Best beginner kegging system for around $200.

[Jmac]

The taprite regulator is better than the one from Midwest because it is of higher quality, correct? Seems like a few people have had issues with the Midwest regulators.

I read the same thing so that is why I went with the keg connection regulator.. the one I upgraded to did add a bit to the final price but I can carb and serve with the one regulator.

Here is the regulator I got..

4) CO2 Beer Regulator, Dual Body, Three Gauge, Taprite Brand


But the Midwest regulator is a dual-gauge, so you can force carb and serve 2 seperate tanks at the same time. Jmac, you said you upgraded to a dual-gauge Taprite regulator. Is this the option that would be a $30 increase? Do you feel that it was worth the price jump?

Yes, I can carb and server at same time. Is it worth the price.. not sure.. I am new to this and have not used it yet..plus in the past I have always taken the cheaper route and hated my decision later.. I was aiming for $200 and ended up spending 285...



Why would you remove the manifold? I guess cause it's only required if you have a single gauge regulator? Did you have to specifically ask them to deduct this from the price when you upgraded to the dual-gauge?

Yes I called kegconnection to modify the kit. I removed the manifold to save money and since I upgraded the regulator I didnt need it. I could use it now to sever or carb more kegs as I just bought 4 more kegs... willl have to wait awhile to let the wife forget how much money I have spent on this hobby...lol

I copied my kegconnection quote in here but formatting is bad.. I hope you can understand it..


So basically I removed the single regulator and manifold so I could upgrade to the better dual gauge regulator for an extra 20-30 dollars..




HK120
1 2 Keg Basic Keg Kit, Dispenses two kegs at once! (Separate Check Valves!)
208.95
208.95T
RG000
-1 CO2 Beer Regulator,Taprite. Quick Adjust, Double Gauge, 5/16 Barb, High Pressure
50.95
-50.95T
(Use with manifold)
AD402
-1 Air Distributor/Manifold, 2-Way with 5/16 check valves
21.95
-21.95T
RG022
1 Dual Body Taprite CO2 Beer Regulator, Quick Adjust, Double Gauge, 5/16 Check Valve,
98.95
98.95T
High Pressure
KP205
1 O-ring Lubricant, Food Grade
3.95
3.95T
CL101
1 PBW, 1 LB Jar
6.95
6.95T
Shipping
1 Shipping Charge
15.98
15.98T
Sales Tax
8.25%
21.61


Total $283.49

Take out the pbw, lube, taxes and it would be a little less.. You dont have to pay taxes if you are from out of state right? I hate taxes!!

 

[Dagatris]

So then adding the dual gauge and keeping the manifold would allow you to carb one keg, and set 2 others up at serving pressure (assuming you had enough kegs)? Or you could serve one keg, and have 2 carbing?

 

[Jmac]

Yep, you got it right!! I will probabably do this down the road but will get a manifold that let's me serve more kegs...Maybe 3 or 4kegs.. But for now - have to fill the ones I have with beer and wait for the wife to allow me to spend more money.. Lol

 

[Edcculus]

I'd like to bump this thread even though its a little old. I was looking for the exact parameters (kegging setup for around $200). This thread had everything I needed. Thanks for doing the leg work for me!

I just emailed Keg Connection about modifying the basic kit to include the dual regulator, excluding the manifold and possibly excluding the tank. Hopefully I'll have a kegging setup by this weekend!

 

[Cincy_Ron]

Good info thread. I just ordered about the same thing Edcculus mentions in the post above me from Keg Connections. Went with the 2 keg, upgraded to dual body taprite, kept the manifold, dropped the co2 tank. Also bought some gasket lube and keg cleaner that the guy recommended. With shipping it came in at $180.66. I'm going to pick up a co2 tank locally (5#) and refills on it are $7. Looking forward to a couple of corny kegs in the fridge and not having to bottle up my homebrew!

 

[Brocster]

I have the Midwest dual reg set up and it has worked fine for me.

same...no problems and it has been working great.

