Hand pump
- Thread starter jbk1968
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rmr9
Well-Known Member
One of the oxebar kegs? If so, sure with a few extra steps. You can run a line from the liquid out, stepping up a few times to get to the 1/2 inch size you’d have on a hand pump. Floating dip tube works just fine.
You’ll need some way to replace volume as you draw out your beer - I’d suggest a proper cask breather or I’ve seen that people use a propane regulator which seems to work fine. Alternatively you could pulse the keg with CO2 while you draw off, but you’d want the pressure low enough that it won’t push the beer up through your beer engine but high enough to replace the drawn off volume.
You’ll need some way to replace volume as you draw out your beer - I’d suggest a proper cask breather or I’ve seen that people use a propane regulator which seems to work fine. Alternatively you could pulse the keg with CO2 while you draw off, but you’d want the pressure low enough that it won’t push the beer up through your beer engine but high enough to replace the drawn off volume.
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rmr9
Well-Known Member
I think you’d be fine to use that as your cask - just replace volume and you’re good I think.
Resist the temptation to pump a ton of pressure into the keg/fermentor as a work around or you’ll end up pushing beer through the engine when you don’t want to!
Resist the temptation to pump a ton of pressure into the keg/fermentor as a work around or you’ll end up pushing beer through the engine when you don’t want to!
If the reason behind wanting to use the hand pump is to avoid buying CO2 and a regulator, I don't think you're going to be happy.
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No, I have the CO2 and regulator. I just prefer a hand drawn pint to one drawn under pressure.
Thanks for the advice
Instead of using a cask breather, you could attach* a mylar (party) balloon filled with CO2 to your "cask" as a headspace expander.
When you pull beer, the balloon will supply the equivalent volume in CO2 to the cask headspace. Everything will be under current local atmospheric pressure.
* Use Eva Barrier tubing for the connection, it has very low O2 permeability.
When you pull beer, the balloon will supply the equivalent volume in CO2 to the cask headspace. Everything will be under current local atmospheric pressure.
* Use Eva Barrier tubing for the connection, it has very low O2 permeability.
DuncB
Well-Known Member
You want a smidge of condition in the beer rather than being at atmospheric.
Hence a cask breather will keep a couple of psi in the fermzilla or a gas regulator can do the same.
The issue you also need to address is once the vessel has pressure it can force through the beer engine.
To prevent this you use a demand valve between the fermenter and the pump.
Another option is to decant a session amount of beer into another vessel of appropriate size.
Then a tube into this vessel and the engine can draw the beer to your glass without above issues or equipment.
Beer into small beer in bag or just a bottle will work.
Hence a cask breather will keep a couple of psi in the fermzilla or a gas regulator can do the same.
The issue you also need to address is once the vessel has pressure it can force through the beer engine.
To prevent this you use a demand valve between the fermenter and the pump.
Another option is to decant a session amount of beer into another vessel of appropriate size.
Then a tube into this vessel and the engine can draw the beer to your glass without above issues or equipment.
Beer into small beer in bag or just a bottle will work.
