Keg Pressure Question...

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Keg Pressure Question...

Posted: 9/26/2017 8:43:51 PM EDT

So my local microbrewery, Wooden Legs, has a reward program through the LoyalTree app. Saved up my points over the past couple of years to get a free 1/6 barrel. Of course, I had to spend almost $200 on this “free” beer for a keg and fittings. To cheap out for the time being I just bought one of those portable cartridge style CO2 chargers. The next time we get it filled I’ll probably get a CO2 bottle and regulator.

My question is, what pressure should I run it at?

Posted: 9/26/2017 10:08:39 PM EDT

[#1]

Just enough to get the beer to flow nicely.

Posted: 9/27/2017 12:23:31 AM EDT

[#2]

If you run it too low, you will be pushing flat beer out of the tap. When you get the reg, set it at the volumes of co2 that makes sense for te style and then run the appropriate length of tube to add enough resistance to keep foaming down. On my kegerator, I run approximately 6 foot lines and 11-12 psi. This balances for my setup, yours may be different.

Using the tap right on the keg will have the beer flying out and foaming. OK for a picnic or bbq but long term, is not ideal.

Posted: 9/27/2017 1:33:09 PM EDT

[#3]

Going to be tough to balance with no beer line.

Posted: 9/27/2017 8:47:44 PM EDT

[#4]

School me on why a direct tap is a bad thing. So far it’s been working out.

I’m not going to attach a tap to the outside of the fridge. I could use a line and a picnic tap but I was advised that picnic taps leak/drip too much.

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:00:16 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
School me on why a direct tap is a bad thing. So far it’s been working out.

I’m not going to attach a tap to the outside of the fridge. I could use a line and a picnic tap but I was advised that picnic taps leak/drip too much.

View Quote

If it works, it works.

But generally it can be hard to balance carbonation and pressure to get a good pour without some beer line. Depends on the beer too.

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:04:10 PM EDT

[#6]

Just to clarify, although I could be misunderstanding here, the beer is already carbonated. The keg was filled from the brewery. I’m just using CO2 to push the beer out. Right?

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:22:05 PM EDT

[#7]

If the brewery kegs the beer at 10 psi, then you need to maintain that pressure to keep the same level of carbonation. You essentially need to push out the beer with 10psi. Each time you pour 16 oz of beer, you need the same volume of co2 at that notional 10psi to keep the remaining beer in the keg at the same level of carbonation provided by the brewery. With a short line or tap directly on the keg, the beer doesnt have the resistance of "fighting" a few feet of beer tube, so it flies out and foams. A long line and the proper input psi keeps the beer at the desired pressure while allowing a good, no foamy, and controllable speed pour.

Since everyone knows about rocket ships, its the same principle that applies to the fuel tanks. An inert gas is pumped into the fuel cell to keep the pressure the same as if it was full of fuel so the rocket doesnt crush, bend or twist.

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:22:08 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Just to clarify, although I could be misunderstanding here, the beer is already carbonated. The keg was filled from the brewery. I’m just using CO2 to push the beer out. Right?

View Quote

Yes, but if you use low pressure to get a good pour with no foam (because you have no beer line), the keg could start to go flat over time as the CO2 in the beer comes out of solution. Probably not a problem if you're going to drink it shortly. You'll notice it if you keep it around for a while.

ETA.

Old trick for short beer line is to put epoxy mixing sticks from the inside of these nozzles into the dip tube of the keg. I forget the size and stock # for Grainger.

Like these.

You cut the tip off and push the inside piece out, sanitize and drop in the dip tube.

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:30:52 PM EDT

[#9]

Hoplite, thanks for the informative post. I believe the employee did mention 10psi.

And, yeah, I don’t plan on letting this last long enough to go flat.

No foaming so far...

Posted: 9/27/2017 9:50:22 PM EDT

[#10]

If you have the room for it, get a 20# aluminum tank. These go cheap on craigslist every now and then, and they can be swapped for a full tank at the welding shop for less than 30 dollars. they last a long time and can be used to force carb your beer, purge bottles, kegs, and fermenters with a beer gun and push beer under pressure. its a lot quicker to carb too by forcing the co2 in at a high psi and rolling the keg back and forth.

