Is there a "heres what you need to keg and the decisions you need to make" thread?

(NOOB) My brewing equipment plus empty and full bottles are taking up quite a bit of space in my basement, plus bottling is a pain in the ass, so I am in the very early steps of considering kegging.

A cursory look at my local craigslist this morning revealed multiple 5 gal kegs at $25 a pop, and 20lb CO2 tanks at $20...so I figure why not try to cobble together a kegging setup and just get a few components I can't source form local homebrewers instead of a $300 setup?

I've read through a bunch of threads and looked at some kits that have been linked, but still am not srue exactly just what components go into a kegging system. ANy advice?

 

You mean like the sticky right above this post called STICKY-Kegging Faqs?

No....

 

So far as decisions go, I would say the most important choice is ball-lock vs pin-lock. You don't want to mix the two if you can avoid it, as you end up needing twice as much hardware.

 

okok fair enough...I looked at the titles of said links and did not think they would be of value. Now I went and (gasp) clicked on them and see why they are so highly and stickily posted.

Anywho, say I begin with a basic tank, keg, regulator, quick connects(fittings) and gas/beer hoses.

When I want to move up to 2 kegs, will that require 2 of everything?...and how much less additinal stuff would I need if I wanted 2 kegs but was find with 1 pressure...or is that not possible?

Ball or post?

What fittings do I need?

I'm realizing I still can't take this step until I have a fridge, right?

So, I can't keg beer, or even use the keg as a secondary, until I have a fridge for when I begin carbonating?

 

Ball or pin lock is totally up to you. I see the availibilty or parts for each swing either direction but I have noticed ball lock parts are typically easily attainable.

However the big thing is that you want to make sure every keg is the same (Ball lock or Pin lock). That way all the fittings are interchangable.

I am looking at getting a few kegs even since I am not really considering going to kegging anytime soon. They offer a fantastic storage mechanism that doubles as a secondary vessel. So if I have any big beers I want to age a long time I can rack it to a keg for storage/secondary. Kegs are easier to move around than carboys and I can store them in closets or similar places where vertical space is not the limiting factor. A lot of people do this here and there are threads everywhere about using kegs in various stages of fermentation!

That is the extent of my kegging knowledge since I don't actually keg but I hope some of it is helpful!

 

If you start with a single regulator, and later want to go to 2 kegs, then you will need manifold or secondary regulator. Then more lines and a faucet. It it not that much of a problem to upgrade, but if you know you will go to two kegs, then I would get a dual regulator from the beginning. Then it is just lines and faucets to add, when you are ready.

 

Ball lock. Just personal preference. Never tried pin lock.

Dual regulator. A manifold is good but two pressures would be nice.

Yes you need a fridge for serving. You could technically carbonate warm. Really any old free top freezer fridge will work. You can fit five kegs in one of those easily. I use a side-by-side, which gives me four kegs and tons of shelves and drawers.

Trying to answer all the questions. You can easily secondary in a keg without a fridge. You may have to pull the pressure relief valve every now and then, but probably not so much in secondary, where you're not dropping gravity.

 

Whatever type of keg you start with, I would recommend purchasing disconnects that are flared, so that you can disassemble them for cleaning, as well as swap them around.

I have a LOT of kegs, and they are a good mix of pin lock and ball lock. I buy what is cheapest to get at the time, so I am not partial to either style. I like both types for different reasons, and I can work well with both types at this point.

and if you can get kegs for 25 a piece and 20# co2 tanks for 20 a piece, I would buy as many kegs as you can afford, and at least 2 of the 20# co2 tanks. You always want a spare. (I now have two 50# tanks, and around eight 20# tanks, plus a few smaller ones here and there, as well as over 100 kegs now).

Kegs used to be around 10 a piece, and I wish I had bought as many as I could, because recently I've had to pay around 30 a piece, which when you are buying four or more at a time, gets expensive really quickly. I expect the price to only go up from here too.

 

Thanks for the feedback. So it sounds like I can get kegs and tanks for relatively cheap used, I just need to do some quick craigslist answering and some cleaning.

I also am gathering that it's pretty unlikely I will be able to get my hands on a dual regulator and the disconnects I need used, I'll have to go ahead and buy those components online or from LHBS?