Corny keg pressure

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Jamie02173

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I am currently brewing an american ipa and a lager. I have tested both and after 2 weeks of fermentation im pretty sure the ipa is at correct gravity levels, so im going to transfer to a corny keg and the remainder to bottles.
I was wondering whats the recommended pressure for carbonation. I was assuming 1 week in the fridge would be enough and also if i disconnect my gas after applying the pressure, will this pressure hold while its carbonating?
Also the lager although tastes nice is not at the gravity recommended so im thing i could still keg it and ket it finish in the keg but this would surely not work with bottles.
 
The simplest and most reliable way to carbonate beer in a keg is to hook up the CO2 and set the regulator to serving pressure. Serving pressure will be in the 12 psi range. You can start there and see how it goes.

It will take 2 weeks to carbonate, but it will be somewhat carbed in half that time if you are impatient.

There are quick carb methods as well, but they tend to cause problems with erratic carbonation for the inexperienced, and frankly, the beer isn't really ready to drink yet. Some will disagree, and we all have our standards. :)

You must keep the CO2 hooked up and pressurized the whole time. You cannot disconnect it. Applying initial pressure only puts pressure into the keg's headspace. That is absorbed into the beer shortly, so it must be continually replenished. That's the purpose of the regulator.

Let the lager finish fermenting before you place it in the cold. But then, it might already be. It doesn't realize what the recommended gravity is, and might have thoughts of its own. What are the OG/FG?
 
The simplest and most reliable way to carbonate beer in a keg is to hook up the CO2 and set the regulator to serving pressure. Serving pressure will be in the 12 psi range. You can start there and see how it goes.

It will take 2 weeks to carbonate, but it will be somewhat carbed in half that time if you are impatient.

There are quick carb methods as well, but they tend to cause problems with erratic carbonation for the inexperienced, and frankly, the beer isn't really ready to drink yet. Some will disagree, and we all have our standards. :)

You must keep the CO2 hooked up and pressurized the whole time. You cannot disconnect it. Applying initial pressure only puts pressure into the keg's headspace. That is absorbed into the beer shortly, so it must be continually replenished. That's the purpose of the regulator.

Let the lager finish fermenting before you place it in the cold. But then, it might already be. It doesn't realize what the recommended gravity is, and might have thoughts of its own. What are the OG/FG?
Im a beginner so only learning but i plan to keg today or tomorrow. The reason i was thinking of kegging the lager before fermentation is complete is because i already removed the airlock while i was doing my first gravity test.. both have a reccomended final gravity of 1.008 so looking like the ipa is done. I also added the dry hops wich recommend 3 days so im thinking it will be best to remove both from the primary fermenter
 

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I assume that hydro photo is the lager; if so, at 1.010 after two weeks it is 99% done. Go ahead and put it in your keg. In fact, if you are exposing it to air at all, that's bad so you should package it ASAP.
 
I assume that hydro photo is the lager; if so, at 1.010 after two weeks it is 99% done. Go ahead and put it in your keg. In fact, if you are exposing it to air at all, that's bad so you should package it ASAP.
I thought i sent both!. So i guess today i can keg i have ajohn guest dual connection so i can flow the gas into both off the one regulator. I heard i may have to increase the psi doing it this way
 

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The simplest and most reliable way to carbonate beer in a keg is to hook up the CO2 and set the regulator to serving pressure. Serving pressure will be in the 12 psi range. You can start there and see how it goes.

It will take 2 weeks to carbonate, but it will be somewhat carbed in half that time if you are impatient.

There are quick carb methods as well, but they tend to cause problems with erratic carbonation for the inexperienced, and frankly, the beer isn't really ready to drink yet. Some will disagree, and we all have our standards. :)

You must keep the CO2 hooked up and pressurized the whole time. You cannot disconnect it. Applying initial pressure only puts pressure into the keg's headspace. That is absorbed into the beer shortly, so it must be continually replenished. That's the purpose of the regulator.

Let the lager finish fermenting before you place it in the cold. But then, it might already be. It doesn't realize what the recommended gravity is, and might have thoughts of its own. What are the OG/FG?
Possibly an amateur question but can u tell me which reader for 12 psi. Do you mean 1200?
 

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The red numbers on the gauge at the bottom/right indicate the regulated pressure sent to the keg(s). Ignore the dial on the left; it is basically useless.
Cool thanks for the info all should go well.. what u think about hooking 2 kegs up to one regulator? Should I apply 12psi also?
 
