Kegging & Misc Question

[brew703]

I've been contemplating getting a Keg setup for over a year now. I really HATE bottling beer.

I'm looking at the 2 faucet kit from Kegconnection. This kit, https://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-fridge-homebrew-kegerator-kit/.

I'll upgrade to a Taprite Dual regulator, probably get a 10lb tank and 2 ball locks.

Are the faucets that come with this kit sufficient to last a year? Don't want to drop another $110 on two faucets.

What are the thoughts about Accuflex beverage tubing? Thinking about ordering 50' just to have some extra. If i go this route, i'll get the John Guest MFL and shank connector which should help in hooking up.

Will the 4 1/8" shank be sufficient for a keezer collar? I would think so if the collar is 2" thick with maybe some foam insulation. that would leave over an inch.

At the moment i currently brew 3 gal batches. I'll probably increase to 4 gallon batches when i start kegging. Will 1 gallon head space cause any issues?

Wort Transfer: Is this just done with a sterile siphon? I believe I saw a post where someone installed a disconnect on the small tube of the orange cap. Would this be the route to go? I know glass isnt supposed to be pressurized so what PSI would be needed to make a closed transfer?

 

[kev211]

Ya those faucets are fine. Theyll definitely last longer than a year. Are they as nice as perlicks? No. Do they work? Yes. (and for the record, adding 2 perlick 630ss faucets to your purchase would be 68$)

4 gallons is fine for kegging, as is 3. Just keep in mind youre gonna go through a bunch more CO2 that route. If youve got the bigger carboy, Id just go bigger.

I know some people do, but I wouldnt pressurize glass. For now, I would stick with siphoning. Maybe in the future switch to plastic carboys or chronicals and try a closed, pressurized transfer

 

[mongoose33]

You might consider getting two tanks instead of one. I know money doesn't grow on trees, but if you have a leak you can have a tank of CO2 disappear overnight. I have a couple 5# tanks and they actually last quite a long time, that in a keezer with 5 kegs on the gas at one time.

The only other consideration I can think of is a follow-on to to Kev211's comments. A year from now, what will you wish you'd done now? I'd get the best quality I could afford now; nothing worse than a year from now deciding to upgrade and then what do you with cheaper faucets?

When I started my keezer I bit the bullet and bought Perlick flow-control faucets. More expensive, yes, but higher quality. Then I added more as my needs grew.

Just a thought. I know all of this is very easy if money is no object.

 

[brew703]

I will be ordering some parts from Ritebrew.

Here's what i decided on:
7.1CFT freezer
2x6 collar
2 Taps
2- 5 gal ball lock kegs
1- 10 lb co2 alum tank- (may go with 2 5lb tanks if i can find a good deal)
Accuflex Ultra bev line

With that said, here's a link to the cart with items I've added. If there are any items i need to add, please let me know. If there are any items not needed, please let me know.
Want to make one order so trying to get it right.

it#843426 shank assembly x2
it#843456 tailpiece x2
it#843481 JG adaptor x2
it#843483 JG adaptor x2
it#843158 Intertap faucet x2
it#843206 Growler Spout
it#843187 Growler filler
it#843628 Regulator
it#843413 swivel nut

 

[kev211]

Only 2 taps on a 7cf? That seems like the freezer is a bit excessive. Will you be spacing them to be able to add more in the future? If you don't plan on adding anymore in the future why not just get a prefabricated kegerator?

 

[Sbe2]

I started on the same path as you 3 month ago. I wound up parting the keg system out. The main reason was the fact that no-one refills CO2 tanks around me, they just exchange. I would suggest trying to find an old tank on CL and exchanging it at a weld shop. Or else, they will give you an industrial looking tank for your shiny new homebrew tank.

I didn't have the funds to do the whole collar and faucets so I bought two picnic taps with two kegs, a 7.1 cf freezer, and everything to get the kegs operational. Soon I will be building the collar with 2x8" with 4 holes for taps and lay foam behind them until I am able to purchase the taps I want.

 

[mongoose33]

Only 2 taps on a 7cf? That seems like the freezer is a bit excessive. Will you be spacing them to be able to add more in the future? If you don't plan on adding anymore in the future why not just get a prefabricated kegerator?

Yep--when you install them, measure out for as many as 5 taps. Put a tiny dimple on the collar where each additional one should go, so you don't need to futz around with measuring when it comes time to add more.

Another thing: you need washers for the tailpieces and the nuts to hold them on there. I don't know how long your shanks are, but I'd be doing 4" at minimum.

Finally, here's a pic of my early keezer, and after the existing faucets had a couple of offspring:

 

[brew703]

Only 2 taps on a 7cf? That seems like the freezer is a bit excessive. Will you be spacing them to be able to add more in the future? If you don't plan on adding anymore in the future why not just get a prefabricated kegerator?

