Getting into kegging for the first time. Yay! I am brewing 1 to 2.5 gallons. I've found 2.5 gallon kegs and 3 gallon kegs. Do I need to buy a keg larger than my batch for CO2 space? Or can I brew 2.5 gallons and rack into 2.5 gallon keg?
Kegging space
- Thread starter leirbag
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You should be fine with 2.5 gal kegs. Kegs normally have about 0.3 - 0.35 gal of headspace in the rounded top part of the keg, and this volume is in addition to the stated volume. You don't want the beer level to be above the straight sidewall portion, because if the beer gets in the curved top space, carbonation will take longer (since less beer area is exposed to the CO2 gas. You don't need a specific amount of headspace volume to carbonate.
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william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
And also, if the level of beer gets above the bottom of the gas tube, you can get beer sucked back into your gas system and ruin your gages and regulators.You should be fine with 2.5 gal kegs. Kegs normally have about 0.3 - 0.35 gal of headspace in the rounded top part of the keg, and this volume is in addition to the stated volume. You don't want the beer level to be above the straight sidewall portion, because if the beer gets in the curved top space, carbonation will take longer (since less beer area is exposed to the CO2 gas. You don't need a specific amount of headspace volume to carbonate.
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This is one reason why I always recommend people to have check valves on their gas lines if at all possible. I use Wye's and manifolds, secondary regulators, etc. Before I had check valves, I accidentally had some soda back up into the manifold, and then I watched as it distributed to my other kegs - thankfully I stopped it before it got into the kegs, but it was scary nonetheless.
For me, since I've gone to John Guest fittings for all my gas and beer line, I had to use 1/4'' NPT to 1/4" flare check valves, these are faily inexpensive, about $2 a piece, I believe. I needed over 30 for my gas setups and regulators though, but it was worth the peace of mind.
