mutiple kegs with only one Co2 tank - question

[saeroner]

So is it ok to turn on the gas, set at 10 psi and pull the gas of and use the tank on another keg for a few days till it carbs up? what if i have 4 kegs and only 1 tank? I guess I have to buy another soon.

 

[jekeane]

http://morebeer.com/products/gas-manifold-4.html

Use a manifold like this.

 

[Rjppunk]

I use a secondary regulator manifold. Look up taprite on eBay to see if you can find something in your price range. I got mine for 100$ and I can have 4 kegs at individual pressures for carbing or serving

 

[Rev2010]

Yeah the regular manifold linked above will provide the same psi to all the kegs. If you need to set different psi levels among them you'll want a secondary regulator like so:

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draf...6&cadevice=c&gclid=CKnx2Jv_i8ICFW5o7Aod8jAAmg


Rev.

 

[dmcman73]

Go for the individual regulators as Rev2010 linked too. I used a singe regulator for two kegs and found out fast two things:

1. You can't carbonate just one keg as both kegs (or in your case, 4 kegs) would get the same amount of pressure and one beer would over carbonate
2. Each beer style needs a different dispensing pressure. What one beer dispenses at with no foam say at 6psi may make another beer in another keg foam out each time you poured.

 

[kh54s10]

Go for the individual regulators as Rev2010 linked too. I used a singe regulator for two kegs and found out fast two things:

1. You can't carbonate just one keg as both kegs (or in your case, 4 kegs) would get the same amount of pressure and one beer would over carbonate
2. Each beer style needs a different dispensing pressure. What one beer dispenses at with no foam say at 6psi may make another beer in another keg foam out each time you poured.

I am relatively new to kegging, but this has not been my experience.

I do 3 kegs through a manifold and the beers carbonate to about the same amount.

I will eventually get a system to carbonate each to style.

 

[dmcman73]

I am relatively new to kegging, but this has not been my experience.

I do 3 kegs through a manifold and the beers carbonate to about the same amount.

I will eventually get a system to carbonate each to style.

When you have one keg that is already carbonated and one that you just finished fermented that needs to carbonate, then it poses a problem. You need a higher pressure to carbonate (there is a chart somewhere) different beers. Once the beer is carbonated at that higher pressure, you then lower the pressure to "serving" pressure as to not over carbonate the beer.

At least this has been my understanding fro some time now.

 

[Fordmi]

As long as your carbonated keg is at the same (relatively the same) as your desired pressure for the one you're carbing you can use the set and forget method and the new beer will carb fine without over carbing the existing. But yeah, if you want to force carb one and serve another off of one co2 tank, you need multiple regulators.

When you have one keg that is already carbonated and one that you just finished fermented that needs to carbonate, then it poses a problem. You need a higher pressure to carbonate (there is a chart somewhere) different beers. Once the beer is carbonated at that higher pressure, you then lower the pressure to "serving" pressure as to not over carbonate the beer.

At least this has been my understanding fro some time now.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

If you are burst carbonating then you will need different pressures. If you set it and forget it then it won't matter. You can carb and serve at the same pressure and temperature. Just pickup a 4-port manifold and brew on!

 

[dnslater]

So is it ok to turn on the gas, set at 10 psi and pull the gas of and use the tank on another keg for a few days till it carbs up? what if i have 4 kegs and only 1 tank? I guess I have to buy another soon.

If you do this, it will fill the head space with 10 psi, which will eventually saturate the beer and equilibrium will maybe make the entire keg 1-2 psi. Maybe if you hit it every day with 10 psi for several weeks.

 

[kh54s10]

If you are burst carbonating then you will need different pressures. If you set it and forget it then it won't matter. You can carb and serve at the same pressure and temperature. Just pickup a 4-port manifold and brew on!

This is what I do usually, I have the pressure at about 10 pounds. It takes a couple of weeks to fully carbonate. To add another keg, just hook up the gas line and open the valve on the manifold. In 2 weeks it will have some carbonation. Timing varies a little.