Unless you have exacting needs that require different levels of carbonation for each beer, it is fine to hook everything up to one regulator. I assume you have a manifold so you can do that.
 
Unless you have exacting needs that require different levels of carbonation for each beer, it is fine to hook everything up to one regulator. I assume you have a manifold so you can do that.
I have filled the kegs and set the pressure at 18 psi (what i think irls 18 psi for now) do you think i should bring it down to 12psi?
 

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This is the wrong regulator. It is a flow regulator, primarily for welding, and will not work for kegging. You need a pressure regulator, available at any beverage or brewing supply.
Sorry i just took a random pic of a regulator from google! I bought a decent one its in the photo
 

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That looks better, what temp are your kegs at? Temperature dictates c02 pressure for volumes of carbonation. Most use around 12psi at around 38f. Carbonation charts are invaluable for determining this. Also what temperature is your c02 tank? 1800 psi is the safety rating and you are dangerously close, should be about 850 at 70f.
 
That looks better, what temp are your kegs at? Temperature dictates c02 pressure for volumes of carbonation. Most use around 12psi at around 38f. Carbonation charts are invaluable for determining this. Also what temperature is your c02 tank? 1800 psi is the safety rating and you are dangerously close, should be about 850 at 70f.
At the moment i have been let down with a fridge so hopefully i will collect that tomorrow and it should be big enough to store 2 kegs.. so until then they are in my garage at around 46f and tomorrow i will stick both in the fridge. I was hoping my gas and regulator can also fit in the fridge if not my gas will be at room temp
 
That looks better, what temp are your kegs at? Temperature dictates c02 pressure for volumes of carbonation. Most use around 12psi at around 38f. Carbonation charts are invaluable for determining this. Also what temperature is your c02 tank? 1800 psi is the safety rating and you are dangerously close, should be about 850 at 70f.
Do you think i should lower psi?
 
46f at 18psi is around 2.72 volumes, most target around 2.5 volumes. Depending on beer style and preference that may be good, or too high. Google "carbonation chart" and you will get lots of info to help.
If your c02 tank is 46f as well something is dangerously wrong, it will exceed 1800psi when you warm it to room temperature, causing a release, hopefully through the prv on your regulator, or a tank explosion.
 
46f at 18psi is around 2.72 volumes, most target around 2.5 volumes. Depending on beer style and preference that may be good, or too high. Google "carbonation chart" and you will get lots of info to help.
If your c02 tank is 46f as well something is dangerously wrong, it will exceed 1800psi when you warm it to room temperature, causing a release, hopefully through the prv on your regulator, or a tank explosion.
Thanks for all the info and ill admit i could have learned more about this area! I currently have my 2 kegs and gas and regulator in the garage at 46 that temp could raise during the day tomorrow.. any suggestions of what do do and just my gas be cold rather then room temp?
 

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Sorry i just took a random pic of a regulator from google! I bought a decent one its in the photo
If your c02 tank is 46f as well something is dangerously wrong, it will exceed 1800psi when you warm it to room temperature, causing a release, hopefully through the prv on your regulator, or a tank explosion.
I agree with @Mtrhdltd . Are you positive you have a tank of pure liquid CO2? At 46° the high pressure gauge should be reading between 700-800 psi. 1800 psi is not normal for CO2.
 
Thanks for all the info and ill admit i could have learned more about this area! I currently have my 2 kegs and gas and regulator in the garage at 46 that temp could raise during the day tomorrow.. any suggestions of what do do and just my gas be cold rather then room temp?
Your kegged beer is fine. I would be worried about your c02 supply. What are you using? Typically the regulator is attached directly to a non siphon c02 bottle. What is your c02 supply setup?
 
After looking closer at your last picture, I see your bottle is green. Im pretty sure are using compressed oxygen, not c02. Not good by everyone's standard.
 
I agree with @Mtrhdltd . Are you positive you have a tank of pure liquid CO2? At 46° the high pressure gauge should be reading between 700-800 psi. 1800 psi is not normal for
Thats the co2 tank i bought it with the regulator in a home brew shop.. also i turned down the psi and took a pic. Both kegs will be stored in my garage overnight with the co2 currently at 9 degrees c
 

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Thats the co2 tank i bought it with the regulator in a home brew shop.. also i turned down the psi and took a pic. Both kegs will be stored in my garage overnight with the co2 currently at 9 degrees c
Ok, not oxygen like I was worried. Not c02 either, you have beer gas. Typically this is used for high pressure serving needs like very long lines. You will need double pressure on your kegs for carbonation. I do not have knowledge about safe tank pressure. On the bottle will be a stamped rating. I did notice the reading has gone down over 200psi since an earlier picture. Did you have it in the sun at some point?
 
