Regulator recommendations for kegerator

[AgBrew12]

Hi ya'll.

I am building my first kegerator and need some advice regarding what type of regulator/line kit I should install.

I would like to have a three line system with the ability to serve two beers and carb a keg on the third line. Is it necessary to get a manifold with 3 secondary regulators so that the two beers being served can be at different pressures? Or would both serving lines at the same pressure be adequate?

I also want to have the ability to add another line or two in the future. What do ya'll recommend? Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Hi ya'll.

I am building my first kegerator and need some advice regarding what type of regulator/line kit I should install.

I would like to have a three line system with the ability to serve two beers and carb a keg on the third line. Is it necessary to get a manifold with 3 secondary regulators so that the two beers being served can be at different pressures? Or would both serving lines at the same pressure be adequate?

I also want to have the ability to add another line or two in the future. What do ya'll recommend? Thanks in advance for the advice!

That is exactly the same setup I have. Are we twins?

The first mistake I made was using the larger diameter beer lines. Too little line friction resistance and foamy pours resulted. Use the smaller diameter lines, and use bev lines, not pvc tubing from the hardware store. Also, after you do the online calculations, add 4 feet to the serving line set length. You can cut it shorter if your pours are dribbling too slow, but you can't splice them larger. You have to replace the entire line.

You CAN use 1,2,or 3 regulators. I choose a regulator set that had a tank gage plus 2 output regulators. That means I *could* carb at one pressure and serve at another. However, I drink slowly so I have both regulators set at the same pressure, using the set and forget method. One regulator is plumbed directly to my "on deck" keg and the other is plumbed through a 2 output manifold to the serving kegs.

Also, be sure either your shutoff valves or your gage set has a check valve. If for some reason your keg pressure goes above the regulator pressure, (like if you're moving lines around after force carbing at a higher pressure) the check valve prevents beer from being pushed back through the co2 line to ruining your regulator and gage.

 

[AgBrew12]

Thanks for your input! What line size would you recommend? 3/8" or 5/16"?

I am leaning towards a similar setup as to the one you describe, with only two regulators. I guess my question is, will I ever really need to serve two kegs at different pressures? I see the typical serving pressure is 8-12 psi. When would you ever want it higher (or lower)?

 

[day_trippr]

Unless you're running really long lines (like 20+ feet) definitely use 3/16" ID line. The only beer line length calculator worth using will tell you why.

And check out our favorite carbonation table to see what CO2 pressure you actually want to use, given your preferred beer temperature and carbonation level (hint: middle of the road is around 2.4-2.5 volumes of CO2).

You need that pressure to plug into the line length calculator to dial in your dispensing system...

Cheers!

 

[Yesfan]

Hi ya'll.

I am building my first kegerator and need some advice regarding what type of regulator/line kit I should install.

I would like to have a three line system with the ability to serve two beers and carb a keg on the third line. Is it necessary to get a manifold with 3 secondary regulators so that the two beers being served can be at different pressures? Or would both serving lines at the same pressure be adequate?

I also want to have the ability to add another line or two in the future. What do ya'll recommend? Thanks in advance for the advice!

How many lines do you see yourself having in the future? That's what you need to ask yourself. If you're starting out with two now, but know you may have the room for say 4 lines, then I would probably look to build for those 4 lines now. For example, (using Keg Connection as reference), a two line gas distributor is about $24. A 4 line is about $20 more. If you could swing it, maybe spend the extra $20 and have the ability of two kegs carbing "on deck" while you're serving the other two (or serve three and carb up one). The thing with a distributor is all the beers coming off that will be at the same pressure. If you use secondary regulators, then you have the freedom to set differing pressures according to style and/or have one or more kegs bursting carbing. A bit more expensive than a simple multiport distributor. Another reason for an extra port is if you intend on using a beer gun to bottle beers.

Another option is a dual body regulator (3 gauges, one high pressure, two low). I have a TapRite and love it. I wished I had bought one when I first started. With mine, I have one line going to a four port distributor to my kegs being served. The other line is for burst carbing. It maybe not be much of a need if you're one that keeps the pipeline full, but if you're like me and you sometimes let the pipeline dwindle a bit, it's good to know you have the option to carb up a keg quicker than with the set and forget method. Something else to think about is where your co2 tank will reside. The biggest negative with a dual body regulator was it ate up a lot of keg space inside the keezer. I also have a rust ring from it on my keezer bottom. It's been since moved out and I have space for almost 3 more kegs. Some folks prefer the tank inside, I'm no longer one of those in that camp.

IMO (if you haven't bought your freezer of choice to be your kegerator), look thought the thread Chest Freezer Specs and Layouts. It's one of the stickies in this section and was a great resource for my kegerator project. Look at what you think will work with you now and how will it will work for you when you want to add more to it in the future. Do you want an upright or a chest freezer? Are your taps going to be in a collar? through the door? Are you planning on using a tap tower? These are questions to consider. See how the pros/cons of those options weigh out on what you want.

Sorry for the winded post, but to put your mind at ease, the best part of my keezer project was the research on what I wanted. The extremely long, but wonderful, "show me your kegerator thread" was a great read too and gave me some ideas on how I did mine. Good luck!

 

[AgBrew12]

Thanks all for the advice, its definitely cleared up a few things.

Yesfan,
I've purchased a top shelf freezer/fridge unit after going through the threads. I liked the look of it the best.

I'm now planning on running two secondary regulators and putting a line splitting manifold on one of the lines. This way, I can serve two beers at one pressure, and utilize the other regulated line for either serving at a different pressure, or carbing.

I am still considering a three regulator manifold however... then have the primary regulator on the tank (outside the kegerator).


Cheers

 

[rtracer]

Here is what I bought to upgrade my single regulator. I am really happy with it.
I have a splitter on one and basically have my setup just like your talking about. I use 9' 3/16th lines and get perfect pours....well unless I overcarb my beer

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060NOX40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Yesfan]

Here is what I bought to upgrade my single regulator. I am really happy with it.
I have a splitter on one and basically have my setup just like your talking about. I use 9' 3/16th lines and get perfect pours....well unless I overcarb my beer

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060NOX40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That's the exact regulator I have. My tank is on the outside, so I have two lines going into my keezer. One line is set to 30psi for burst carbing newly racked kegs and the other line goes to a 4 port distributor set at serving pressure.

 

[ong]

That's also the regulator I use. My main recommendation would be to find a way to secure the tank; mine fell over so many times it smashed up the regulators and required a pretty extensive rebuild.

 

[Yesfan]

That's also the regulator I use. My main recommendation would be to find a way to secure the tank; mine fell over so many times it smashed up the regulators and required a pretty extensive rebuild.

That's something I need to do. Right now, I have a tote full of grain that I use to brace it to the wall. I want one of those wall brackets (if they make them) like you see for fire extinguishers.