New to using a keg

[Elmo Peach]

Recently I bought a "kegerator" from an online used goods sight. It is a small fridge witha tap in the door. It came with a 5 lb CO2 tank , a corny keg, beer facet ,and regulator for $ 350CND($290 US) the tank as half full of CO2 and the HBS guy said and wait unit it was empty to fill it. I am finishing my second keg of beer with this system so not sure how much CO2 is left in the tank.

I bought a bottle of beer gas, from the same online site not the same guy that I got the kegerator from, thinking it was cO2 . It was not. I now have an adapter for the CO2 regulator to fit the beer gas tank. My beer is under pressure from the CO2. Can I hook the Beer Gas tankup to the corny keg that is under pressure or do I need to relase old CO2 when I hook up beer gas. Should I get the Corny keg lid witht the ball lock, lin and air stone for the CO2. I bought a Nuka tap set up for Nitro so just trying to figure out what to do next.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Is you beer currently fully carbonated?
If so, if you hook up the beer gas and install the stout faucet, the beer will be very foamy.
The beer gas should be set at 30-35 psi.
For the stout faucet to work properly the beer needs to be carbonated at 1.2-1.4 volumes, (low carbonation, kinda half way carbonated or mostly flat)

 

[IslandLizard]

Also, read up on "beer gas" (a mixture of around 70-80% N2 and 30-20% CO2) vs. 100% CO2.

 

[Elmo Peach]

I think I will keep beer gas untio I make a stout Thanks

 

[nwhall3]

I think I will keep beer gas untio I make a stout Thanks

Definitely wise; as others have pointed out, pushing a fully carbonated beer through a nitro tap would be foam city.

The only thing I'd add is that there are multiple mixes of beer gas. Beer gas that's meant just for pushing beer through longer tap lines is usually 60% CO2 / 40% N (this can push at higher PSI through longer lines without overcarbing the beer), whereas beer gas meant to push nitrogenated beers is usually 25-30% CO2 / 70-75% N.

For pushing through a nitro tap with a restrictor plate, you'll really need the latter. As others have mentioned, you'd have to carb to a lower level (@Dr_Jeff's recommendation seems good, though I've seen as high as 1.8 volumes), Then put on the 25/75 beer gas mix under high pressure. There are multiple ways to do this, so search the forums when you come to that point and you'll find plenty of advice.

Prost!