Homebrew from a commercial kegerator

[Kraftwerk]

Newbie Q here: The catering company I am using for my upcoming wedding has a nice kegerator that's currently set up with a Guinness/Harp coupler and a stout faucet, and I'm assuming they don't know much about this unit. I will serve homebrew from a corny and I have two questions:

1. Can I simply replace the stout faucet with a regular one or do I need to worry about all the fittings that attach to the tower?

2. I'm going to their warehouse to check this thing out. What should I bring to make sure it can be easily adapted for serving homebrew? I was just going to bring a faucet and a ball lock quick disconnect with 3/16" barbed fitting attached.

 

[Double-R]

I use my stout faucet by removing the "Restrictor Plate" and "Flow Straightener",they are found in the black spout.
Parts are # 15 and 16 on list.

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/taps-faucets-pid-JESF-4.html

The regulator pictured is for Nitro. Not co2

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

Some of the stuff in the picture looks like it's damaged. I suspect they will want it put back together once you are done. I'd hate for you to get to rebuild their broken stuff for free....

You will need different stuff on the ends of the hoses. What's on there now uses crimp on fittings. It will be a cut them off / grind them off and then re-crimp with new fittings when you are done sort of thing...

Bob

 

[pjj2ba]

There is an adapter that you can buy that replaces the one that connects the beer line to the tap. It has threads that match the threads of the threaded cornie disconnects. You'll need to cut the beer line and add a female threaded connector to the line and then unscrew the old barbed fitting and replace it with the threaded adapter. This allows you to easily switch between the commerical tap and the cornie disconnect

 

[GarageBeerGarden]

I don't know much about the difference in faucets and what you'd need to do with that, but as far as the fittings, Northern Brewer sells a little kit with all of the quick connect fitting you need to easily switch back and forth between the two (corny and sanke). I like to have the option to buy a keg of good beer for BBQ's and what not. That's why I actually just picked up the kit myself. Cheers!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The faucet is easy. You should be able to replace it with a standard faucet in no time flat.

As for the coupler, you'll need to cut their beer line and gas line, reconnect it to your ball lock quick disconnects, and then at the end of the night (or the next day), cut it again and reattach to their coupler.

If you owned the kegerator, I'd suggest that you buy the kit that the poster above me suggests, but since it's theirs, the fact that you might end up cutting 2" of tubing to make the swaps isn't a big deal, and I'd save the money and not buy that kit.

 

[Kraftwerk]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I picked up a stainless faucet and faucet wrench to replace their stout faucet--sounds like that's all I need. I have my own CO2 and regulator so I don't need to cut anything on their end. The beer line is the tricky bit. I can't tell from the picture what gauge tubing they've got coming off the beer out barb (or what size that barb is). It looks wide though, maybe 1/4" or 5/16". LHBS only carries 3/16" barbs for 1/4" swivel nuts, but I did get a 3/16" -> 1/4" barbed splicer and a 1/4" -> 5/16" one. Then maybe I can splice my 3/16" tubing to their fat tube... or if their tube is nasty myabe I'll supply my own 3/16" tubing and tailpiece. Kinda in the dark with all this stuff pls let me know if I'm missing anything critical.

 

[carlisle_bob]

Hi

You are going to need a coupler to go to the keg. The one on that setup only works with a few English beers.

I would not recommend changing the diameter of the beer line. You will create a foam monster. You want to go out of the coupler up to the shank with one piece of tube. Unless you want a *lot* of tube, go with 3/16" id beer line. Something around 10 to 15 feet should work fine.

Bob

 

[troytrojans211]

I can't seem to find any good information on this out there. I'm new to home brewing and I have a commercial kegerator that I need to conver to ball lock. I have the black and gray ball lock connectors. I just need to know what I need to get the gas line connected to the connector and what I need to connect the beer line to the other connector. I'd rather not spend $25 on a whole conversion kit when I think I only need a couple of the cheaper pieces. Can anyone help me with what I need?

 

[hefehawk]

I can't seem to find any good information on this out there. I'm new to home brewing and I have a commercial kegerator that I need to conver to ball lock. I have the black and gray ball lock connectors. I just need to know what I need to get the gas line connected to the connector and what I need to connect the beer line to the other connector. I'd rather not spend $25 on a whole conversion kit when I think I only need a couple of the cheaper pieces. Can anyone help me with what I need?

I was facing the same problem. Here is what I did, since I don't plan on switching back to commercial kegs. I cut the gas and beer lines to the sanke coupler. If your beer line is 3/16 then it will fit very snugly over the 1/4 inch barb on your liquid out Ball Lock quick disconnect. You may need to run the end of the beer line under some hot water to get it more pliable so that it will fit.

If you gas line is 5/16, then you need to get the Gas In Ball Lock quick disconnect with MFL fitting on the end and a 5/16 FFL fitting to screw on the end. This will give you a 5/16 nipple for your gas line.

Here is the MFL and FFL fittings I am describing.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_40_271_275_373&products_id=1273

 

[Raenon]

Cutting lines is a good way to piss off a venue, and it looks like their equipment is already in decent shape (looks like that duct tape is just holding hose up out of the way.)

You want two of these:
http://www.bluelinedraft.com/shop/a...ock-Adapter.html?shop_param=cid=11&aid=14BLA&

This will hook up to the existing "beer nut" (industry standard size) connection that currently screws onto the coupler, and then provide threading to put on your own MFL threaded disconnects (which are cheap, and work with swivel nuts more commonly seen in homebrewing service.)

Get one for gas, and one for liquid, and use quick disconnects on it, and your cornie will fit simply and easily- or only one if you just need their liquid out.
Unless you're comfortable wish serving on nitro with an unknown regulator (which may or my not be precise- stout service would allow a lot more leeway), and may contain either nitrogen or some mixture of nitro and co2.
I'd bring my own CO2 tank, regulator, and gas line.

 

[troytrojans211]

hefehawk & Raenon...thanks for the advice. I'm going to use a combination of both. The beer line I'll just snip and put to the coupler b/c its not a screw. That converter nut is exactly what I need. I've been so frustrated and have all these rubber gaskets and parts and no idea what to do with them all because there are no instructions with anything. Haven't been able to find many answers when searching for them either.

 

[carlisle_bob]

hefehawk & Raenon...thanks for the advice. I'm going to use a combination of both. The beer line I'll just snip and put to the coupler b/c its not a screw. That converter nut is exactly what I need. I've been so frustrated and have all these rubber gaskets and parts and no idea what to do with them all because there are no instructions with anything. Haven't been able to find many answers when searching for them either.

Hi

Beer nuts all get black washers.

Tube all gets hose clamps at the barb.

Beer line is 3/16" ID, you need 10 to 15 feet

CO2 line is 5/16" ID, length does not matter

Try twisting each hose after it's connected. If it twists at the fitting, it's not tight enough.

Everything needs to be cleaned and sanitized before you use it

Keg lube goes on the bottom of the coupler, but not all over the probe.

(you mean those instructions ? ...)

Bob

 

[Kraftwerk]

For the record I am using my own CO2 tank & gas line. For the beer out I simply disconnected their line from the tailpiece (this is done by removing the tower lid) and attaching my own 3/16" line.