Beginners Guide To Kegging

[Trough Lolly]

Ok, now I'll apologise right now if this has been asked a million times, but I am warming SWMBO up to the idea of getting rid of all the noisy bottles and grolsch stubbies and getting a three tap keg system in the spare fridge in the garage!

Does anybody know of a good URL that can give me a beginners guide to kegging - not so much the work to be done in the fridge, but more of an intro article on how to setup a keg system and not blow myself and the garage up if and when I buy a keg system from the local HBS or one of you guys who sell them? If you have a good web article on installing keg systems in fridges thats great, but I really know stuff all about kegs other than how to grind of the tops off sankey's and turn them into kettles!

Ta in advance!
TL

 

[jgriffin]

Can't give you a URL, but i just installed a kegging system myself yesterday.
Just screw on the regulator (easy, but you need like a 30mm spanner) and stick on the tubing to the outlet. Heat the tubing on hot water to make it soft and easier to put on.
Crimp the little crimp thing - some nail pliers work well.
Drill the hole in the fridge for the gas line - my old frige had an inner steel lining that was harder than ben hur to drill, but the outside casing was easy. Dill a small pilot hole first, and feel around for any gas lines. You are unlikely to hit one, but you know murphy....

Get a 3/4" holesaw for the taps, i bought a new high tensile cutter, and even with my ****** cordless it cut through the door like butter - took like 20 seconds. Make sure you make the taps level with each other, and if you have a freezer on top, make sure the tap doesn't foul the freezer door

Pour a litre or two of boiling water in a keg, shake it, and plug in the tap tubing (carefull of venting steam out of the little valve on the keg). The hot water should provide enough pressure to pump hot water out of the tap (and clean it too!).

If that's good, fill with beer, put on the gas line, and slowly bring up the pressure to check for leaks.
The CO2 canister only has the same pressure as a fire extinguisher, and you can hold on of those when firing, so there's no real danger unless you are looking up close at a joint when it blows. The biggest danger is killing yourself from asphixiation if you breathe too much CO2 in.

I thought it was going to be a hard job, but apart from the little crimp thingies that i didn't have a tool on hand to do, it took like 20 mins and really was piss easy.

Getting the right carbonation level, now that's my current challenge.

 

[JasonY]

TL, I went through the same thing about 6 months ago, this thread has some useful info and links.

One of the main things is the length of you beer line being right for the serving pressure & temp that you want otherwise you will have pouring problems. I am going to get some inline restrictors which are supposed to make it a lot easier and you can then use a really short beer line instead of a 5m one!

Anyway happy hunting. :chug:

 

[RobW]

http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/b....1/fleming.html

 

[Hoops]

I am going to get some inline restrictors which are supposed to make it a lot easier and you can then use a really short beer line instead of a 5m one!

Jason

Are the restrictors you talk of made specifically for HB?
Do you know where you can get em?
Any idea how much?
I have been thinking about something like this for quite a while. Would make a balanced system a lot easier to setup!

Hoops

 

[Boots]

Trough Lolly,

This is one of the better one's I've read, found it on Bodensatz ..

Linkythingy

 

[JasonY]

hoops, speaking to Asher at "BigDs day out in Perth" and he had just bought a couple from Ultimate Air over here in WA. They are setting up a Website but I can't see them on there. I am sure if you call them they can sort it out. I think they are made for any kind of keggins setup be it a bar or home system.

Was going to go there today but ran out of time .... next time I am up that way I will have another look. If Asher reads this he can add to it.