Knowing when to stop..?

[opalko]

What is the easiest way of know when to stop filling a corny keg? I usually have more beer in the fermentor than will fit in the keg, and always seem to go a little bit too far filling the keg up. Then I end up making a mess when I have to purge the oxygen out when topping up with CO2. Is there a quick easy way to do this? Right now I have to shine a flashlight in the keg to watch the level of the beer relative to the gas tube...works, but is a hassle.

Cheers!
Roberto

 

[theonetrueruss]

I crash my beer before filling the keg and when I fill the keg I get condensation on the outside. The condensation is usually about an inch or so below the actual beer level so I can just watch the condensation until it starts to get close.. then it's the flashlight for me.

 

[DirtBagRob]

I do the flashlight thing too (I have an led head lamp that makes it a little easier) and I usually fill them about 2" below the gas tube. I always leave a little more beer in my fermenter than I want to but everytime I overfill a keg I get beer coming out the gas in connector into my co2 tubing after the pressures equalize. By underfilling the keg, at least I ensure I'm definitely leaving all of the yeast behind.

 

[RickWG]

do you guys keg in the dark? I've never needed a flashlight to keg.
Do you have to clean out the gas line after the blowback?

 

[jetmac]

Flood with Co2 prior to filling. There should be no Oxygen in it when you're done. Or such a small amount it won't matter.

 

[opalko]

No I don't fill the keg in the dark, but in the basement for me, which does not have great lighting. I'm usually standing over the keg, which blocks the light.

I never get to the point of having beer in the gas line since when I purge the Oxygen out, if I have too much beer in there I won't connect the line and will empty out the excess.

 

[beaksnbeer]

Or bottle a sixer first then?

 

[ibbones]

The last two or three times I was going to keg, I grabbed a six pack of bottles and six Muntons carb drops and bottled a sixer first and then kegged. Just under five gallons in the keg and I have a sample for six months from now.
I usually have 5.25-5.75 gallons in the bucket so no beer is wasted.