Blichmann QuickCarb (New from HomebrewCon 2016)

[maierhof]

Hey all - I just thought I would share my setup and process with you all to help you combat beer in your regulator line.
When I first bought this thing - one of my problems with the setup is that if you are not careful some of the beer/water would flow back into the regulator tube.
I saw this again as I watched your video Highland Brewer.

No need for that to happen.
IMHO - That is just a way for infections to grow in your line and then you will transfer those to your beer whenever you add CO2 to it.
In order to combat this - I use a plastic quick disconnect from morebeer - link

This is what it looks like: see pic

So here is what I do.
I set the cleaned pump up and connect the ball locks, as there should be no pressure in the keg yet (purge first) - put pressure on the regulator side of the disconnect by flowing the CO2 from the regulator (they can handle it) - then I attach it to the female side and let it flow until the unit is clear and CO2 is pumping into the keg - then I purge the keg of oxygen (if necessary as sometimes I forget to do that =;>) and then I turn on the pump. Simple but effective way to purge the system of oxygen and keep the liquid from getting into the regulator line.

Hope this helps!

 

[highland_brewer]

Good idea.. i was going to put a check valve in line to prevent back flow but that idea works too. Thanks

 

[augiedoggy]

Good idea.. i was going to put a check valve in line to prevent back flow but that idea works too. Thanks

I tried check valves on my oxgen setup and they don't work to stop the back flow into the hose.

 

[ElChangoGuero]

So i stumbled on the quickcarb and was looking to do the DIY version, and i started thinking...i already have a carb lid with a stone, if i recirculate the beer by the gas IN, would this do the same effect? i have a chugger ss pump

 

[jimmer]

Make sure your check valves are specifically for liquid. They cost more than the gas ones. No personal experience with them, tho.

 

[highland_brewer]

ElChangoGuero,

I don't think it will work because you're still trying to carbonate the full volume of beer whereas with the blichmann system the beer comes in contact with the CO2 in a very small space and is more saturated in that small space. Your method you're still trying to carbonate the entire keg at the same time. All you would be doing is just creating turbulence in The Keg much like shaking it.

 

[ElChangoGuero]

ElChangoGuero,

I don't think it will work because you're still trying to carbonate the full volume of beer whereas with the blichmann system the beer comes in contact with the CO2 in a very small space and is more saturated in that small space. Your method you're still trying to carbonate the entire keg at the same time. All you would be doing is just creating turbulence in The Keg much like shaking it.

thanks for the reply, i did think of that and ended up going with this, i noticed a review on the aeration system in amazon and i found the pump he used just need a ss elbow, ill let you guys know how it works!!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWMR5UM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-24V-...188346?hash=item21168be7ba:g:kykAAOSwknJX0ncw

 

[day_trippr]

Should be interesting, but I recommend removing the air stone as it's serving no real purpose in that setup and in fact will probably bring the process to a hard stop...

Cheers!

 

[ElChangoGuero]

Should be interesting, but I recommend removing the air stone as it's serving no real purpose in that setup and in fact will probably bring the process to a hard stop...

Cheers!

What do you mean remove the stone? Thats the whole purpose of the system, pass the beer through the stone, im planning on doing a 1 hr run on the "diy quickcarb" and then put my corny lid with the aeration stone for the rest of the 23 hrs, hoping to get a perfectly carbonated beer in 1 day

 

[day_trippr]

Because the way you've hooked that up you are trying to drive the recirculating beer through the stone.

And good luck with that...

Cheers!

 

[ElChangoGuero]

will it make a difference is the tubing is bigger? im thinking of getting the 1/4 barb to 1/2 male npt to put swivel nuts on the hoses but im not sure if it would benefit the system to have 1/2 id hoses or i cna just go with a 1/4 id since the pump is also 10mm wide, so i dont think it would do a difference, what do you guys think?

 

[augiedoggy]

I bought 1/4" lines and leur fittings because 1/4" is used for serving beer .. why not use it for recirculating and carbonating?

 

[ElChangoGuero]

I bought 1/4" lines and leur fittings because 1/4" is used for serving beer .. why not use it for recirculating and carbonating?

nice! yea i was thinking of getting the 1/2 male x 3/8 barb so i can use swivel nuts on the connections

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301646309970?var=600506029000

 

[augiedoggy]

I assembled and ran mine tonight for 1 hour at 12psi and the beer still needs more.. I'd say it's 80% carbed. I think I'm going to use the flow meter I bought for my oxygen setup to be able to tell when the co2 flow from the tank has stopped and it carbed to the proper level.

 

[day_trippr]

I bought 1/4" lines and leur fittings because 1/4" is used for serving beer[...]

By whom?
Nearly every home dispensing system is based on 3/16" ID lines...

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

By whom?
Nearly every home dispensing system is based on 3/16" ID lines...

Cheers!

Yeah I discovered this yesterday. For some reason I seemed to remember beer line being used in two different sizes... When I had the longer run from my taps to my cooler the home brewing store sold be stuff that was a lager diameter I believe.
I ended up using a much larger ID line I had for my setup yesterday..(now I have 1/4" barbs I wont be using). I still have to read the directions because all I did was set the pressure to 12.5 and let the rum recirculate for an hour. I would think it would carb up much faster if I started at a higher pressure? of course the stone in my setup is a different micron size than blichmann uses and that could be slowing it down..