Posted: 9/28/2017 3:32:57 AM EDT

[#11]

Flow control faucets work great for those setups. I used to run corny kegs with 6ft of line to balance like others have mentioned.

Now I just run a similar setup like yours, except for stainless fittings and stainless Perlick flow control faucets. I usually keep it at 12 psi but it works great even up to 15psi. I even have a 1.5gal torpedo keg that this works on even though the diptube is only about 6". A 5gal corny has a much longer diptube and in turn more resistance.

Posted: 9/28/2017 8:26:08 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:

Going to be tough to balance with no beer line.

View Quote

I was going to say this. You are going good to need some hose to keep keep the foam down. I have seen those picnic taps and wondered how the foam was kept under control.

Posted: 9/28/2017 12:10:15 PM EDT

[#13]

So what would the experts recommend under the following:

I don't brew and I'm not going to.
I'm not going to drill a hole in my fridge to mount a tap.

I suppose I could do a barbed ball lock connector out, run a length of tubing to a picnic tap, but I don't want to mount anything so I guess it would just lie in a drip container or something.

http://www.cornykeg.com/product/ball-lock-hose-tap-assembly/

Posted: 9/28/2017 12:18:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
So what would the experts recommend under the following:

I don't brew and I'm not going to.
I'm not going to drill a hole in my fridge to mount a tap.

I suppose I could do a barbed ball lock connector out, run a length of tubing to a picnic tap, but I don't want to mount anything so I guess it would just lie in a drip container or something.

http://www.cornykeg.com/product/ball-lock-hose-tap-assembly/

View Quote

Make a small jockey box. (Google it) Or, if you intend to keep buying your beer in kegs, look on Craigslist for a cheap Kegerator. I bought my first one like that for around $100. Homey depot also puts them on sale at Christmas and right after will cut the prices even more until they are all gone.

Posted: 9/28/2017 4:19:24 PM EDT

[#15]

5# tank (or paintball co2 tank, 20oz, 40 oz) and a picnic tap is what i would go with since you dont want to drill any holes into the fridge.

Posted: 9/28/2017 8:13:56 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
5# tank (or paintball co2 tank, 20oz, 40 oz) and a picnic tap is what i would go with since you dont want to drill any holes into the fridge.

View Quote

That’s what I think I’m looking for. How long of a hose?

Posted: 10/2/2017 9:47:33 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
If the brewery kegs the beer at 10 psi, then you need to maintain that pressure to keep the same level of carbonation. You essentially need to push out the beer with 10psi. Each time you pour 16 oz of beer, you need the same volume of co2 at that notional 10psi to keep the remaining beer in the keg at the same level of carbonation provided by the brewery. With a short line or tap directly on the keg, the beer doesnt have the resistance of "fighting" a few feet of beer tube, so it flies out and foams. A long line and the proper input psi keeps the beer at the desired pressure while allowing a good, no foamy, and controllable speed pour.

Since everyone knows about rocket ships, its the same principle that applies to the fuel tanks. An inert gas is pumped into the fuel cell to keep the pressure the same as if it was full of fuel so the rocket doesnt crush, bend or twist.

View Quote

Breweries don't keg to pressure, they keg to volumes I'm most likely reading to much into what you have said.

Example

If I have 7 bbls that I want to carb to 2.5 volumes of CO2
I need to figure out the psi it take for the gas to make it though the carb stone.
Add for the height of the beer in the tank.
Then add the psi of the off a chart with the temp of the beer and the CO2 volume wanted.

The stone I use needs 5 psi,plus the height say 1.2 psi(tank design determines the height),plus 9 psi(off a chart, 33* beer temp and 2.53 volumes)

5+1.2+9=15.2 psi to get the CO2 volume wanted.

If I had 15 bbls only the height number would change.

edit
Never mind, he's talking about pressure in the keg to keep CO2 vol. in the beer.But hopefully you learned something

Look around on line and you will find a lot of sites giving you the info to balance a draft system.

Posted: 10/3/2017 8:45:39 PM EDT

[#18]

Also, FWIW, I literally cannot get the keg to blow foam with the tap directly attached. I may just keep it this way.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Keg Pressure Question...

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