Yep, mainly due to cost. The difference is only $20 or so. I figured i would go with the larger one just in case i opt to add any taps down the line.
But I do have a 5.1 CFT that I use for my fermentation chamber so i may switch them as I need more space to ferment and use the 5.1 for my keezer.

 

[brew703]

I started on the same path as you 3 month ago. I wound up parting the keg system out. The main reason was the fact that no-one refills CO2 tanks around me, they just exchange. I would suggest trying to find an old tank on CL and exchanging it at a weld shop. Or else, they will give you an industrial looking tank for your shiny new homebrew tank.

I didn't have the funds to do the whole collar and faucets so I bought two picnic taps with two kegs, a 7.1 cf freezer, and everything to get the kegs operational. Soon I will be building the collar with 2x8" with 4 holes for taps and lay foam behind them until I am able to purchase the taps I want.

I thought about the picnic taps but after pricing out everything, there wasn't much difference in price (under $50 if i remember correctly).
So i figured i would get what i want upfront instead of the extra expense down the road.

 

[brew703]

Yep--when you install them, measure out for as many as 5 taps. Put a tiny dimple on the collar where each additional one should go, so you don't need to futz around with measuring when it comes time to add more.

Another thing: you need washers for the tailpieces and the nuts to hold them on there. I don't know how long your shanks are, but I'd be doing 4" at minimum.

Finally, here's a pic of my early keezer, and after the existing faucets had a couple of offspring:

View attachment 416745

View attachment 416746

As for the nuts/washers, are those still needed if i am using John Guess fittings to connect my lines? I know a nut is needed to secure the shank to my collar, which i believe is included with the shank.

Nice keezer BTW. Similar to what i envision.

 

[brew703]

Yep--when you install them, measure out for as many as 5 taps. Put a tiny dimple on the collar where each additional one should go, so you don't need to futz around with measuring when it comes time to add more.

Another thing: you need washers for the tailpieces and the nuts to hold them on there. I don't know how long your shanks are, but I'd be doing 4" at minimum.

Finally, here's a pic of my early keezer, and after the existing faucets had a couple of offspring:

View attachment 416745

View attachment 416746

as for the shanks, i'm going with the 6" ones just to be on the safe side.
Do you feel the flow control faucets are worth the extra money? Flow control would only be good for filling growlers? or so you really need to control the flow when pouring? Just seems like it's not needed. I'm planning on just the regular Intertap faucets.

 

[Konadog]

As for the nuts/washers, are those still needed if i am using John Guess fittings to connect my lines? I know a nut is needed to secure the shank to my collar, which i believe is included with the shank.

Your shanks should come with all the hardware you need to mount them, and your JG fittings take the place of the tail piece on the shanks. If you look close enough, you can see all of it on mine. BTW, there 4 inch shanks.

 

[brew703]

Your shanks should come with all the hardware you need to mount them, and your JG fittings take the place of the tail piece on the shanks. If you look close enough, you can see all of it on mine. BTW, there 4 inch shanks.

Thank you. Thought the shanks came with the hardware. I wanted to go with 5" shanks but RiteBrew doesn't have them. It's either 4 or 6" so figured I would go with 6".

 

[Enemygod]

as for the shanks, i'm going with the 6" ones just to be on the safe side.
Do you feel the flow control faucets are worth the extra money? Flow control would only be good for filling growlers? or so you really need to control the flow when pouring? Just seems like it's not needed. I'm planning on just the regular Intertap faucets.

They are not needed, but they come in handy! I have 3 flow control Intertap faucets that I wish I had just bought right out of the gate. Would have saved me on the crappy regular ones that stick like crazy.

Anyway, I highly recommend the flow control ones. They are great for growler fills, but can also come in handy if you accidentally over carb a keg.

 

[mongoose33]

As for the nuts/washers, are those still needed if i am using John Guess fittings to connect my lines? I know a nut is needed to secure the shank to my collar, which i believe is included with the shank.

Nice keezer BTW. Similar to what i envision.

You need something to attach the tailpiece to the shank. A nut to secure it, and a washer to seal it.

This:

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843462.htm

and this:

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843468.htm

 

[mongoose33]

as for the shanks, i'm going with the 6" ones just to be on the safe side.
Do you feel the flow control faucets are worth the extra money? Flow control would only be good for filling growlers? or so you really need to control the flow when pouring? Just seems like it's not needed. I'm planning on just the regular Intertap faucets.

BTW, go with Konadog's approach to the tailpieces if you are using the John Guest fittings.

Think twice about the 6" shanks. They'll stick out further into the keezer, making it harder to move stuff around, pull out kegs and so on. I would think 4" shanks would be plenty long enough. They are for me, going through 2 1/4" of collar.

