Follow-up on Kegland Inline Regulators

[Clint Yeastwood]

I stuck three Kegland inline regulators in my second keezer instead of getting a three-body secondary, and now that I've used them, my conclusion is that it's better to go with a full-size secondary from a good company unless you really need very small regulators or just can't afford a big one.

As someone else here has said, adjusting these things is difficult. The gauges are tiny, and the pressure graduations start at what appears to be 6.7 psi, not zero. You get 6 graduations for each 10 pounds of pressure, which is weird. With a Taprite or C.M. Becker or any other big regulator, you can set the pressure with pretty good confidence and no microscope.

You could plumb a big pressure gauge into each regulator, but then you're adding junk and expense.

I would use these in a box where space was a very big problem. They seem to work fine. The problem is the difficulty of using them. If you have space and money, big dials are the way to go.

You may wonder why I'm not happy with these when I'm very happy with Kegland spunding valves. The spunding valves read from 0 to 15 psi, with graduations big enough to read easily with reading glasses. Also, spunding is not a precise operation. The regulators go to about 65 psi, with dials the same size. That means everything is much, much smaller.

Kegland offers these in 60 psi and 150psi models. I think 20 psi or 25 psi would be more useful. Who dispenses beer at 60 psi? You can force-carb at 30.

I looked at Kegland's small pressure gauges, which seem to be the right size to go in their regulators. It doesn't like like they will work, and buying them would push the expense of inline regulators up considerably.

 

[Yesfan]

I stuck three Kegland inline regulators in my second keezer instead of getting a three-body secondary, and now that I've used them, my conclusion is that it's better to go with a full-size secondary from a good company unless you really need very small regulators or just can't afford a big one.

As someone else here has said, adjusting these things is difficult. The gauges are tiny, and the pressure graduations start at what appears to be 6.7 psi, not zero. You get 6 graduations for each 10 pounds of pressure, which is weird. With a Taprite or C.M. Becker or any other big regulator, you can set the pressure with pretty good confidence and no microscope.

You could plumb a big pressure gauge into each regulator, but then you're adding junk and expense.

I would use these in a box where space was a very big problem. They seem to work fine. The problem is the difficulty of using them. If you have space and money, big dials are the way to go.

You may wonder why I'm not happy with these when I'm very happy with Kegland spunding valves. The spunding valves read from 0 to 15 psi, with graduations big enough to read easily with reading glasses. Also, spunding is not a precise operation. The regulators go to about 65 psi, with dials the same size. That means everything is much, much smaller.

Kegland offers these in 60 psi and 150psi models. I think 20 psi or 25 psi would be more useful. Who dispenses beer at 60 psi? You can force-carb at 30.

I looked at Kegland's small pressure gauges, which seem to be the right size to go in their regulators. It doesn't like like they will work, and buying them would push the expense of inline regulators up considerably.

I know, you've already replaced these with the Taprite, but aren't the gauges replaceable on the those just like with the red spunding valves? These are the white valves, correct?

I ask, because these valves seem like a cheap way to have individual dialed in pressures.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I don't know whether the dials made for the spunding valves will work with regulators. I decided not to fool with it. I didn't want to sink more money into them. You can always ask Kegland.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes there are several gauges you can swap in. 0 to 15 analog and there is also a digital.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

It looks like you're talking about $80+ for three regulators plus new gauges plus fittings, depending on your source and how you configure things. Kegland says the cheap gauges are only accurate to within 10%, so maybe you would also need a fourth gauge to calibrate them. You could find yourself wandering up over the $100 mark, which puts you close to Taprite and other companies, especially on Ebay.

I can't find any directions for changing Kegland gauges. When you remove the crystals, you are confronted with flimsy bare dials and no obvious means of pulling them out.

Some guy on Ebay is selling a used 3-body Taprite plus a primary for $120, shipped. When ingredients for a batch can top $50, that doesn't sound bad.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I fiddled around with two of these things (regulator and Blowtie), and it turns out you have to pull on the dial to get the gauge out. You just have to hope it comes out before you bend anything. One of mine really did not want to move. I think keg lube or Super Lube would be a good thing to use on the O-rings.

 

[cfrazier77]

They work much better with the digital gauge replacement. I use one bitter an in line pressure reduced for one of my taps, for British style beers.

 

[Graham H]

I fiddled around with two of these things (regulator and Blowtie), and it turns out you have to pull on the dial to get the gauge out. You just have to hope it comes out before you bend anything. One of mine really did not want to move. I think keg lube or Super Lube would be a good thing to use on the O-rings.

I don’t recommend applying pressure to the dial face (push or pull). After you remove the dial cover, you should be able to see the mounting holes in the base of the pressure gauge. If you catch these with thin, rigid hook, you can work the gauge out of the casing. Easy? No, but doable.
Probably a smart plan is to figure out what pressure rating you want and only switch it once. I say this as an owner who has swapped them out a few times and might be doing so again (I said the plan might be smart; never claimed I was).