HELP! Whats the best way to do a closed transfer of Carbonated beer to keg?

[We2smart]

I am currently cold crashing in my Spike CF5. I have my PRV set to 5PSI to avoid such back. Once I finish, I will force carbonate at 10psi in the CF5 Unitank. I am confused as to the best way to do a closed pressure transfer to the keg using a spunding valve on the keg gas post? Some folks say keep at the same PSI, some say make the keg slightly lower. Then some are applying pressure to the keg during the sanitizing process prior to transfer. So many options bit I can't believe they all are correct. The only thing that makes sense is the sanitizing process. Please advise if you have experience doing pressure transfers between UNITANK(Spike CF5) and Keg

 

[marc1]

When I transfer carbonated beer from my Kegmenter to serving kegs, I vent each a little, then top up to the same pressure and leave the gas on the Kegmenter. Then hook up the transfer line, bleed the air out, and attach to the serving keg. Transfer is started by venting the serving keg PRV a bit. When the transfer slows, I vent again, and so on.

 

[We2smart]

When I transfer carbonated beer from my Kegmenter to serving kegs, I vent each a little, then top up to the same pressure and leave the gas on the Kegmenter. Then hook up the transfer line, bleed the air out, and attach to the serving keg. Transfer is started by venting the serving keg PRV a bit. When the transfer slows, I vent again, and so on.

Thanks

 

[Bobby_M]

If you want to know the ideal way to do it, hook an adjustable pressure relief valve to the gas port of the receiving keg and set it to vent at the same pressure you carbonated to. In the case of the Spike CFs... that's no more than 15. Push the beer out of the CF at 15 psi and set the PRV on the keg to vent at about 13psi so that you have enough differential to have the beer move. This eliminates carbonation loss and foaming completely.

Any other method that vents the keg at unknown pressures, or starts and stops like pulling the vent occasionally will cause some foaming.

 

[marc1]

If you want to know the ideal way to do it, hook an adjustable pressure relief valve to the gas port of the receiving keg and set it to vent at the same pressure you carbonated to. In the case of the Spike CFs... that's no more than 15. Push the beer out of the CF at 15 psi and set the PRV on the keg to vent at about 13psi so that you have enough differential to have the beer move. This eliminates carbonation loss and foaming completely.

Any other method that vents the keg at unknown pressures, or starts and stops like pulling the vent occasionally will cause some foaming.

This would be the ideal way.

In practice, when I vent to fill I don't get much foam. A bit comes out the PRV when it is full, but by then the keg is already very full so it's not a big deal. My beer still has as much head as I desire when pouring, so I'm not losing enough "foam once" proteins in the little bit of transfer-created foam to make a difference.

IIRC there may have been more foaming issues when trying to transfer overcarbed beer, but that is a different animal, and I'm sure the above method would have been the way to go. If you have doubts about it, the spunded small pressure difference would be the safer way to do it.

 

[DuncB]

Just get a height difference with donor fermenter higher than receiving keg.
Receiving keg set it to same psi as donor fermenter.
Liquid to liquid, brief pull of prv in receiving to start the siphon. Then connect gas to gas and pressure will stay equal as the siphon of pressurised beer occurs.