As far as flow control, yes, i do think they're worth it. I have Perlick flow control on mine; a buddy has the intertaps. The intertaps seem to work ok.

Where the flow controls shine is when you're filling growlers or bottles from the tap. I use the growler filler to fill bottles and I can control speed of fill very well with them. The first one is always a little foamy but it cools off the faucet allowing subsequent ones to be poured easily. I always draw a pint for myself as reward for bottling. That also chills the faucet.

 

[mongoose33]

As long as two of you are on this journey, let me reference a thread I did a couple months back about a keezer I helped my son build. The collar just sits on the freezer mouth, sealed on the bottom by pickup truck camper top tape. The collar and lid can be lifted off as one unit. That makes it much easier to move, and the freezer can be returned to freezer duty if I ever want to do that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=632550

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Do yourself a HUGE favor. Start with sanke kegs...Cornys are a homebrew "thing" that has stuck around from when homebrewing first started. They're made for soda not beer. There is a reason EVERY single beer in the country comes in a sanke keg...there better.
Get flow control when you can afford it and youll be all set.

 

[djsereno91]

My two cents on the taps... when I built my kegerator I upgraded immediately to the SS perlicks, even though the tower I purchased came with the cheaper taps similar to what you showed.

About a year later, a buddy was building a kegerator so I gave him the ones I didn’t end up using. They worked for about a month, then started getting so sticky that you had to put so much force to open it that it felt like the handle was going to break. Ended up swapping out with some perlick knock offs that worked way better and we’re about $10 cheaper.

If you take them apart weekly to clean, then maybe they work fine. I’m glad I went straight to perlick though. Worth the extra money in my opinion. If the kit you are buying comes with taps, then try those out and upgrade if needed. If you are purchasing taps separately, I’d go straight to the perlicks (or at least a perlick style of faucet). As far as flow control goes, I haven’t had a real need for one of those yet.

 

[brew703]

As long as two of you are on this journey, let me reference a thread I did a couple months back about a keezer I helped my son build. The collar just sits on the freezer mouth, sealed on the bottom by pickup truck camper top tape. The collar and lid can be lifted off as one unit. That makes it much easier to move, and the freezer can be returned to freezer duty if I ever want to do that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=632550

Thank you sir. I appreciate the info and link. I actually saw your post as I'm trying to get some ideas what I want as for as a keezer. I'll bookmark it as I'm hoping to having my keezer up and running before year end.

 

[Konadog]

The collar just sits on the freezer mouth, sealed on the bottom by pickup truck camper top tape. The collar and lid can be lifted off as one unit. That makes it much easier to move, and the freezer can be returned to freezer duty if I ever want to do that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=632550

I did the same on the collar, pickup camper top tape on the collar to freezer, and moved the hinges from the freezer to the collar. Lid still opens and seals, and if needed I can put it back to stock with no damage.

 

[brew703]

My two cents on the taps... when I built my kegerator I upgraded immediately to the SS perlicks, even though the tower I purchased came with the cheaper taps similar to what you showed.

About a year later, a buddy was building a kegerator so I gave him the ones I didn’t end up using. They worked for about a month, then started getting so sticky that you had to put so much force to open it that it felt like the handle was going to break. Ended up swapping out with some perlick knock offs that worked way better and we’re about $10 cheaper.

If you take them apart weekly to clean, then maybe they work fine. I’m glad I went straight to perlick though. Worth the extra money in my opinion. If the kit you are buying comes with taps, then try those out and upgrade if needed. If you are purchasing taps separately, I’d go straight to the perlicks (or at least a perlick style of faucet). As far as flow control goes, I haven’t had a real need for one of those yet.

Thanks for the info. I am undecided if i will just buy a kit from Kegconnection and upgrade the faucets at that time. if i were to go that route I'll probably go with the CMB faucets.
I have been looking at Ritebrew's site and their pricing is really good and they have most of what i want. They also ahve the Intertap faucets, both regular and flow control. So i may end up getting most of what i want through Ritebrew and get the kegs from Kegconnection.

 

[Sbe2]

I thought about the picnic taps but after pricing out everything, there wasn't much difference in price (under $50 if i remember correctly).
So i figured i would get what i want upfront instead of the extra expense down the road.

Can't argue with that

 

[brew703]

Trying to finalize my list. Is a gas distributor needed? I'm getting a taprite dual regulator so not sure if a gas distributor is needed. The regulator has two valves so would that prevent any beer backing up into my regulator or is the gas distributor used for that?

 

[kev211]

Trying to finalize my list. Is a gas distributor needed? I'm getting a taprite dual regulator so not sure if a gas distributor is needed. The regulator has two valves so would that prevent any beer backing up into my regulator or is the gas distributor used for that?

