to revive, but...oh well. Anyway, I was thinking about another solution. Rather than installing through the pressure relief valve, wouldn't it be easier to just drill a hole and install a hose barb with an appropriately sized O-ring on each side and then tighten the CO2 inlet down onto that? Sort of like the weldless bulkheads that people are installing on their kettles? Anybody try that method? Do you have a parts list? Thanks!

 

[wailingguitar]

I just put the hose on the gas dip tube. Simple and to the point. Whole thing costs about $17 and takes seconds to installs

 

[hafmpty]

I just put the hose on the gas dip tube. Simple and to the point. Whole thing costs about $17 and takes seconds to installs

Do you have a picture?

 

[fright101]

Amazing coincidence..I built one of these a few days ago. I had or still do have a large selection of stainless fittings that my employer was going to throw out, so I got them. I tig welded my fitting into a spare lid that has a 1/4 mst on one end and 1/8 fpt on the other after I tapped it anyway..I have yet to test it, but the goal was for kegging this weekend.
I will see if I cannot get some pics in the next day or two.

 

[wailingguitar]

Do you have a picture?

No, didn't take pics when I did it and all the kegs have beer in them, so I can't right now!

It isn't hard to imagine though... I used this stone:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_352&products_id=10511

Get a piece of clear tubing such as you would use for your CO2 lines. You want aprox 24" so that it is long enough to reach the bottom of the corny. Slip the stone into one end of it, the other end goes over the gas dip tube inside the keg. That's it. You can put stainless hose clamps on it to secure the hose to the stone and the dip tube but it isn't really necessary in most cases. I have one keg that has an old-style, plastic gas IN tube that is a smaller diameter, the hose tends to slip off it sometimes so I put a clamp on that end just to be safe.

The carbing instructions that AHS give in their description didn't work for me the first go 'round, and I haven't tried their method since. I know that it SHOULD work, it isn't far off from the method I have used in multiple commercial breweries that had carb stones in the bbts. It is possible that I did something wrong when I was trying it, but since I am a creature of simplicity (KISS method and all that) I haven't tried it again. Basically, "set it and forget it" works great with this. If the beer is cold, 48 hours or so at serving pressure does the trick.