Co2 Line Length

[Boston813]

Hey Yall,

I wanted to say Hi since this it my first post. I have been reading up on all of the great info here and I'm getting hardware together to move from bottles to kegs and make my life easier.

I was able to score a full 20lb Co2 tank for $50 but the room that will hold the Keezer does not have the room to hide a big bottle and I'm planning on a small (3 keg) freezer to start.

My question is this... Is there a max distance that I can run the Co2 line? Putting the tank in the basement and running regulated gas up the wall (15? feet) seems like it should work. Has one one done it?

 

[BarleyWater]

The CO2 line length shouldn't make a difference, run it from the neighbors house if you want to. The beer line length however, does make a difference. If you beer lines are too short, you're gonna have a hard time pouring anything but foam.

 

[beltbuckle]

If you want to get technical, there will be a minor pressure drop the longer (or smaller) the gas line is just like a liquid, though it is much less due to the much lower mass. There are calculators out there if you want to figure it all out, but we are talking small fractions of a psi.

 

[Boston813]

I fully expect to have some losses due to the lent of the Co2 line but I expect them to be minimal compared to the 5' of beer line per keg. I want sure if it would be better to run the regulator at the tank or once I got closer to the kegs but I think price will dictate that the regulator be at the tank. I may add a secondary regulator at a later time as funding permits.

 

[springer]

what I would do is run your line and get some secondary regs like you said. This way you can set the primary at say 40 psi and then you will have amble pressure to force carb and serve at the same time.

 

[Munsoned]

what I would do is run your line and get some secondary regs like you said. This way you can set the primary at say 40 psi and then you will have amble pressure to force carb and serve at the same time.

I agree with this. I think OP said he was were going to do it this way, but to be clear, make sure the long line is not at full CO2 tank pressure unless you get the type of line that can handle high pressure applications, which in my research has been pretty expensive stuff. Like springer said, I would put a regulator on the canister at 30-40 psi, then run the long line to one or more secondary regulators, and drop the psi to whatever you need to carbonate/serve. That way you'll be sure you've got the right pressure at the kegs.

 

[springer]

I have the high pressure hose its about 10 feet long .I got it when I bought a whole Coke setup. I'd hate to price it out for a new one .

 

[david_42]

My half pint: There is very little flow in the CO2 lines compared to the capacity of the line. Having a secondary regulator at the kegs means you don't have to run downstairs to make adjustments.

Personally, I wouldn't want to have a line at tank pressure running through the house, but then most people don't have a wood rat problem.

 

[springer]

none of use would advocate running tank pressure for a long run. 40 psi is more than enough specially if the hose is a large diameter . Actually he could run copper 1/2 inch and then have a valve at the end with a barbed fitting this way no reduction in flow at 40 psi .But I would never run tank pressure very far inside my house .

 

[BoiseJim]

Check local code, as I would expect that to run any kind of gas through the wall you will need rigid pipe, and not flexible hose.