Formulating a keg plan

[crosschk]

So, after 9 or 10 days getting bubbly, I did my first real pour tonight.

I used the tube length calculator and made a 30 foot tap line.

And the first cup was pretty good. It took about 7-8 seconds to fill a solo cup. A little foamy but drinkable

So the inevitable question, will that happen to those 9oz of beer in the tube ( I googled a volume calculator) will it keep for a day or two? I got 1/4id ez-flo tubing from lowes. Its in a keezer no light getting in there.

BTW I have to say thanks to the group of people answering all my crazy questions. This board is the best

 

[bracconiere]

A tiny smear of beer lube or simple petroleum jelly to the O rings will help greatly.

i've read petroleum jelly is bad for buna o rings? only to use silicone keg lube?

 

[jmstone617]

Planning my own kegerator setup and ultimately want to build a 2-tap system with a dual body regulator....can I just buy the dual body and 2-way distributor now and leave one side turned off if I plan on starting with just a single keg? Would hate to buy a single body regulator now just to have to buy another one 6-12 months from now, so hoping I can plan for growth early?

 

[crosschk]

Planning my own kegerator setup and ultimately want to build a 2-tap system with a dual body regulator....can I just buy the dual body and 2-way distributor now and leave one side turned off if I plan on starting with just a single keg? Would hate to buy a single body regulator now just to have to buy another one 6-12 months from now, so hoping I can plan for growth early?

I have a single regulator attached to a 4 way system, and i just close off the ones not in use. I would think you can do the same with a dual regulator system, just turn the one not in use all the way down

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Planning my own kegerator setup and ultimately want to build a 2-tap system with a dual body regulator....can I just buy the dual body and 2-way distributor now and leave one side turned off if I plan on starting with just a single keg? Would hate to buy a single body regulator now just to have to buy another one 6-12 months from now, so hoping I can plan for growth early?

With single regulator you could split the CO2 with a distribution block (2-4-6, or whatever) but you'll have a dropped pressure than what the regulator is set at. Split six times will have more drop than a single line. With a dual regulator, each branch should have a shut-off so you could shut one leg off and just use the other or have the two legs with the same pressure or something different. To be creative, with the dual regulator you could have a distribution block to each leg.

I think the single regulator would serve you fine for the two taps you intend to have.

I have a single regulator with a six way distribution block and it's fine for serving beer.

 

[crosschk]

distribution block (2-4-6, or whatever) but you'll have a dropped pressure than what the regulator is set at.

I noticed this the first time last week. I think it was the first time i had 2 kegs setup at the same time.

How much over the desired PSI do you normally go?

 

[jmstone617]

With single regulator you could split the CO2 with a distribution block (2-4-6, or whatever) but you'll have a dropped pressure than what the regulator is set at. Split six times will have more drop than a single line. With a dual regulator, each branch should have a shut-off so you could shut one leg off and just use the other or have the two legs with the same pressure or something different. To be creative, with the dual regulator you could have a distribution block to each leg.

I think the single regulator would serve you fine for the two taps you intend to have.

I have a single regulator with a six way distribution block and it's fine for serving beer.

Thanks! Ultimately I'd like the flexibility of serving at two different PSI (e.g. Belgian strong ale and a blonde, for example), so I think the dual body is the best (only?) want to do that.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I noticed this the first time last week. I think it was the first time i had 2 kegs setup at the same time.

How much over the desired PSI do you normally go?

The regulator is set around 12 psi. I get a good steady pour from this on my system. It'll vary some depending on your set up.

From the distribution block I have six lines about five feet long to the kegs. I'm using 5/16" CO2 hose from Rapids Wholesale. There's a lot of other CO2 hose types out there so stick with what you can find but buy some good stuff made for beer CO2 lines. You'll be dollars ahead buy good hose, the same goes for the beer lines too.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Thanks! Ultimately I'd like the flexibility of serving at two different PSI (e.g. Belgian strong ale and a blonde, for example), so I think the dual body is the best (only?) want to do that.

You won't go wrong having a dual regulator setup - I wish I had one. My single regulator serves beer for me just fine set the same for all beer styles. I know I'll get flak from some for not serving beer at the "proper" pressures but this works for me just fine.

I guess you could use a single regulator, set it for the highest pressure you want for one style of beer then use in inline regulator to reduce the other line. Not sure if that would save any money over a dual regulator unless you already have a single one.

 

[jmstone617]

I ended up going with the dual body. Like you said, it’s as much a matter of preference as anything else. And if you like pouring your Belgian strongs at the PSI you currently have, nothing wrong with that! I just figured if I was going to start off with something, I might as well start off strong