Pressure transfer/keg. Help

[mustardtiger]

Ive been kegging but now want to introduce pressure transfers to reduce oxygen exposer. My main question is how to gauge when the keg is full. I read somewhere I'll know when bubbles stop from blowoff on gas out post? Do I have to worry about beer flowing up into the gas out?

Also to get flow going do I need to undo the pressure relieve valve? I've seen some do this and others not. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[tjramsey]

I do it by weight. My pin lock corney kegs can hold just a bit over 40lbs.

So I first fill the destination keg with starsan solution; push it to another keg with CO2, then push from fermenter to the keg.

Yes, you want the gas open on the destination keg before hooking up the liquid line (Otherwise you'll just push gas into fermenter, ask me how I know ;-) ; I use a QD on the gas post to release the pressure, since I use pin locks and don't have a pressure relief valve.

 

[jwelch1103]

I too do this by weight. Using an appropriate scale and taring the empty keg with the QD laying on top, I stop transfer as the scale passes 40 Lbs net weight. Usually end up with a little over 41 Lbs in a 5 gallon cornie.

 

[OdeCloner]

Keep it simple!

Just attach a gas disconnect with a barb fitting. Attach some beverage tubing to barb, and put the end in a bucket. If beer comes shooting out the tube, you know it's full. Easy.

 

[Spartan1979]

Keep it simple!

Just attach a gas disconnect with a barb fitting. Attach some beverage tubing to barb, and put the end in a bucket. If beer comes shooting out the tube, you know it's full. Easy.

This is what I do also. I do drain off a little from the keg so the beer is below the gas tube.

 

[Jwin]

You don't even have to pressure transfer
Just starsan purge the keg and put your fermenter on the table. Pressurize the keg to a few psi so that when you connect the QD to the liquid out post, it purges the hose with co2(and squirts starsan btw). Connect purged hose to fermentor valve. Open valve. Connect gas in post with a hose and put that back into the fermentor. That way, gravity transfers the beer, the co2 exits the keg and goes back into the fermentor. You won't be wasting the co2 by filling the fermentor with it and dumping the kegged co2 into the atmosphere.
Now, this only works if you can lift the fermentor up. If we're talking a big conical, that would be a no go.
Also, you don't have to worry about overfilling the keg and having it dump out, because the beer won't travel up the hose.
Annnnd, if you are dealing with a beer with lots of particulate, you can remove the poppet from the liquid post and the spring and pin from the QD. It will settle in the keg in the cold.

 

[raysmithtx]

Keep it simple!

Just attach a gas disconnect with a barb fitting. Attach some beverage tubing to barb, and put the end in a bucket. If beer comes shooting out the tube, you know it's full. Easy.

I cut the gas tubes off flush inside so I can be sure to get ALL of the air out. Without cutting the tube there will still be some airspace above the bottom of the uncut (normal length) tube. I tilt the keg with the gas tube on top so any air moves that way and fill it with starsan mixture until the solution is coming out of the gas connection (with a barb and hose in a bucket). That way I'm sure to get just about all of the air out of the keg.