Check valve on gas line-yea or nay? Old beverage air restoration/conversion...

[pantherburn]

I just acquired an old beverage air DD58 club top keg box with two towers and three faucets. It also included several sanke taps and perlick 525ss faucets, a Co2 regulator, a nitrogen/beer gas regulator and a sanke tap that fits Guiness kegs perhaps? Oh, also has a 3 outlet gas manifold with cutoff valves. It is rough, but running (see pics). I am having lots of fun cleaning and restoring it. Additionally, I am getting some good practice with bondo[emoji1]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1471819568.074501.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1471819593.691685.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1471819609.837095.jpg

Anyway, it is set up for sanke taps and I am converting two of the lines for ball lock kegs for now, but have enough line and disconnects to run all three on Cornelius type kegs. As I am starting from nothing, I was wondering how many of you have check valves on your gas lines? I was thinking of maybe converting my nitrogen regulator to Co2 and using it to force carb only. Would it be necessary to have the check valves on all my gas line disconnects or just the one I plan on using for force carbing?

As always, any other advice or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[day_trippr]

Along with the regulator shut-offs, all of my manifolds have shut-offs with integrated checks.
Yours might as well. If you strip off down-stream connections you can usually spot the spring-loaded ball.

Yes, I recommend every gas disconnect have a check somewhere between it and the regulator. While I've rebuilt plenty of regs over the years it's not something I aspire to do even more frequently...

Cheers!

 

[imasickboy]

If you have no check valves, all your lines are basically one. If you were to hook two uncarbed kegs up, while having a third, carbed, keg already on, the pressure, and the carbonation, would equalize between them all before the flat ones carbed, and you would have three uncarbed kegs.

 

[jcav]

I use these check valves on my gas lines in my kegerator for each of my two gas lines.
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/DISCONNECT-CHECK-VALVE-P3658.aspx
Just put them on your gas ball lock disconnects. They work great. You can also buy the check valve already built into the disconnect like this one also:
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/CMB-GAS-BALL-LOCK-FITTING-WITH-CHECK-VALVE-P3358.aspx

There are other ways of doing it in the gas manifold to with each run having it's own check valve and others will chime in on how they do it also. Good luck!

John

 

[pantherburn]

Thanks everyone, ordered several from the link kindly provided to Williams brewing.

 

[jcav]

Thanks everyone, ordered several from the link kindly provided to Williams brewing.

That's great, you'll love them!

John

 

[kraizter]

Does anyone know how much taller the disconnects stick up with these check valves attached? - For those of us with clearance concerns

 

[jcav]

Does anyone know how much taller the disconnects stick up with these check valves attached? - For those of us with clearance concerns

I measured mine (the check valve that you attach to your ball valve) and it measures 2 1/2 inches wide. They stick out on an angle when attached to the ball valve. The top of the check valve sticks out 1 inch over the top of the ball valve. Hope this helps....

John