New To Kegging! Educate me!

[Jayhem]

I've been homebrewing for 5 years, always bottling.

I picked up 2 ball lock Corny Kegs today and now I'm excited to start into kegging. :rockin:

I need a parts list of what I need to run 2 kegs simultaneously off one, 5 lb CO2 tank.

So far this is my parts list:
1. Taprite 2-gauge regulator
2. 5/16" pressure splitter tee (to run to 2 kegs)
3. (2) ball lock fittings and pressure lines to the Tee
4. (2) beverage out ball lock fittings and hose with hand valves
5. 5lb CO2 tank

My tanks are fully rebuilt all new o-rings.

What kind of tubing is needed to handle the CO2 pressure? Is standard vinyl adequate or do I need reinforced vinyl or silicone?

Am I missing anything?

thanks!

 

[Jayhem]

Anyone?

Best places to order these items online for a good price? I found the Taprite regulator for $64 shipped.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Your list looks pretty complete. Don't forget hose clamps. I prefer the Oetiker style, but regular worm clamps are fine. I'm sure you've also considered what you will use to keep your kegs cold. Also, I highly recommend going with MFL disconnects rather than the plain barbed ones. You'll need to buy swivel barbs if you go that route, but it makes disassembly for cleaning/replacing disconnects so much easier.

Regular 1/4" ID vinyl tubing is all you need for the gas side. For the liquid side, make sure you get 3/16" ID tubing that is made for beer. Barrier tubing is best, but it's a little more costly. I think it's worth it though. Figure 10-12' of 3/16" serving line per tap.

Ritebrew.com is a great source for kegging parts. So is kegconnection.com and Beverage Elements.

For the regulator, consider going with a dual body if you think you would like to be able to carb/serve your kegs at different carb levels. Learntobrew.com has the dual body Taprite for about $95 and they have free shipping if you spend $100.

 

[purplehaze]

You can find most of the equipment on your list, used, for a lot less on the for sale forums or craigs list.

-I would pick up at least two extra kegs so that as one kicks you have another immediately ready to tap.

-I use regular vinyl tubing from a big box store, it is plenty strong enough for serving and force carbing pressures. 10' of 3/16 ID tubing for your beer lines.

-You will also need clamps for all of the hose connections.

-I would invest in a quality CO2 splitter with shut off valves that incorporate a check valve. The check valves wont allow beer to back flow into you regulator.

-Spray bottle with some soapy water to check for leaks.

-Go bigger on the CO2 tank if you can, a second tank is a good idea they always seem to run out at the wrong time.

-If you can go with perlick faucets, they are well worth the added cost in the long run.

Good luck

 

[Jayhem]

Your list looks pretty complete. Don't forget hose clamps. I prefer the Oetiker style, but regular worm clamps are fine. I'm sure you've also considered what you will use to keep your kegs cold. Also, I highly recommend going with MFL disconnects rather than the plain barbed ones. You'll need to buy swivel barbs if you go that route, but it makes disassembly for cleaning/replacing disconnects so much easier.

Regular 1/4" ID vinyl tubing is all you need for the gas side. For the liquid side, make sure you get 3/16" ID tubing that is made for beer. Barrier tubing is best, but it's a little more costly. I think it's worth it though. Figure 10-12' of 3/16" serving line per tap.

Ritebrew.com is a great source for kegging parts. So is kegconnection.com and Beverage Elements.

For the regulator, consider going with a dual body if you think you would like to be able to carb/serve your kegs at different carb levels. Learntobrew.com has the dual body Taprite for about $95 and they have free shipping if you spend $100.

Awesome info!

Are these "MFL disconnects" used to connect the pressure lines from the regulator to the ball lock pressure inlet on the keg? I'm still very new to the terminology of keg components.

I have no need to run 2 kegs at different pressures. I'm only planning to keg my house beers that I brew most frequent. Big beers and specialties will still be bottled for aging.

I have a dedicated beer fridge in my basement that will keep them at serving temp. Eventually I want to convert a chest freezer to storage under my wetbar top with faucet taps on the bar.

For now I just want to get started with some basic equipment that will allow me to force carb and serve 2 kegs at once. Eventually I'll invest in larger tanks, a second pair of cory kegs, nice faucets, etc. Funds are limited on my current budget.

Thanks for the links! Checking those out!

 

[LLBeanJ]

MFL disconnects can be used on both the gas and liquid side. Basically, the only difference between barbed and MFL is the oulet; one is barbed and accepts the tubing directly and the other is a 1/4" threaded male flare fitting, which requires a threaded swivel barb to connect the tubing to the disconnect. The cost of the disconnects is the same, but there's the added cost of the swivel barb if you go with the MFL style. The tradeoff for the added cost is convenience in removal of the hose from the disconnect for maintenance. Assuming that you go with 3/16" liquid and 1/4" gas tubing, you would go one size up on the swivel barbs, so 1/4" barb for the liquid side and 5/16" barb for the gas side, though some folks go with 1/4" barb for both and that also works.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

My 0.02...

Maybe consider a dual regulator instead of a wye. Although not needed 100% of the time, it's great to have when you need to serve at two different pressures or in a carb one serve one scenario.

 

[Jayhem]

Thanks again. I'm going dual regulator eventually but my brother just gave me a working taprite regulator so I'm going to go with the splitter tee for the time being and get kegging this week!

 

[Jayhem]

Wanted to update those who helped me out!

First beer has been carbonated and serving for a week now and it's perfect! I used stainless MFL fittings on both the ball lock ends and the CO2 regulator ends for easy of dissasembly. I used 1/4" and 3/16" ice maker food grade poly tubing for the lines and it works flawlessly and doesn't kink like thin walled vinyl does.
My brother in law got me a FREE kegerator from the country club he works at. It even has a Perlick faucet that works great!