Best Way To Setup 2 Kegs

[jkeysers]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I searched and searched and couldnt find anything.

I recently was gifted with a keg setup from some mates (it was a wedding present, the Mrs loved it, haha), and was planning trying to set it all up right this weekend (drill holes for taps etc). They gave me the works, fridge, 2 taps, 2 kegs, gas cylinder, everything I need to get started. So far I have put just the one brew through it and its almost gone. I have had the brew in one keg, in the fridge, and have just been using the other keg to rinse the lines with hot water (and sometimes line cleaner) when i'm done. Ive just been pouring the beer with the tap hanging loose (like a gun), which has been a pain to say the least.

The fridge (just) fits the two 19L kegs in it. Ideally, I'd like to have 2 different brews in the fridge, coming out of the 2 taps, and the gas bottle sitting next to it.

Now my questions are;

Is it safe to drill in the side of the fridge to put the gas line through? I'd heard I can damage the fridge. It is an older fridge btw.

Is there a work around for rinsing the beer lines without having to use one of my 19L kegs?? I'd love to have the 2 kegs full of beer in the fridge, and have just a little 5L keg (or whatever other line-cleaning method) sitting on top of the fridge with some kind of rinsing solution to hook up to when I am done. I know then I still have to unhook the lines and hook them to that, but yeah, at least then I have 2 beer kegs. How do you guys rinse your lines? I feel like I am missing something obvious.

What do I need to run 2 kegs of one gas bottle?

I'm just after general advice at this point. Wanna learn all I can before I start drilling holes.

Thanks!

 

[razz]

G'day dude. It might be trial and error with the side of the fridge, I think other people on here have done it. Why don't you run the taps out the fridge door, that's the most common way to do it. As far as cleaning lines goes I do it when ever I empty a keg then both taps and lines get flushed through with a warm solution of napisan. I also keep the taps plugged when not in use and give them a spray with idophor after use.
PS. Sorry forgot to comment on the gas line, I got a 6mm tee piece from the plumbing shop and split the gas line with it.

 

[FazerPete]

Hi Chicken

It's all quite simple really so don't panic. I managed to get mine all set up with no previous experience in about 20 minutes. In answer to your questions:

Is it safe to drill in the side of the fridge to put the gas line through? I'd heard I can damage the fridge. It is an older fridge btw.
- Yes. Just check that it's not the side with the electicals. You can usually tell this by where the thermostat is placed inside the fridge. Make sure you only drill the hole to the exact size of the line to ensure that it is reasonably sealed.

Is there a work around for rinsing the beer lines without having to use one of my 19L kegs
- Yes. I only clean my lines each time one of the kegs is empty (about every 2-3 weeks for me). I've found that this is frequent enough because the beer line is at fridge temps which should reduce bacterial growth.

What do I need to run 2 kegs of one gas bottle?
- Simple! Just switch the disconnects to the other keg when you want a change. You could run multiple taps but that can get a bit expensive.

 

[jeremy]

Hey mate,

As others have said, when you empty a keg, put the cleaner in that, run it through the lines, and then refill the keg with beer. Ive been doing this for 12months with no probs at all.

Sounds to me like you want to run two kegs (through two taps). The cost in doing this is with the extra tap only. To run gas to two seperate kegs at once you just need a t-piece gas line connector, and enough gas line to run to the t-piece from the gas bottle, and to each of the kegs from the t-piece. I bought a gas connector like this from Andale, and from memory it cost about $3. That could be wrong, but I dont think it would be far wrong.

Good Luck.

Jeremy.

 

[jkeysers]

razz - I think ya misunderstood me, I might have been unclear, I do wanna run the taps off the door, but I thought it would be best/easiest to run the gas through the side of the fridge, so I can keep it connected pretty much permanently (to both kegs if possible). I read in the kegging wiki that permanent gas connections are OK.

So its OK to not rinse the lines but I have to do something to the beer tap itself when I'm finished? Not sure I follow there.

FazerPete - When you say thermostat, I assume you mean the little knob thing inside the fridge that controls the temp? Could be a bummer, coz I think its on the side I'd hoped to drill on. Ah well.

I already have the 2 taps, so running 2 beer lines shouldnt be too expensive, just need another line. Its more the gassing of both kegs I was concerned about.

jeremy - I will look for one of these T-pieces, cheers. I guess the problem I will run into is if I have 2 different beers that need different gas requirements, as I'd hoped to just leave everything connected and turned on. To quote the wiki "Once it has reached it (carbonation) it won't get any fizzier, and it won't use any more gas - it has reached equilibrium." I like the idea of just leaving everything connected and turned on for quick and easy use when I want a beer.

to all - I honestly had no idea I could just rinse the line every month or so when a keg got finished. (How long is too long by the way?) I have been doing it after every beer drinking session! Thats gonna save me a lot of hassle. Does the beer that is in the line keep alright? Or should I just be pouring out the first little bit?