Not needed since youre getting a dual regulator. And it wont prevent beer from backing up into your regulator. If you were getting a single regulator or were running 3+ taps then it would be needed. You can also always add one in the future if you decide to add more kegs/taps

 

[brew703]

What is the best way to clean keg lines? Can you run Oxy then flush w/water then with Starsan or Saniclean? All of the online places sell a kit. Is that really needed?

 

[mongoose33]

What is the best way to clean keg lines? Can you run Oxy then flush w/water then with Starsan or Saniclean? All of the online places sell a kit. Is that really needed?

Use BLC (Beer line cleaner). Such as you might get from here:

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/883174.htm

Here's a post showing how I do it; there are myriad other ways people use, but basically they're a variation on this theme (as mine is a variation on theirs):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7653432&postcount=26

You can also review this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=8015867

And here's a thread showing how to build your own hand-pumped line cleaner:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7648785

 

[brew703]

Everything is ordered except the freezer and CO2 tank. Hope i didnt forget anything.
Getting the tank Friday when i make the 1 hr trip to the LHBS.
Freezer probably next month. So hopefully I'll be set up before Christmas.

 

[brew703]

Another question regarding sanitizing kegs.

I use only StarSan. No issues so far but it does foam a bit which is a PITA.
Looks like Saniclean is StarSan w/o the foam. Would Saniclean be a better choice over Iodophor?

 

[mongoose33]

Another question regarding sanitizing kegs.

I use only StarSan. No issues so far but it does foam a bit which is a PITA.
Looks like Saniclean is StarSan w/o the foam. Would Saniclean be a better choice over Iodophor?

Don't fear the foam.

In fact, I'm loving the foam. When I purge a keg prior to racking beer into it, that keg at first has star-san in it (5-gallons worth). I use CO2 to push that Star-San out into another keg which will be the next one I fill with beer.

It's always an issue how to get all the air out of the keg I'm pushing the star-san into. What I do is when the first keg is out of Star-San, I start to get bubbling into the second one. I let it bubble and foam up until it comes out of the mouth of the keg. I'll dip the keg lid into the foam, inside the keg mouth and let more foam up and out until it is completely filling all nooks and crannies.

Know what's in those bubbles? CO2! So by letting bubbles fill everything, the underside of the lid and so on, I've completely purged the keg of air. Then when I push that star-san into another keg later, I have a keg completely purged of air.

Don't worry about Star-San. There's a reason so many use it.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I used Starsan once...once. Total foam explosion.
I run BLC every once and a while. A bottle lasts a long time. The bigger bottle last me a couple years.You don't need to clean the lines every beer...or even close to that. I do a deep clean ( dosaasamble faucets, soak tap ETC. every couple months. The water/ BLC mix I soak everything in always looks clean when I'm done like they really didn't even need a cleaning

 

[kev211]

Don't fear the foam! Foam is part of the cleaning process. It's fine to have in there. StarSan is non toxic in smaller quantities. What are smaller quantities? I've sucked back half a gallon of starsan into a 5 gal batch. Tasted fine and nobody died

 

[brew703]

Ok. Guess I'll not worry about the foam.

 

[brew703]

I used Starsan once...once. Total foam explosion.
I run BLC every once and a while. A bottle lasts a long time. The bigger bottle last me a couple years.You don't need to clean the lines every beer...or even close to that. I do a deep clean ( dosaasamble faucets, soak tap ETC. every couple months. The water/ BLC mix I soak everything in always looks clean when I'm done like they really didn't even need a cleaning

BLC isnt a sanitizer right? I do have some BLC on order.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

BLC isnt a sanitizer right? I do have some BLC on order.

Its an acid as far as I know. You don't need anything else. Its good stuff. Run it through and then flush with water...Not sure if it would be considered a sanitizer

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Don't fear the foam!

You don't have to fear it but you don't have to like it either

 

[kev211]

You don't have to fear it but you don't have to like it either

Dont judge me!

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, BLC, LLC, and likely most other beer line cleaners, are caustics not acids...

Cheers!

 

[brew703]

I have read several posts regarding Accuflex & Bev Seal Ultra beer line. It appears no one can pin down the correct line length. I ordered 50' of Bev Seal with the intent on cutting each at 12' that way i would have enough for 4 lines (two spares).

I've read where some lines call for approx 1' per PSI- I will probably run a max of 12 PSI for all beers so that would put me at 12' for each line.

Would that be a good starting point or should I cut longer and trim down?

 

[Konadog]

Freezer probably next month. So hopefully I'll be set up before Christmas.

Wait until one of the holiday sales at best buy or other suppliers. You can save big $$$ by waiting. I had picked up a 10.2cf freezer for $199.99 durring a 4th of July sale.