Ok, not oxygen like I was worried. Not c02 either, you have beer gas. Typically this is used for high pressure serving needs like very long lines. You will need double pressure on your kegs for carbonation. I do not have knowledge about safe tank pressure. On the bottle will be a stamped rating. I did notice the reading has gone down over 200psi since an earlier picture. Did you have it in the sun at some point?
I turned it down as i thought it was too high so my next mission is too crack this psi and temp issue.. can i still use this gas bottle for now or am i better removing it and getting a new one asap
 
Ok, not oxygen like I was worried. Not c02 either, you have beer gas. Typically this is used for high pressure serving needs like very long lines. You will need double pressure on your kegs for carbonation. I do not have knowledge about safe tank pressure. On the bottle will be a stamped rating. I did notice the reading has gone down over 200psi since an earlier picture. Did you have it in the sun at some point?
I have also purged it since last foto as i have only transferred 2 hours ago!
 
I turned it down as i thought it was too high so my next mission is too crack this psi and temp issue.. can i still use this gas bottle for now or am i better removing it and getting a new one asap
Tank psi, high pressure gauge, is different than keg psi, low pressure gauge. I was concerned about the high pressure, if it was pure co2 you were sitting on a bomb. Beer gas is higher tank rating, I believe 2200psi, so that is ok. For keg pressure reference a carbonation chart. If you choose to keep beergas you will need to double your keg pressure, ie 24psi instead of 12 psi from the chart. You will also need double length serving lines.
I would return the beergas and get c02 if it were me.
 
why did they sell me this lol
That’s a question only your LHBS can answer. That is not an ideal gas for home use when carbonating and serving regular beer. A beer gas blend of 75% nitrogen and 25% CO2 is used to serve nitrogenated stouts (Guinness) but requires a different regulator and special stout faucet. I would disconnect it and take it back to wherever you bought it and ask for a replacement of pure CO2 for no charge. If they gave you that on purpose, they’re incompetent.
 
Beer gas is higher tank rating, I believe 2200psi, so that is ok.
In my opinion, his 1800 psi is still too high even if it’s beer gas. Here is a picture of my 75/25 nitrogen/CO2 blend sitting at 66°. This tank is nearly new and reading 1400 psi (bottom gauge)... I don’t think it was ever much above 1500 when it was new.
2BB7CBBF-0E43-42CD-BA5A-9F12F0CB8AA1.jpeg
 
Its possibly my bad as i purchased it on the website as i was brewing lager i assumed this was correct. Do you think if i removed it and purchase 100% co2 by tomorrow my kegs will be ok without gas pressure
 

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In my opinion, his 1800 psi is still too high even if it’s beer gas. Here is a picture of my 75/25 nitrogen/CO2 blend sitting at 66°. This tank is nearly new and reading 1400 psi (bottom gauge)... I don’t think it was ever much above 1500 when it was new.
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No experience myself, so I was just guessing.
 
Its possibly my bad as i purchased it on the website as i was brewing lager i assumed this was correct. Do you think if i removed it and purchase 100% co2 by tomorrow my kegs will be ok without gas pressure
If you disconnect the kegs, they’ll be just fine until tomorrow. I just looked up that gas... you’re not in the US, are you?
 
If you disconnect the kegs, they’ll be just fine until tomorrow. I just looked up that gas... you’re not in the US, are you?
No im in ireland it could be different systems but will the beer gas have a negative affect being used temorarily
 
Thanks for all the comments guys ill leave it overnight and fly over and get it before work and connect again. Im learning as i go why question is confusion regarding temps to keep my co2 tank. Is the main problem that changes in temperature will affect the psi adding more pressure making it unsafe? My plan was to keg the beer and leave it at ambient winter garage temp until tomorrow evening and i should have new gas and a fridge to store both kegs. So my final question gas inside or outside the fridge?!!
 
No the concern over pressure of the beer gas tank was due to the pressure gauge being excessively high if the bottle contained pure co2.
Is dat the one on the left im trying to find some videos on psmi and reading both dials as there is four readings 2 red and 2 black on each side
 
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