Almost There

[QsnotPs]

I just purchased:
1. Holiday 5 cu. ft freezer from lowes $117 delivered, still should have purchased the bigger one.
2. Johnson A419 external thermostat. $55 ebay
3. 5 lb. co2 tank, regulator, gauges (I'm not sure how to interpret them yet), taps,lines, 6-1.5 litre wine bottles, 12 beer bottles, sanitizer, bottle brushes, drip tray, brew heat pad, and probably a few other small things. $45 auction
4. 5 gallon carboy (should have gotten the 6.5), 3 gallon carboy (for wine), brewer's best vienna lager kit (want to start simple). $98 BIY Home Brew Supply in Marion, IA.
5. I'm going to be getting a 22 qt. SS pot from walmart, it has the tri clad bottom and it's only 59.95, comes with a lid too.


So what I'm wondering...
1. The instructions on the brew kit say to use a 6.5 gallon carboy.....will my 5 gallon work, or do I need to get the bigger one?
2. Why does my Co2 tank have 2 gauges....and how do I read them?
3. How do I clean the lines from the Co2 tank to the tap?
4. How do I get replacement rubber gaskets for the line going from the keg to the tap?
5. Any other thoughts?

-After spending this much money, time, and 6 more weeks waiting for this to ferment i want to get everything right.
F.Y.I. I have a laser thermometer, and a meat thermometer, both of which work extremely well.

Thank you for any input, this is something i want to get as perfect as possible, i've been studying this for several months now, and it's almost go time.

 

[BrewThruYou]

If you are doing a 5G batch, you'll need something bigger than 5G for primary fermentation. 6.5G carboy or bucket is usually recommended. I think some people use 6G, but be wary unless you are using Fermcap-S (an anti-foaming agent).

Co2 gauges measure pressure in the tank (high pressure gauge) and output pressure (low pressure gauge). You can pretty much ignore the high pressure gauge. The low pressure gauge will determine pressure applied to the keg. You can consult some charts for proper carbonation depending on style and temperature.

The lines will not be going from the co2 tank to the tap...the co2 tank line connects to the keg and there's another "beer line" usually 3/16" that connects the keg to the tap. For the latter, there's BLC (beer line cleaner). Some people use PBW (powdered brewery wash) or oxyfree (perfume and dye free oxyclean).

What rubber gaskets are you referring to? If you are referring to the o-rings in the keg posts, then check your LHBS, an online HBS, or McMaster-Carr (there's a sticky with the right sizing).

 

[QsnotPs]

ok, i'll get the 6.5 gallon carboy.

makes sense on the gauges.

What I meant by taps is one on the keg, and a dispenser (miller high life:-(

The rubber gaskets are the ones that go on the keg tap, but also the one on the long threaded part of the dispenser tap which connects the line from the keg.