Font Mounted Counter Pressure Filler.

[razz]

Good things come to those that wait!
http://craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=4227

Thanks Ross, top deal! :beerbang:

 

[ekul]

Is there any benefit of a counter pressure filler over carbonator caps?

 

[fraser_john]

Dang, that is pretty good price there Roscoe!

HoppinMad and I found that with his, a champagne bottle fitted with no adjustment or need for an additional adapter. Might have to seriously look at his set up and see if it is something I can add to my serving fridge upgrade as it is wide enough to have all four of my taps in place PLUS the CPBF........so tempting and it would motivate me to get that fridge changed over.

 

[Punter]

Thanks for the heads up with the mistake on the video Florian.
I will redo the vid asap.
Cheers

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Is there any benefit of a counter pressure filler over carbonator caps?

They do different things.
A counter pressure filler lets you fill an already carbed beer from keg into bottles.
A carbonator cap lets you carbonate flat beer in one bottle. It basically turns a bottle into a mini keg.

 

[wrath]

Good things come to those that wait!
http://craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=4227

Thanks Ross, top deal! :beerbang:

Bagged!

Had been tossing up getting one of these lately.

 

[Leigh]

bugger!

Have been looking at getting one of these, but it's a tight week in the pocket...could afford the $50, but not the $100 of spend to get teh discount

Next week would have been perfect!

 

[ekul]

But you could dispense some beer from the tap and then give it a squirt of gas with the carbonator cap to make sure it has pressure. I looked at getting a CPBF for awhile but i couldn't see it having any benefit over the carb caps so i got those instead. BUt the CPBF is more expensive so i assume it has some benefit that justifies the extra cost?

They do different things.
A counter pressure filler lets you fill an already carbed beer from keg into bottles.
A carbonator cap lets you carbonate flat beer in one bottle. It basically turns a bottle into a mini keg.

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

But you could dispense some beer from the tap and then give it a squirt of gas with the carbonator cap to make sure it has pressure. ( I looked at getting a CPBF for awhile but i couldn't see it having any benefit over the carb caps so i got those instead.)

yeah why not. I fill bottles from the tap into pet bottles. works fine for a quick take away. the carb lasts a day or so.

the counter pressure filler might save you from oxidization for longer term storage maybe?

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Cp filler allows you to purge oxygen and fill as many bottles as you have, not just how many carbonator caps you have.

For a few bottles to take away, one of the more usual CP fillers is a PITA, takes a while to set up, ******* to use, ******* to clean... Great for longer term storage, great for beers you want to submit to compsmand be sure they are in tip top shape... Not so good for a few quick fills for a party.

Carbonator caps are pretty good for that (although i always ended up wasting beer trying to dispense into the bottles in the first place) - BUT this CP filler is even better. You mount it permanently on a font, you open up your fridge and snap the filler's QD onto the keg you want to fill from, fill, cap, done. OR, you can have it permanently attached to a keg and have the beer tap running through the filler itself... Then you pour beers through the tap into a glass - and if you want to fill bottles you just use the filler instead.... All taking up only one space on your font or in your fridge door.

And not only is it good for quick party fills - it can do the full oxygen purge that you get with a CP filler, better in fact with PET than you can manage with glass bottles. So longer term storage becomes entirely workable.

 

[Florian]

You can have that T piece anywhere... It doesn't have to be near the filler. I dont have a T at all. My gas line off the regulator is split into 5 lines. 4 for kegs and one for the filler.

No different really, but neater for a fridge instalation if the gas just has one line that needs to come through the door. Depends on your set-up... But as long as the pressure going into the filler is the same as the pressure going into the keg, it doesn't matter where the connection is.

Just to clarify, so you actually don't need that T-piece at all? Just the one line from the gas bottle? Would make filling even easier as you only have to connect the beer QD to the keg, not the gas one as well.

Still haven't set up my new keg fridge, am hoping to get that done this week. Not 100% sure yet if I drill 5 holes and mount the CPBF permanently in the middle or leave it with 4 taps.
The way the shank from the filler is constructed I always thought that the filler comes quite far forward from the fridge and would look a bit stupid. However, have just gone through the packaging again and found a thick rubber ring that might be able to hold the rectangular metal pate tight in place close to the fridge. Not sure if that's what it's made for and if it will hold the filler tight to the door once a full bottle hangs off it.