 

[ElChangoGuero]

Yeah I discovered this yesterday. For some reason I seemed to remember beer line being used in two different sizes... When I had the longer run from my taps to my cooler the home brewing store sold be stuff that was a lager diameter I believe.
I ended up using a much larger ID line I had for my setup yesterday..(now I have 1/4" barbs I wont be using). I still have to read the directions because all I did was set the pressure to 12.5 and let the rum recirculate for an hour. I would think it would carb up much faster if I started at a higher pressure? of course the stone in my setup is a different micron size than blichmann uses and that could be slowing it down..

you can do trial and error, keep taking the pressure up on each keg you carb to see how much difference it makes ! interesting

 

[Gustatorian]

I assembled and ran mine tonight for 1 hour at 12psi and the beer still needs more.. I'd say it's 80% carbed. I think I'm going to use the flow meter I bought for my oxygen setup to be able to tell when the co2 flow from the tank has stopped and it carbed to the proper level.

what flow meter are you using and how would you use it with the quick carb?

 

[brianbrinley]

what flow meter are you using and how would you use it with the quick carb?

Why do you need a flow meter? Just watch the output line for the bubbles to stop generating. It's self equalizing, just run it until the bubbles stop and you're good to go. Ive found that it is somewhat misleading if you immediately drink after its been carbed because the bubbles are soo small but letting it sit for a day helps balance all those nuances out.

 

[augiedoggy]

Why do you need a flow meter? Just watch the output line for the bubbles to stop generating. It's self equalizing, just run it until the bubbles stop and you're good to go. Ive found that it is somewhat misleading if you immediately drink after its been carbed because the bubbles are soo small but letting it sit for a day helps balance all those nuances out.

It pumps the beer so fast you dont see any bubbles in the line at all thats the whole point...im using the 12v version of the pump blichmann uses so maybe its pumping harder I dont know. I was shutting the pump off after a while and waiting th see it the gas was then still expelling through the hose or if the pressure equalized but that is a very time consuming hands on approach... with a flow meter like this which I have.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LZQ-0-1-5LP...811561?hash=item21125a0a69:g:0cQAAOSwOVpXdcf5 I can see in real time the amount of co2 still being absorbed no? I did notice the bubbles were very small in the beer afterwards... it had a lace and bubbles forming on the glass but seemed undercarbed.

I will try again with a Christmas ale I have thats ready to be kegged but Ill let it go longer and see if the flow of bubbles stops when turned off.

 

[augiedoggy]

Update... I carbed 10 gallons or Christmas ale yesterday and discovered what I did wrong the first time...this time everything worked great. The first time I made the mistake of having cos pressure in the keg BEFORE using the quickcarb because the keg had been filled a couple days prior. this time I just used co2 to purge the air and then ran the carb setup and the 10 gallon keg was at 12.5psi in one hour... this gave me a long lasting head and lace in the glass... I still believe the taste changes in the first day or two after carbing this way since my pilsner had a sharper flavor the second day.

I also could see the bubbles in the line after the airstone up until the last 15 minutes or so even though it was still adding co2 since the co2 expelled from the stone fairly well once I turned off the pump. I believe it was because this beer had more color to it than the bohemian pilsner making it easy to see them.

Anyway this works very well and it was well worth the $65-70 or so it took to build the DIY route.

I even put 1/4" auto shut off quick disconnects on my co2 line so I can swap it from this and my beergun easily... now I just need to find some bigger disconnects to swap between my ball and pin lock keg connectors... the LUER fitting are a bit to small afterall I think.

 

[jimmer]

I use the 1/4" QDs on most of my lines, so I can quickly recarbonate, change to a beverage connector from a gas one, or hook up a bottling jig. They don't seem to hinder performance in any way. It was an investment, but paid off big time in convenience.

 

[TripleHopped]

Understood, wasnt sure if thats what you meant...

I just bought one myself along with all the hardware to make my own quickcarb for $70... Then I said what the hell I might as well add a filter to see what all the hype is about... sometimes I get impatient waiting for the beer to clear on its own and if this helps speed it along well Ill give it a shot.

What pump did you use?

 

[augiedoggy]

What pump did you use?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231735003614?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[TripleHopped]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231735003614?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks.

 

[ElChangoGuero]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231735003614?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

what power adapter did you use? ive always seen pumps work in amps not in watts, cheers!

*update: scratch that, i found my answer lol!

 

[augiedoggy]

what power adapter did you use? ive always seen pumps work in amps not in watts, cheers!

*update: scratch that, i found my answer lol!

I was temporarily using a motorcycle battery and charger but I have a handful of old pc powersupplies which I can easily turn into a 20a 12v power supply by wiring a switch between the green and a ground wire.

 

[ElChangoGuero]

I was temporarily using a motorcycle battery and charger but I have a handful of old pc powersupplies which I can easily turn into a 20a 12v power supply by wiring a switch between the green and a ground wire.

damn, now im not sure, was looking to use this, what do you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252229338452

 

[augiedoggy]

damn, now im not sure, was looking to use this, what do you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252229338452

I would go bigger... having a supply that delivers a bit more amps will always be better than hoping the supply is enough to power the pump reliably... I know the .800ma pumps I use run far better off of a 2 amp supply than a 1 amp so..

 

[summerofgeorge]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231735003614?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

This looks a little more powerful than the Blickmann pump (5 L/M vs 2-4 L/M). Does more equal better in this application? Also, what micron stone is everyone using for this? Blickmann indicates that they use 10 micron. I've only seen 0.5 or 2.