Kegging Solutions

[brewcat]

I'm just getting into kegging and have been acquiring equipment. But now I need some ideas/solutions to a few issues I'm trying to sort out.

#1 - While sourcing co2 I found 20 lb tanks are the minimum around here. Not necessarily a bad problem. I think it will be a great way to go, but originally I was planning for less. Now I'm going to have to drill some holes for two gas lines in the fridge (dual body taprite regulator):

• I know I need some sort of connection through the fridge instead of running line straight through. What am I looking for?
  
• Any good ideas to secure a 20 lb tank? I'd rather not find out what tipping one would do.
  
• Any extra support for the regulator necessary?

#2 - I have a bitter at its 3rd week of primary. What would you do? Let it ride another week or start carbing at room temp while getting the fridge setup.

This kegging is getting expensive and design intensive.

 

[brewcat]

Maybe a moderator can move this to the DIY kegerator forum.

 

[m00ps]

#1) You can either drill a hole and have the CO2 tank outside your fridge. Or you can put it int he fridge with the kegs. Either way, it wont affect the psi you set it too. Bit of adivce though, if you put it in the fridge the gas dial will drop and maybe even almost look empty. This is normal and due to the gas volume going down when cold. You cant rely on those gas level gauges when cold

If you have a 20lb tank, itll beheavy enough to support the rotational moment created by the regulator being hooked on. My 5lb tank can barely stand up (I lean it against something) and my 10lb tank sits solid

#2) 3 weeks in primary? Keg it definitely. I keg my beers (lower OG ones) at 14 days usually. It will continues to condition in the keg too. Almost like a secondary. To carb at ROOM TEMP, youll need like 30psi. Then vent it off and set to ~12psi when chilled

 

[brewcat]

I'm thinking a 20 lb won't fit once the regulator is attached plus having a couple kegs. So I was looking for options on having it outside. I see hose splicers and bulkheads. I'm unsure of where to start with connections and clamps. Would having spliced or quick disconnect gas hoses affect how the regulator reads?

I'll have to look into carbing at room temp. Then at least I can get the co2 going and see my setup better. And then see what other questions come up.

 

[doug293cz]

I'm thinking a 20 lb won't fit once the regulator is attached plus having a couple kegs. So I was looking for options on having it outside. I see hose splicers and bulkheads. I'm unsure of where to start with connections and clamps. Would having spliced or quick disconnect gas hoses affect how the regulator reads?

I'll have to look into carbing at room temp. Then at least I can get the co2 going and see my setup better. And then see what other questions come up.

Connections in your gas lines will not affect your CO2 pressures.

Brew on

 

[raouliii]

I know I need some sort of connection through the fridge instead of running line straight through. What am I looking for?
....

I originally used a brass pipe nipple for my through-wall CO2 connections. The nipple was terminated with FNPT(female national pipe threads) to MFL(male flare) elbows. I use swivel nuts and nylon washers on all of my beer and gas hoses, which reduces the chances of leaks greatly. I use a manifold inside the kegerator, which is located in my garage.

I found the brass pipe nipple transfered a lot of heat and sweated at the exterior wall and drew humidity in, creating puddles outside as well as inside the kegerator. After some investigation, I converted to a thick walled PVC pipe nipple, which has a much lower heat conductivity coefficient than brass. No more sweating and no puddles.

YMMV

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Nipple sweat problem, Eh...........

 

[Yooper]

I'm thinking a 20 lb won't fit once the regulator is attached plus having a couple kegs. So I was looking for options on having it outside. I see hose splicers and bulkheads. I'm unsure of where to start with connections and clamps. Would having spliced or quick disconnect gas hoses affect how the regulator reads?

I'll have to look into carbing at room temp. Then at least I can get the co2 going and see my setup better. And then see what other questions come up.

You don't have to use a connector. What I have is my 20# tank and regulators outside the fridge, then I just used a 1" hole saw to drill through the fridge. I will say that you have a great risk of hitting a line in the fridge, ruining it, so I went through the bottom of the door, knowing there are no lines there. For one line, I added a distributor, so I can have four kegs at the same pressure (my fridge holds 6 kegs).

I insulated around the drilled hole with a gasket, and that works out just fine.

 

[jmcquesten]

You don't need connecters. Here's what I did:View attachment 1433469495781.jpg
I carefully drilled holes and fitted rubber grommets for the lines to run through. Originally I had the secondary regulator inside, until I got the 4-regulator taprite setup. It wouldn't fit inside with 4 kegs, so I went with this. The one line that's not evenly spaced was the original hole. It bothers me that it's not spaced the same as the other 3,but not enough to drill a 5th hole.

 

[jmcquesten]

Also, just upgraded to 630s... They are so nice.

View attachment 1433469928811.jpg

 

[brewcat]

I went and got my 20 lb tank. I'll probably just run my gas hoses straight through. Then maybe change it later once I get the hang of the system. I think in my setup the gas hoses would get in the way at the door. At least I can kind of see the system now.

Question about the tank. Should I quickly open it and close it before connecting the regulator? I'm getting two things said. Open it and blow any dust out. Don't open it without a regulator.

 

[jmcquesten]

Don't open the tank, no real reason. Also, I like having my regulators outside the fridge, it makes for easier adjustments.

 

[brewcat]

Good deal. Maybe I can get my kegs cleaned tonight.

 

[MrCrisp]

I know I need some sort of connection through the fridge instead of running line straight through. What am I looking for?

