CO2 Regulator Help (4 tap)

[Spaceball1]

Hello all, I'm at the point where i need to expand my single keg Keezer to three kegs and eventually up to four. I thought about DIY'ing it and buying the parts to expand my existing single CO2PO regulator but then I found that it was cheaper to just buy a new 4-tap model.

I'm a little stuck in deciding on one because it seems like every model from every manufacturer has complaints about leaking. I realize that online reviews are just online reviews, but I was hoping to get some input here on the better brands to go with.

Two other things important to me
1) Availability of parts if I need to fix something
2) I'd like to have a 5th port that I can just put a shutoff valve on (no regulator)

Also, some of the models I'm finding are sold as secondary regulators, which implies that I'll need a primary. Is that always necessary? I only have one regulator attached directly to my tank now, and not all of the ones I've found are called Secondary.

Thanks in advance!

 

[day_trippr]

Secondary regulators have restrictions on input pressure. Taprite secondaries are rated for a max input pressure of 60 psi while their primary CO2 regulators can withstand the 2000+ psi a CO2 cylinder could conceivably reach. So, yes, to use a secondary secondary regulator it must be preceded by a primary.

In any case, the question is do you really need discrete pressure control for each keg, or could you live with a single regulator and a 1:4 manifold, which would save you a ton of $$$. Fwiw, I run a 6 faucet keezer, have one tap dedicated to "nitro" (aka "beer gas") stout, and the rest on straight CO2, with four on a manifold sharing an 11 psi primary, and the fifth on its own primary regulator set for 15 psi (typically a wheat or saison)...

Cheers!

 

[hottpeper13]

I have a duel regulator with a 4 way in the kegerator set to 12 psi and one on the outside for pressurizing kegs and filling bottles with the Tapcooler.

 

[shoengine]

In my experience, leaking is user error. I eventually fixed my error by moving to all duo tight fittings and eva barrier lines and haven't had a leak since on my taprite manifold.

 

[Broken Crow]

I'm a little stuck in deciding on one because it seems like every model from every manufacturer has complaints about leaking. I realize that online reviews are just online reviews, but I was hoping to get some input here on the better brands to go with.

It's very rare for a regulator to leak.. it's usually the user that fails to make proper connections. Though, I suppose if you're referring to some of the off-brands online it is possible, but you don't want one of those anyway. A decent regulator will cost a bit more but given that it's a critical component: Buy Once, Cry Once.
Taprite and Micromatic are pretty much the leaders and replacement parts are readily available for them:
https://www.taprite.com/
https://www.micromatic.com/en-us/
As said above: You have options: 1/ Primary>tees(duotight or barbs)>all kegs on one line,
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/pushtee.htm
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/barbtee516ss.htm
2/ Primary>manifold https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/co2man4_bh.htm
3/ Primary>Seconary https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/demo_micromatic-4-way.htm
I'm currently feeding 4 kegs from a single primary with EVABarrier and duotights, but on the verge of switching to 4 seperate lines into a 4-way manifold (as linked to above) as a stepping stone and placeholder for a future 4-way Taprite secondary.
You have options.. think it through but I cannot stress this enough: don't look to save money here! Burn the phrase "Buy Once, Cry Once" into your head!

 

[day_trippr]

There have been some low-end regulators on the market over the years that were prone to problems. Avoiding "store brands" is a good start as historically they accumulated most of the complaints I've read on HBT.

I recommend Taprite regulators.

Cheers!

 

[Broken Crow]

^^ That 100%... and to add a specific to that; cheap regulators, even when they appear to be working, have a tendency to 'drift'. I knew better, but a cheap no-name went on sale from a reputable seller for a thrid of the cost of the Taprite I wanted for my first beer-regulator so I bought it... when I eventually used it on my first kegerator I found that hours after I set the pressure @ 11psi, a few hours later it had drifted up to 14psi.. I reset it and it drifted again and was never reliable. I bought my Taprite and it has been rock-solid and accurate even over time with temp changes. My second kegerator came with a cheap but popular regulator, so I gave it a try...In the summer, it changes pressure from the cool nights to the hot days. The Taprite does not.
...Just sayin.

 

[Deadalus]

If you have a primary with a set of secondaries after it, you can do just fine with one less secondary than the number of kegs you want to serve. The primary will have a low pressure gauge that is used to set the supply pressure to the secondaries. You can tee/wye off the supply line from there and send one to a keg and one to the set of secondaries. That keg has to be the keg you want to have the highest pressure. You'd want a shutoff valve with a check valve there.

Next, if you want to have a fifth check valve along with the secondaries, given what I just said, you could place two tees/wyes in the supply line. This could feed one keg and whatever you want on that fifth line with the shutoff valve. (a two way manifold might be the same cost, depends on the materials.)

If you just want a four-way manifold after the primary, these always have a plug on the opposite side of the supply line in. You can remove the plug and put a shutoff valve there.

You could also mix it up with say a dual primary which has two low pressure gauges and one high pressure gauge and a 2-way or 3-way manifold. That would allow setting two different pressures. This might be cost effective for four kegs vs having all secondaries in a four keg system. Manifolds tend to save money as you increase the number of taps as increasing the manifold size costs less than increasing the number of secondary regulators.

Finally, you can build your own manifold using Duotight tees, but you need shutoff valves and separate check valves there. These are less compact and have more connections as the shutoffs don't have integral check valves. There are secondary regulators from Duotight though which seem to cost less than Taprites. The quality may not be the same as far the regulators.

I have secondaries on my keezer, a four-way manifold on my four tap jockey box, and just a duotight tee for my 2 tap jockey box.