Installing a Secondary Regulator

[tflew]

I recently purchased a Micromatic Secondary Regulator and I want to install it in my 3 keg keezer. I currently have a manifold that comes off the primary regulator outside the keezer and sends the CO2 to the 3 kegs. I want to be able to force carb one keg while keeping the other two kegs at serving pressure. Is the best option install a tee with a checkvalve before the secondary regulator, use that to carbonate, and have the output of the secondary go to the manifold?

Or is there a better option?

 

[Rockn_M]

Maybe something like this: http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/regulator/secondary/T1683ST_three_product_secondary_regulator.shtml

 

[tflew]

I already bought this http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/regulators-pid-8011.html from someone here on HBT and I'm not looking to gang different regulators together at this point. If I unscrewed the pass through cap on the left of the secondary regulator...is the pressure coming out whatever the secondary regulator is set to? Or does that somehow bypass the secondary regulator and is set to whatever is on the primary regulator?

 

[LLBeanJ]

Is you secondary regulator a single body? If so, then what you described sounds like what you would need to do, since you'll need to have higher pressure coming from the primary to supply the secondary. So, you set your primary at, say, 30 psi for burst carbing and feeding the secondary, which would be set at 10-12 psi or so for serving/maintaining carb level.

Edit: I see that your secondary is indeed a single body, so what I wrote above is valid.

 

[tflew]

So what I described with the tee is the way to go then? Thanks for the input.

 

[LLBeanJ]

So what I described with the tee is the way to go then? Thanks for the input.

I'd say it would be fine. One thing I'd also do is put a shutoff valve (either on a manifold or a tee or wye fitting) in front of the disconnect that you'll be using to burst carb so you can shut off the gas when that line is not attached to a keg. Without it, a leaky disconnect can drain your CO2 tank in a jiffy.

 

[Rockn_M]

If I understand correctly you have a co2 manifold from the co2 tank, then you want to hook that regulator up to one of the manifold outs to control the burst carbing of 1 keg and leave the other 2 the same psi? The pressure coming out of the manifold will be the max that your pressure can get. Your burst carbing regulator will only get up to that psi. If you have your manifold set at 30 psi then yes it would work.

In my opinion you would only need the 3 product regulator coming off the co2 tank. You can then manage each keg at different psi without having to hook up extra equipment. You wouldn’t need the manifold or any other regulators.

 

[LLBeanJ]

In my opinion you would only need the 3 product regulator coming off the co2 tank. You can then manage each keg at different psi without having to hook up extra equipment. You wouldn’t need the manifold or any other regulators.

This is true. However, OP already purchased the single body secondary and I'm guessing he doesn't want to have to go out and now buy a 3 body regulator, so he's trying to make do with what he has. Buy, yeah, what you're saying would be the best case solution.

 

[LLBeanJ]

If I unscrewed the pass through cap on the left of the secondary regulator...is the pressure coming out whatever the secondary regulator is set to? Or does that somehow bypass the secondary regulator and is set to whatever is on the primary regulator?

I missed this part of your question before. The pass-through on the secondary regulator will be regulated from the primary.

Edit: You could also attach another secondary regulator to the pass through. That's really all multi-body regulators are: a series of single body regs attached in-line.

 

[tflew]

I attached pictures of the two regulators and the manifold. So I could just screw in a check valve on the pass through of the secondary and that will be the 30psi I set the primary to and from the output of the secondary I could have connected to the manifold to set my serving pressure? Does that seem right

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[LLBeanJ]

You got it.

 

[tflew]

Great. Thanks for the help

 

[tflew]

Here's how I ended up setting it up. The clear gas tube with the quick disconnect is at 30 psi carbonating away. Thanks for all the help I'm happy with how it turned out.

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