Any thoughts?

 

[Thirsty Boy]

No, it needs to be connected to the keg somehow too, so the pressures are equal in both the line to the filler and in the keg. My line gas line to the filler comes off the same manifold my gas lines to my kegs come off.. So all the pressures are the same. The filler gets a dedicated line for itself, so it doesn't need to be clicked onto the keg except at the liquid end, but that line comes off the common gas manifold. It could also come just as easily off a second LP outlet from your regulator.

That shaft on the filler is big enough so you can hang 3L bottles out of the filler without them jamming against the wall it protrudes from. It doesn't need to stick that far out and i have no doubt you could fit a shorter shank if you wanted to.

 

[hoohaaman]

Fantastic vids Thirsty,wish they were around when I purchased mine.No instructions and first time using a CPF took some nutting out.

My grasp of Russian improved however,as they were the only source for help at the time

 

[DKS]

Any of you engineering types come up with an adapter to get std glass 750ml bottles onto this baby?
Ive used one for a few months now and I reckon they're the ducks guts for my PETs but would love to fill my dozons of tallies rather than replace them all with PETs.
One of the best bits of gear of got IMO.
Daz

 

[NickB]

Yep, still looking for an adaptor myself Daz.... Keen to hear from anyone who does know of one...

Cheers

 

[bradsbrew]

Now have one of these set up on the empty 5th tap spot on my fridge . Have not used it yet as I still need to run the cleaner keg through it and check off on a few things.

1. Are the seals that come in the little clippy bag spares/replacements or should they be used on instalation?
2. **** , can't remember
3. Actually thats it. Thanks to the posts within this thread.
4. Great vids Thirsty.
5. When I remember 2 I will ask again

Cheers Brad

 

[argon]

Now have one of these set up on the empty 5th tap spot on my fridge . Have not used it yet as I still need to run the cleaner keg through it and check off on a few things.

1. Are the seals that come in the little clippy bag spares/replacements or should they be used on instalation?
2. **** , can't remember
3. Actually thats it. Thanks to the posts within this thread.
4. Great vids Thirsty.
5. When I remember 2 I will ask again

Cheers Brad

Q1. I have them left over in my setup too. Works a treat with no leaks, so can't see a problem not using them now. So i guess that they are replacements.

Too easy to use... almost a joy to do some bottling.


almost.

 

[keifer33]

So with the help of Thirsty Boys videos and Florian's pictures I got my bottle filler all attached and mostly working. So I filled 3 bottles last night for a beer im going to enter into a competition but the bottles have a bit of give in them and aren't rock solid as im used to for my PET's when I bottle condition. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

 

[claypot]

I just bought one of these after a lot of juggling between a mini keg set up, carb caps or this CPF.
Stoked with it, have mounted it into fridge along side other taps.
Just cut a piece of pipe to space it off the door and to enable it to be pulled up tight. ( ether need thin pipe or cut or file to alow clearace at filling bleed barb)
T'ed it into an existing tap.
In regards to making an adapter to fill stubbies and tallies, it was quite strait forward, found a washer that was about 2mm thick and fitted in yoke of CPF. Cut a slot from one side and filed to about 27mm ( the O.D of stubbie and tally below the rim) This was a quick knock up job just to try it out and works fine.
Was going to make another out of heavy gauge as the thin gauge washer spreads a bit after a while and washer is only just thick enough to allow seal to crush on bottle top.
Any way as said I'm very happy with it as the only thing with the keg set up is it's a bit hard to drive the tractor ect with a schooner glass. So I've been just filling up stubbies in stead of pouring a glass when working round the block. Also really good to empty a keg when getting low to fill again with the next fresh brew.
And it looks cool mounted on the fridge!!

 

[Florian]

In regards to making an adapter to fill stubbies and tallies, it was quite strait forward, found a washer that was about 2mm thick and fitted in yoke of CPF. Cut a slot from one side and filed to about 27mm ( the O.D of stubbie and tally below the rim) This was a quick knock up job just to try it out and works fine.

So you're saying you are filling stubbies with it? Please, please post some photos of the setup...

EDIT: Think I understood now, you're using the washer in the bottom of the filler, to 'press' the bottle upwards? Still, photos would be great!