Keezer question- do I need a secondary regulator?

[fourfivesix]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some opinions. I am building a keezer that can handle 4 kegs, and I already bought a 4-way CO2 distributor to use. However, I was wondering if I'd need to splurge to get a 4-product secondary regulator instead of a plain distributor? If I wanted to run 3 or 4 kegs, would the lack of different pressure settings be a big issue?

 

[cbehr]

Depends what types of beer you drink and how important it is to have different pressures. I don't care too much about running different pressures and just use a standard distribution block. If you have several different styles of beer at once it may be worth adjusting each separately?

 

[AnOldUR]

Depends on the beers you plan to serve.

Carbonation Guidelines by Style
British Style Ales 1.5 - 2.0 volumes
Belgian Ales 1.9 - 2.4 volumes
American Ales and Lager 2.2 - 2.7 volumes
Fruit Lambic 3.0 - 4.5 volumes
Porter, Stout 1.7 - 2.3 volumes
European Lagers 2.2 - 2.7 volumes
Lambic 2.4 - 2.8 volumes
German Wheat Beer 3.3 - 4.5 volumes

 

[fourfivesix]

Yeah I figured, I'm usually an Ale and Lager drinker. If I ended up needing to, I have the space to get an extra 5lb CO2 tank to dispense a different style of beer without spending big $$ on a secondary regulator.

 

[ChemEng]

Need? No. But it's really a matter of opinion.

I like to have 2 separate regulators. I run one regulator at serving pressure (~10 lbs at 38 degf) with a manifold.

I dedicate the second regulator to force carbonating and CO2 purging tasks.

In my opinion having one regulator for each keg is overkill unless you like serving your beers at different CO2 volumes.

 

[fourfivesix]

Need? No. But it's really a matter of opinion.

I like to have 2 separate regulators. I run one regulator at serving pressure (~10 lbs at 38 degf) with a manifold.

I dedicate the second regulator to force carbonating and CO2 purging tasks.

In my opinion having one regulator for each keg is overkill unless you like serving your beers at different CO2 volumes.

That's a good system, I might just do that. I originally wasn't even considering getting a secondary regulator, but a guy at my local shop was trying to convince me I needed one. I think I'll stick with the plain distributor and just find a solid set CO2 volume. Thanks!

 

[AnOldUR]

That's a good system, I might just do that.

This is the same thing that I do, although the higher regulator (30PSI) is also split off for on demand seltzer water. My beer fridge has a four way manifold that is set for about 2.3 volumes.

 

[Oberon]

Need? No. But it's really a matter of opinion.

I like to have 2 separate regulators. I run one regulator at serving pressure (~10 lbs at 38 degf) with a manifold.

I dedicate the second regulator to force carbonating and CO2 purging tasks.

In my opinion having one regulator for each keg is overkill unless you like serving your beers at different CO2 volumes.

I have two regulators for four taps. So far I've used the extra regulator to force carb a cider then cranked it down to about 8 psi. I have sparkling water on tap at the moment because I haven't brewed in a while but didn't think about cranking up the pressure for that.

I think two regulators is a good compromise and should cover 90% of your pressurization wants.

 

[Jaymex98]

Not a sales pitch...

I was fairly happy with a primary regulator and a 4 way distributor. I didn't know about secondary regulators until I looked at beverage.com. Before Xmas, they had a 4-secondary regulator set-up for less than $100. I had no idea how much flexibility I was missing... Put it on your Xmas list for next time.