 

[Cincy_Ron]

Well, I received my kit from Keg Connections today. I'm a little disappointed in two areas. First, I clearly stated that I wanted the dual regulator. I wrote it down here in a notepad I keep next to the computer, the guy read it back to me, I even posted it here right after the order. We discussed being able to dispense two kegs while force carbing a third. As you can see they just sent the single reg. I also called back within minutes of placing this order (got voicemail this time) to add some Star San. Never heard back from them and they had plenty of time to add it as they didn't ship until the next afternoon.

Anyway... I would have caught it if I knew what the dual tap regulators were going for and what the total SHOULD have been, but this has all been new to me. I'll probably just go with this for now and possibly upgrade the reg down the road. Need to get these corny kegs cleaned up and get some beer in them!

 

[KegconnectionLLC]

Sorry for not making your order with the components you intended to include! If you are still interested in using a dual body, please call us, email, or PM me and we can charge you the difference between the regulators but shipping would be on us. We can also add your Star San at that time with no additional shipping charges. Please let me know if there is anything we can do for you!

Joshua

 

[Cincy_Ron]

Sorry for not making your order with the components you intended to include! If you are still interested in using a dual body, please call us, email, or PM me and we can charge you the difference between the regulators but shipping would be on us. We can also add your Star San at that time with no additional shipping charges. Please let me know if there is anything we can do for you!

Joshua

Joshua, that's awesome! Didn't realize you guys were on here and appreciate the good customer service. I'll shoot you a PM about the dual body. It might actually not be worth the hassle, shipping, and all that...

Ron

 

[jimba009]

MAN, am i glad i found this thread. You will probably have an order from me soon joshua.

 

[CBBaron]

Just for anybody reading this thread. I believe everyone here is looking at dual "body" regulators. These are actually 2 regulators connected to the same tank that can be set at different pressures.
Dual "gage" regulators have a gage on the output and a gage on the tank side but are usually only a single regulator with a single pressure.

The Dual "body' regulators are useful if you want to serve soda and beer, or want to quick carb a beer under high pressure while serving a second, or if you just want your English ale to have a low carbonation while your light lager or Belgian is higher.

I really need to get myself a kegging system But need to pay off some bills first.

Craig

 

[Arkador]

I think at the $200 mark You are only going to get the single regulator setup for 2kegs from Kegconnection.

Midwest has the kit for $200 with a dual body regulator. They are not quite the same quality as the Taprite regulators KC sells, but they work well.

 

[Cincy_Ron]

If you drop the CO2 tank (-59.95) you can upgrade to the dual regulator and be around $180 if I did my math right. That's for the dual keg basic kit at Keg Connections.

I went down to a local party supply and you can get a 5# tank "rental" for $40 with $12 refills. So out the door initially for $52. I quote the rental part because they don't take your name or fill out any forms, you just walk out with the tank. If you decide to return it you get your $40 back. In fact, if someone gave you a tank, I don't see why you couldn't just walk in, say it was a return, and get the money.

Anyway, I found another place that will refill for $7 so that'll save me $5 each time...

 

[PBsherry]

It would appear that the guys at KegConnection.com are listening and responding to people's desires - they now offer easy to select options online for their "2 Keg Basic Keg Kit."

You can select CO2 tank size, or CO2 tank and/or kegs removed OR add an upgraded regulator: "Dual Body Regulator Upgrade-two bodies-2 pressures" to the kit for $30 more. That's the set-up I'm buying!

This thread has been really helpful to me in my quest for good info. Thanks everyone!

 

[HopTrap]

As a note on the Midwest Dual body two keg kit for $199. I bought it about a month ago and have yet to have a single issue with the regulators or any other part for that matter. They actually seem very heavy duty, they are well put together, the kegs were very clean and holding pressure, and no leaks in the system. Also got from MW to VA in two days so you gotta love that.

 

[Arkador]

As a note on the Midwest Dual body two keg kit for $199. I bought it about a month ago and have yet to have a single issue with the regulators or any other part for that matter. They actually seem very heavy duty, they are well put together, the kegs were very clean and holding pressure, and no leaks in the system. Also got from MW to VA in two days so you gotta love that.