If you do this, it will fill the head space with 10 psi, which will eventually saturate the beer and equilibrium will maybe make the entire keg 1-2 psi. Maybe if you hit it every day with 10 psi for several weeks.

If you leave the valve open the regulator will keep the pressure at 10 psi.

If you want to burst carb one keg. Close the valve on the manifold that goes to the keg(s) that is already carbonated. Open the valve to the new one. Increase the pressure to 30 psi. Close the valve, return the regulator to serving pressure and open the other valve. You will have to do it again as the co2 goes into solution on the new keg.

 

[dnslater]

If you leave the valve open the regulator will keep the pressure at 10 psi.

Correct, but I was responding to the OP's suggestion that he could hit it with gas then remove it from the gas and let it sit and carbonate.........

 

[hopfool]

Force carbonating my first Corny of high gravity IPA tonight. Guys at the LHBS advised getting the beer as cold as possible (just set it outside since it's right at 32 degrees F. tonight) and then hitting it with 30 psi. Once it stops taking the pressure they said to agitate it for 3 minutes and then take a taste to see if it's enough for that beer. Of course don't forget to turn the pressure way back down for dispensing. Sounded simple enough for getting the CO2 into the solution but I am a bit curious to see what happens when I hook up a 2nd keg of wine coolers that I made for da wife.

 

[Rjppunk]

Really should just look up the chart of temp vs pressure with the zones for beer styles, set it to that psi for the temp, and let it sit for 2-3 weeks. Beats the hell out of flat or over carb'd beer. Pretty sure it's pinned to the kegging forum.

 

[jekeane]

Force carbonating my first Corny of high gravity IPA tonight. Guys at the LHBS advised getting the beer as cold as possible (just set it outside since it's right at 32 degrees F. tonight) and then hitting it with 30 psi. Once it stops taking the pressure they said to agitate it for 3 minutes and then take a taste to see if it's enough for that beer. Of course don't forget to turn the pressure way back down for dispensing. Sounded simple enough for getting the CO2 into the solution but I am a bit curious to see what happens when I hook up a 2nd keg of wine coolers that I made for da wife.

This method is notorious for making over carbed beer.

 

[chickypad]

1. You can't carbonate just one keg as both kegs (or in your case, 4 kegs) would get the same amount of pressure and one beer would over carbonate
2. Each beer style needs a different dispensing pressure. What one beer dispenses at with no foam say at 6psi may make another beer in another keg foam out each time you poured.

When you have one keg that is already carbonated and one that you just finished fermented that needs to carbonate, then it poses a problem. You need a higher pressure to carbonate (there is a chart somewhere) different beers. Once the beer is carbonated at that higher pressure, you then lower the pressure to "serving" pressure as to not over carbonate the beer.

I think you're kind of confusing several separate issues that include 1) burst vs. set-and-forget carbing 2) carbing beers to style, 3) balancing systems. Burst carbing means carbing at a higher pressure than the equilibrium pressure for the carb level that you want, and is done to speed up the carbing process. In that case yes, you need to turn it down to serving pressure after a short period of time or you will overcarb. But as several others have pointed out if you do set and forget and you set the pressure at the equilibrium pressure you don't need a higher pressure to carbonate - the carbing and the serving pressure are the same. So you can certainly carb and serve 2 kegs (or 4) at the same time using that method, as long as you are okay with carbing them all to the same level.

Some people like to carb their beers to style, so for example they might serve a wheat at 3.0 vols and and pale ale at 2.5. For that you definitely need different regulators in order to maintain those different carb levels. This has nothing to do with burst carbing or not, you can still carb and serve at the same pressure with set and forget.

Many folks will carb at the correct pressure for the carb level they want, then turn down the pressure for serving to avoid foaming because their system is not properly balanced. That will decarb your beer over time. The solution is to get long enough lines to support the carb levels you want, then keep the pressure there for the length of the keg.