Here is another option that could be used as a pass through:

http://www.homebrewing.org/14-MFL-Bulkhead-Adaptor-4-Long_p_3373.html

http://www.homebrewing.org/Bulkhead-adapt-14-mfl-2-78L_p_3576.html

Then you need the Barb/FFL adapters and gasket/washers:
http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843413.htm
http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843414.htm

OR get fancy for easy disconnecting utility lines:
http://www.homebrewing.org/Plug-Adapter-14-FFL-x-1932_p_4637.html

http://www.homebrewing.org/Used-Cornelius-Gas-Keg-Post-1932-18_p_4086.html

Using these you can make it a ball/pin lock connection to your refrigerator that can easily disconnect and attach to an external keg for purging, force carbing, etc...

This may be more than you're looking for but I hope it helps.

Edit: Full disclosure, I haven't actually tried these options but I cant immediately foresee why they would not work unless your refrigerator wall is much thinner than the length of the shanks...in which case you can get more rubber washers to pad the space but that might look ghetto. Otherwise this is pretty close a brass pipe and nipple solution which I use.

 

[brewcat]

You don't have to use a connector. What I have is my 20# tank and regulators outside the fridge, then I just used a 1" hole saw to drill through the fridge. I will say that you have a great risk of hitting a line in the fridge, ruining it, so I went through the bottom of the door, knowing there are no lines there. For one line, I added a distributor, so I can have four kegs at the same pressure (my fridge holds 6 kegs).

I insulated around the drilled hole with a gasket, and that works out just fine.

How is that if you needed to open and close the fridge more often?

I'd like to run two hoses on the same side as the handle so the tank could be in the corner. And I'm liking the idea of just running the hoses direct. I'm thinking I'll probably just have to do a little probing through the plastic first.

 

[bondra76]

I bought a commercial kegerator used for restaurants - it has a hole in it for the gas line. Where in comes into the kegerator, the hose is firm there with a bunch of plumbers putty around it to seal.

Probably not the $100 right way solution, but that's the commercial "quick and easy" way

I did put a quick connect on my gas line and love it. I usually will take my gas off for parties etc so having the quick connect on their really is great for me.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Drill a hole and stuff the gas line through it. Silicone caulk both sides afterwards.

Ta da!!!


Kegging is too expensive to sweat the small stuff...

 

[brewcat]

Have one hole ready. Made a hole with hobby knife on the inside plastic. Once through, probed around. Then used a spade bit just to remove the plastic. Got the foam out of the way and used a 7/8'' hole saw. Now I'm wondering about a couple things:

Would it be better to have two separate holes or one bigger one? I'm guessing two hoses may fit through 1'' pvc which would probably be like a 1 5/16'' hole. Or just use a 1 1/4'' hole saw. If I did two I'd probably need a 1/2'' or so separating the holes. Seems you probably would get a better seal with two separate entries which makes me lean towards making another hole.

Anything to cover the inside foam? I'm thinking maybe a foam pipe hose or something around the gas hose. Maybe a rubber grommet.

I was hoping to get things going tonight, but maybe I can get it so at least the fridge is pretty much ready.

 

[brewcat]

Things are ready to go. Should have probably marked the 2nd hole so it was straight with the first. Just eyeballed it and it ended up a 1/4'' inch or so higher. Oh well only I will know. Ran the hoses through and stuffed pipe insulation foam on both sides. Should be completely sealed once I get some rubber grommets. Next up...clean a keg, then sanitize and transfer beer.

 

[brewcat]

Well...Bitter is kegged. Probably took me as long as bottling, but kegging is new to me. The only reason it took as long is because I cleaned, rinsed and sanitized before racking. Bottling I have a system. Anyways hooked up at 10 psi. Pretty excited. I'll get more practice kegging this weekend with a wheat.

Anybody have a good idea of what to do with party taps? I'll hook it up in a week or so to check how the carb is coming. Need to hang it or something. Maybe some command hooks...

 

[brewcat]

A week later and I'm drinking the bitter. Already good carbonation. Actually turned it down to 8 psi so it doesn't get too much more. Have a wheat kegged at 10 psi and will check it Sunday.

What I did/learned:

• I'm happy I was forced to a 20# tank. It should last for awhile and it forced me to put it outside the fridge. It is also nice and stable.
  
  
• I just ran the two gas hoses through the side of the fridge. Stuffed pipe insulation around the hose into the fridge on both sides. Then sealed with rubber top hat grommets. It is insulated and allows me some movement with the hose on both sides. Also I can pretty easily remove the hoses from the fridge if necessary.
  
  
• Next up is getting some faucets. For whatever reason I wasn't getting a perfect seal between the hose and party tap. A hose clamp and it is good to go.

Thanks everyone for the help. It has been a learning experience.

 

[jmcquesten]

I have a couple extra faucets if you're interested. They won't come with shanks or handles, but it's a start. They aren't fancy perlicks, but they work. I upgraded mine and don't need these. They were recently rebuilt with all new o-rings. Let me know.

 

[brewcat]

I have a couple extra faucets if you're interested. They won't come with shanks or handles, but it's a start. They aren't fancy perlicks, but they work. I upgraded mine and don't need these. They were recently rebuilt with all new o-rings. Let me know.

Thanks for the offer. At the moment I think I want perlicks with flow control. So hopefully I only have to install once and get years of use.