Easy ( poor mans ) CPBF

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simplefisherman

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So here is my system for filling PET bottles, you can fully purge the bottle with co2 then fill with beer with no foaming up and loss of carb.
You need a carbonation cap, I use one of the blue plastic jobbies, haven't seen one of the ss ones but sure you can use them the same. I then have a tail piece made up with a gas qd on one end and liquid qd on the other. This tail has about 3-400mm of vinyl hose (because its more flexible and just pushes on to the qd barbs ). Then a length of the good beer line ( 5mm id, 8mm od andale stuff is what I have ) which jams into the bottom of the carb cap hole, and cut to reach just to the bottom of the bottle being filled. I have one cut to fit 750ml pet and one for 2l pet bottles.
So you screw on the lid with tube inserted into the bottle, connect to gas, this pressures up the bottle to what your reg is running, then unscrew the cap just enough to crack the seal, and allow gas to purge the bottle. When you're happy just tighten up again so it's purged on positive pressure. Now remove from gas line and hook up the tail to keg,and bottle. Now just crack the lid again slowly and beer will flow into the bottle. Control the flow by loosening / tightening cap until full. When its full, ( go slow as you near the top! ) remove gas qd and you have a full bottle with no exposure to oxygen and no loss of carb.
I usually let it settle for 30 secs or so then slowly remove carb cap and quickly replace with normal cap.
Things to watch out for;
- if you see foaming up in bottle, close lid up to just a trickle and it will push the foam down.
- I have noticed the poppet on the carb caps sometimes dosen't seal properly, not too much of a problem when its just gas but if it was when beer is in bottle it could be an issue if it's spraying everywhere. Just make sure poppet is seated properly when you remove gas line and you'll be fine.
- I'm still working on a way to do glass bottles, best idea so far is to cut the top off a pet and try to push it onto the glass bottle, but visions of beer going everywhere have stopped me experimenting on that so far.
- make sure you remove a qd before removing carb cap or it'll be a beer shower for you.
- hopefully my dodgy explanation hasn't made it seem too complicated.
- check out the photo for another 1000 words...
I've had beer in these bottles for a month or so and no problems, really can't see why there would be any deterioration over longer term.
Well hopefully somebody could find this useful, cheers...
 
Here's a photo to make it less confusing?

IMAG0442.jpg
 
Absolutely brilliant Simplefisherman. Brilliant.
 
Great idea! Can you show us how you attached the filler tubing to the blue cap?
 
Now that i've figured out that by 'connect to gas' you mean actually connecting you gas bottle with a gas QD to the blue carb cap i think it's a brilliant idea. Thought i mention it in case someone else is equally slow as me this morning.
i somehow thought you connected the tail piece to gas, which obviously wouldn't work.

good thinking and fairly easy to execute!

In theory, if you have purged your bottle properly, you wouldn't even need the tube inside the bottle, just like the commonly available PET CPBF doesn't have one. With equal pressures, slow speed and no oxygen present you won't have much foaming. But i get why you put it in, definitely gives some peace of mind.
 
It took me three reads this morning too, but now that I understand it I have to say that is a brilliant idea and one I will be executing very shortly!
 
Have to admit I too wasnt sure of the exact process. But yeh now I get it, brilliant. Ive been looking at a lot of these DIY CPBF ideas. Dont have a need to fill shit loads of bottles from the keg as I brew 25 litres, keg 19 and bottle the rest. But sometimes you run out of bottles and want to give a couple to your peeps and homies.... :D
 
Wolfman said:
Great idea! Can you show us how you attached the filler tubing to the blue cap?

The andale 8mm od hose just pushes in snugly, don't need anything special to make it stay in.
As Florian stated, you don't really need the hose in the cap, but when filling soda from keg without it, I noticed a bit of liquid carried out with the venting gas.
If you're drinking the beer right away you don't really need to purge the bottle, and if you don't like the person you're giving the beer to ( or filling soda bottles...) just hook up the tail straight away, the pressure will equalise about 1/3 full and carry on from there.
Cheers. Thought people entering comps might find it handy cos there's no loss of carb and no worries on oxidation when bottle gets warm.
 
Just tried to make one of these with the SS carbonation cap and no good. The one I have you need a shifter to undo it. Oh well will get a plastic one I surpose.
 
Wolfman said:
Just tried to make one of these with the SS carbonation cap and no good. The one I have you need a shifter to undo it. Oh well will get a plastic one I surpose.

Could you find a different diameter bit of hose which fits in the ss cap? Even just 5cm long, or give it a go without the hose. Not sure what you need to undo...
 
Sorry mate should have provided more info. Th SS carb cap I have you need a shifter in order to fully tighten it. When I put the gas DC on I can not open to purge as the shifter won't fit under the DC. Will just have to buy one of the plastic carb caps.

Cheers
 
Hey Wolfman

Perhaps I've got this totally wrong and apologies in advance if I have.

I don't understand the need for a spanner with the disconnect. As I see it, when the pet bottle is connected to the carbonator cap (which is then connected to the gas QD), you purge by slightly and slowly unscrew the pet bottle by hand until you're happy the oxygen is all expunged. Then tighten the pet bottle back up by hand and then swap for the liquid QD and begin filling with beer

Or are you saying that you need a spanner to disconnect the carbonator cap from the QD?

Hope this helps

Cheers
 
Simplefisherman, you just saved me about 60 bucks! You sir, are a champion!

Cheers!
Jono
 
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