Keezer planning; LP or HP secondary regulators? And what brand?

[agrazela]

Just starting to plan out a keezer. I want to be able to keep 4 cornies cold, presumably each at its own carb level based on style, so I suppose I'll want a bank of four secondaries for that.

It seems my options are:

1. Primary on the CO2 cylinder, then low-pressure gas line to a bank of four low-pressure (LP) secondaries. (Seems to be the "standard" method)

2. Skip the primary and use a high-pressure hose directly from the cylinder to a bank of four high-pressure (HP) secondaries.

(These options illustrated by pull-down menus here, for example: )
http://www.kegconnection.com/4-body-secondary-regulator-choose-taprite-or-chudnow/

My main question: which is better and why: primary and a bank of LP secondaries, or hose and a bank of HP secondary regulators?

I've googled this and all I've come up with is that the HP option perhaps gives a simpler "cleaner" build (i.e., less "stuff" in your keezer--my main attraction to it), or that perhaps it more easily lets you run your cylinder outside your keezer (which I likely won't be doing because my dog WILL chew the hose given the chance, keezer will be on the back patio).

But are there other considerations? Is option 1 safer? More flexible for future expansion / changes? Less likely to break / easier to maintain or fix? Some other consideration I hadn't thought of?

Secondary question: assuming somewhere in the range of $200-$300 for the regulator setup, do I want Taprite, Chudnow, or ???
(I am willing to pay for quality, longevity, functionality and ease of maintenance, but not so much for "bling.")

Tertiary question: Is there some other option I'm not thinking of?

P.S. If it matters, I envision starting with two faucets, one for (mostly hoppy) ales and the other for lager/cream ale/kolsch (slightly higher carb'd stuff)...the four cornies being so that I've always got one of each on tap and another of each ready to go. I could maybe see adding 2 more faucets later.

Also if it matters, I am thinking of Perlick 650ss flow-control faucets, if primarily for the ability to easily fill growlers without foaming (and maybe to run shorter beer lines?)...my questions on those faucets will likely be in another thread.

Also if it matters, I could see wanting to maybe add in a counter-pressure filler in the future, if one or another setup will make that easier. I do foresee keeping two 5# CO2 cylinders on hand if that matters to this (or any other aspect of the build), if only so I'm never out of gas.

Also if it matters, I do already have a working Micro-matic 642 primary (and two 5gal ball-lock cornies!) the food lab got rid of when we decided we weren't going to do carb'd beverages anymore (was not my department, sadly):
http://www.micromatic.com/great-products-15-off/double-gauge-co2-primary-premium-series-642

Thanks!

 

[CajunChuck]

I almost went with #2 option but read on a here that most people pressurize and serve around the same PSI roughly using the chart. http://www.brewersfriend.com/keg-carbonation-calculator/

I'm using a 4 block manifold and I'm able to shut off all the valves except for one and carb up a new keg. I have only carbed one keg at a time so far so may be upgrading in the future if I notice my beer is off in the future. I just dial down the PSI when I want to pour a pint.

 

[agrazela]

Thanks for the above, but that doesn't seem to give me what I'm looking for.

Not much response so far. Let me break this down to one question: is there any reason I shouldn't go with option 2, high pressure hose direct from cylinder to HP secondaries?

Edit: ok, 2 questions; is anyone on here running their system that way?

 

[chrismar]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm still in the planning/building stages of my keezer. That is, I've acquired most of the parts and am I'm basically just waiting on a good deal for a chest freezer to pop up.

That said, I went with option 2. My main reason for doing so is different from yours though: I wanted to keep my co2 tank outside of the freezer and wanted to minimize the holes I had to poke through my collar.

I'm far from an expert, but I think there's also less complexity with option 2 as well. Going with option 1 would mean needing to adjust the primary regulator to compensate for a pressure drop when adjusting a secondary regulator (I think).

So long story short: I chose option 2, and in a few days/weeks/months I'll be someone who is running their system that way.

Good luck with your build!