Thanks heaps guys!

 

[Guest Lurker]

They might not admit it, but I think you will find that there are plenty of keggers in this forum who rinse out there beer lines much less often than every month. I maybe do it every 3 months. For the beerline which is in the fridge and between the keg and the tap, it is pretty much an extension of the keg, its at the same pressure and temperature. No need to throw away the beer in the line, unless it has developed lots of bubbles and pours as foam.

Although it is usually safe to drill the side of a fridge, there are some models that have refrigerant lines in the side wall, and there are a couple of horror stories about drilling in to them posted on this site somewhere.

 

[FazerPete]

FazerPete - When you say thermostat, I assume you mean the little knob thing inside the fridge that controls the temp? Could be a bummer, coz I think its on the side I'd hoped to drill on. Ah well.

I already have the 2 taps, so running 2 beer lines shouldnt be too expensive, just need another line. Its more the gassing of both kegs I was concerned about.

Yep that's the one. It's a law of averages that the wiring for the thermostat (or little knob thing if you want to get technical) should be on the same side. It may not be though. As someone said, it's a little bit of pot luck but what you could do is drill through the outer wall very carefully and have a look inside with a torch to see if there's anything in the way before you go all the way through.

If you already have 2 taps then it's easy and won't cost you much at all so you can disregard what I said before.

 

[razz]

As far as cleaning the tap goes I spray the idophor, at the end of each day that I've had a beer, into the tap. This keeps away those pesky little flies. I got two of those red plastic caps from Craftbrewer to put on the taps when I'm finished. I leave the gas connected all the time, I run a balanced system.

 

[FazerPete]

I leave the gas connected all the time, I run a balanced system.

razz, do you leave the gas turned on all the time? I always turn mine off when I've finished because if the disconnect or the line somehow jumped off it would empty the cylinder pretty quick. I've heard of it happening and to me it's the same principle as turning your BBQ cylinder off: much safer.

 

[Wortgames]

ILC - most fridges have the evaporator coils in the freezer compartment, or as a separate vertical plate against the inside back wall. So the side walls are USUALLY clear of refrigerant lines... usually...

If you just want a quick and easy solution, run the gas line in through the top of the door. It'll leave a bit of a gap in the insulation, but it's hardly going to render the fridge ineffective. The advantage with this is that you can just use the same line for things like force carbonating and transferring between kegs without having to drag everything right up to the fridge and leave the door open. Running it through a hole in the fridge kind of pins you down to a tight location, unless you leave heaps of slack inside the fridge.

Don't worry about separate gas pressures just yet. Get a $3 plastic T and be happy. You need a dual reg (or a primary reg and a secondary reg) to run 2 different pressures, at probably the best part of another $100. Then you need 2 different serving lines to match the 2 different pressures. It can be done, of course, but there's no reason to worry about it right now.

 

[razz]

When you know how much force it takes to push gas line onto a fitting I doubt that it could jump off, although strange things do happen. I have left my cylinder turned on for months at a time an never had a problem. I also leave it on to carb up new beer that has just been kegged.

 

[jkeysers]

Thank wortgames, I think I will do just that, go and get me a T-piece this weekend. Do I put the t-piece at the gas bottle and run 2 lines into the fridge? Or can I put it inside the fridge, thus only having to drill one hole (if i do drill that is).

razz - I like the idea of just plugging a new keg in to the gas, and within a few days I have a choice to make!

Out of curiousity, those of you who do leave your gas connected and on (like you razz), what pressure do you have it at? Is it the same throughout from plugging it in to carbonate it til the end of the keg? Or will I have to adjust the pressure as I go? I know pressure varies from beer to beer, most of what I brew tends to be pretty standard, easy drinking stuff. No heavy ales or stouts or anything. More commercial tasting beers that the mates (and wife) can drink too.

 

[Wortgames]

Put the T wherever you want it - you just need to get the gas from A to B and C.

I run a bit under 100kpa (about 14psi) and most folks probably do the same. You certainly don't want to adjust the pressure as you go! Once the system is balanced you want to (everybody now)...

STOP SCREWING WITH THE REG

:beer:

 

[FazerPete]

I run my gas pressure much lower at around 40 kpa which is gives me a good head without froth going everywhere. I think it depends on a number of factors such as the type of tap, the length of the beer line and temperature of the beer. I had to experiment a little to get it right but as razz said, once you find the right pressure, don't change it.

 

[razz]

Just for the record I run the system at 100kpa, chest freezer at 2-4 degrees, 5mm beer line at 3.3 mtrs or 4mm at 2.4 mtrs. I have 8 kegs, so when I keg a new beer it can sit connected at 100 kpa and I leave it for at least 4 weeks.