Mine has been flawless for over 2 months now. Drained 3 kegs already, and 4-7 are in there now, still on my first tank. I'd recomend the Midwest Brewlogic Dualdraft in a heartbeat.

 

[Synovia]

Ordered from Midwest friday night. Same kit (dual double, etc). Also ordered 2 4-packs from chi-company.

Yeah, I'll probably be in trouble when they show up.

 

[rcm_rx7]

Just got my Midwest kit two days ago. I'm force carbing my first beer right now, should be ready tomorrow night. I'm impressed with the setup. I can tell the regulator isn't of the highest quality, but it works great so I can't complain. Both kegs seal up very well, but both were slightly dented.

My only reason for going with Midwest was the dual regulators for $199. All in all I would recommend the setup in a heartbeat.

 

[BillyVegas]

So- new to kegging... so bear with me here.

I plan on getting 405 Corneys from a friend who can get them for $20 in good condition... so... I got that going for me.

I plan on having 2 kegs in my fridge at a time... and I'm thinking I'd like to have one coming off the regulator Force Carbing and one for Serving at a time... So... this brings me to regulators...

Option 1
Option 2

So, first I suppose would both of these options work for my plan? My feeling is yes.
The second option seems to only be approx. $20 more, and I think it would allow me room to grow in the future if my needs grow...

Thoughts?

Im sure I'll need some gas lines and beer lines and such... no towers for now, as I don't want to butcher up my mini fridge yet until I can gauge it's performance on keeping consistant temps....

Thanks guys!!

 

[jimba009]

405 cornys!?! That is some beer porn!

 

[1GR8DA]

I recently bought the Midwest Dual Tap setup and love it. The dual manifolds have actually come in handy. As far as the price, They were more than competetive. I just bought four kegs from pedalbiker at what I can only see as the best deal. The kegs are resealed and tested. Most others for the same price are either just pressure tested or cleaned. I have both keggs full and keep one @ 15psi and use the other manifold @ 7 -10 psi with the picnic tap to dispense without too much foam. Go or it! This is a reat starter setup.

 

[tidehouse]

I have the MWS dual-tap too, it's great. I like being able to carb one beer and still drink the other.

 

[Synovia]

Got my midwest kit today. Regulator, bottle, lines look great. One of the cornies looks great, the other one has quite a few dings in it, but it was holding pressure fine, so c'est la vie.


How do I clean all the crap off these things?

 

[rcm_rx7]

I sprayed them out with hot water for awhile. then filled them with oxiclean and hot water. pressurized and shook them like hell. Drained, rinsed, and mixed up some starsan. Filled with starsan, pressurized, pumped it through the lines, shook up the keg and dumped the excess. I thought they were pretty clean after that.

I took apart the posts and cleaned them as well, probably wasn't necessary but I wanted to do it right the first time I guess.

 

[HopTrap]

Got my midwest kit today. Regulator, bottle, lines look great. One of the cornies looks great, the other one has quite a few dings in it, but it was holding pressure fine, so c'est la vie.


How do I clean all the crap off these things?

Are you asking about cleaning off the outsides or the insides?

 

[Synovia]

Are you asking about cleaning off the outsides or the insides?

Outside. The inside was pretty clean, smelled like it had been cleaned out.

 

[HopTrap]

I think there are some discussion threads on really getting them polished up, but if you just want to clean the residue off you might consider soaking the keg in PBW in the tub and scrubbing with a softer scrub pad? I don't worry much about the outsides since I stick them in the Keezer anyway.

 

[rcm_rx7]

The instructions for the midwest kit says they use a caustic cleaner to get the old soda off of the inside. It says you need to rinse them well or you will experience a sweet taste in your next beer from the cleaner.

 

[Arkador]

Got my midwest kit today. Regulator, bottle, lines look great. One of the cornies looks great, the other one has quite a few dings in it, but it was holding pressure fine, so c'est la vie.


How do I clean all the crap off these things?

fill it with water, add 1 scoop of OxiClean, and let it sit for 24 hours, does the trick for me every time. I won't buy a used corny unless it has had a PBW soak and pressure checked.
The midwest kegs I have recieved just needed a rinse, sanitize and fill.. I replaced the diptube orings also.