Keg Bigginer Questions

[ford-ute]

Hi guys i just have a question about kegging i have just got my first keg setup and was wondering after i have part drained a keg do you leave the gas connected or should you disconnect the gas my theory is that if you leave the gas connected even at 100 kpa discharge pressure if you left it 1 week and then came back to it it would be very highly carbonated as the gas slowly disolved into the beer and if you do disconect the gas should you vent the pressure so could you guys please let me in on how you guys let me know how its supposed to be done (i work away alot and if i have not finished a keg it could be 3 weeks till im home again to finnish it)

 

[tdack]

Hi guys i just have a question about kegging i have just got my first keg setup and was wondering after i have part drained a keg do you leave the gas connected or should you disconnect the gas my theory is that if you leave the gas connected even at 100 kpa discharge pressure if you left it 1 week and then came back to it it would be very highly carbonated as the gas slowly disolved into the beer and if you do disconect the gas should you vent the pressure so could you guys please let me in on how you guys let me know how its supposed to be done (i work away alot and if i have not finished a keg it could be 3 weeks till im home again to finnish it)

I leave mine connected all the time. If I'm going away for more than a couple of days I'll turn the gas off and disconnect the kegs, but that's mainly for safety rather than any other reason.

 

[Offline]

The carbonation level will reach equilibrium dependent on temperature and pressure. So once you have selected the carbonation level and temperature you want to drink your beer at you can determine the pressure required.

Now if you leave the gas on and your beer becomes more carbonated over time it is because it hadnt reached equilibrium yet (i.e. your pressure might be to high). You also cant tell if you have a gas leak and may lose gas over time

On the other hand if you turn your gas off and the gauge pressure drops it tells you one of two things
1. You had not reached equilibrium yet, as more gas is absorbed causing the pressure to drop
2. You have a gas leak in your system.

If the gauge stays the same with the gas off then everything is good.

Offy

 

[cooperplace]

HI,

I fill my kegs with beer, put the top on, push in CO2 under pressure and release x3 to get rid of oxygen in the headspace, connect CO2 into "in" (it doesn't need to go to the bottom of the keg), pressurise to 40-45psi (sorry, I'm showing my age), shake moderately (rocking from side to side) while slowly counting to 100. With CO2 under pressure all this time. This is on a cold keg. If warm beer, give it a bit more.

Leave it overnight in the fridge to settle. It is of little relevance what the pressure in the headspace is. Next day release whatever head pressure there is, apply 6-8psi, pour yourself a beer. Enjoy. If it needs more, give it a bit more. If it has too much, relax, your first few jugs will be lively but it will settle down, and next time back off a bit on the CO2. Trial and error; it's not rocket science.

Been doing this for years.

good luck,

Peter

 

[ford-ute]

thanks guy i was just wondering if the beer will keep absourbing co2 if left at a small pressure. I am priming my kegs with sugar to give it the initial cabonation and then i will be getting it cool and just use the co2 to dispence. i will probably try force carbonation but for now since i have always bulk primed my beer for bottling and have that carbonating at the level im happy with so its just easy to keep that up and just rack into kegs

 

[Jakechan]

thanks guy i was just wondering if the beer will keep absourbing co2 if left at a small pressure. I am priming my kegs with sugar to give it the initial cabonation and then i will be getting it cool and just use the co2 to dispence. i will probably try force carbonation but for now since i have always bulk primed my beer for bottling and have that carbonating at the level im happy with so its just easy to keep that up and just rack into kegs

Butters mentioned just the other day that when bulk priming a keg you need to use half the sugar you would normally use per volume when bottling. Might pay to find this and have a read.

Cheers,
Jake

 

[Supra-Jim]

Most of the US recipes i have read mention 3/4 cup of corn syrup/sugar to prime a 19 ltr keg.

:icon_cheers: SJ

 

[pixelboy]

So thats about 120gms of DEX? Or is my conversion a bit wacked?

My kegs should arrive today, both fermentors are full so i'll force carb one and prime the other.

Seems a few others diving into kegs atm, the comments here have been very helpful, thanks :beer:

 

[chappo1970]

So thats about 120gms of DEX? Or is my conversion a bit wacked?

My kegs should arrive today, both fermentors are full so i'll force carb one and prime the other.

Seems a few others diving into kegs atm, the comments here have been very helpful, thanks :beer:

Actually Tod (Welcome btw) your correct 120-130grms of dex will do it.

 

[Offline]

thanks guy i was just wondering if the beer will keep absourbing co2 if left at a small pressure. I am priming my kegs with sugar to give it the initial cabonation and then i will be getting it cool and just use the co2 to dispence. i will probably try force carbonation but for now since i have always bulk primed my beer for bottling and have that carbonating at the level im happy with so its just easy to keep that up and just rack into kegs

To find out what pressure is giving you your desired carbonation. You can, after it is primed and cooled to your desired level, plug it in to your co2 with the gas bottle tap off. The pressure on the gauge will your desired pressure. If you set your regulator to this pressure your carbonation lever should remain the same weather you leave the gas on or not. Plus you can use this value to force carbonate as well, to the same level.

There is plenty of info here about priming in kegs. Just remember that the lids will sometimes not seal until they have some pressure behind them, this can be a problem when you are not force carbonating as the co2 only builds up slowly.

 

[buttersd70]

There is plenty of info here about priming in kegs. Just remember that the lids will sometimes not seal until they have some pressure behind them, this can be a problem when you are not force carbonating as the co2 only builds up slowly.

Yep, I always purge the keg with co2, then give it just a squirt for positive pressure.

And you do only use half the amount you would for bottles.....for anyone with beersmith, you can demostrate the 1/2 prime equired for yourself....just open any recipe, and in the carb section, just change from 'corn syrup' to 'kegged with corn syrup', and look at what happens to the weight required.

 

[pixelboy]

Thanks Gents. The first to be primed is an English ESB so I might start even lower, approx 80-90gms.

I'm guessing if you come in a bit flat after sugar priming you can "top it up" with some high pressure co2 for a couple of hours?

 

[muckey]

You can top up if you wish but that's unnecessary. Just leave it on at serving pressure and it will soon sort itself out

 

[buttersd70]

Thanks Gents. The first to be primed is an English ESB so I might start even lower, approx 80-90gms.

I'm guessing if you come in a bit flat after sugar priming you can "top it up" with some high pressure co2 for a couple of hours?

No need to top this up....it will be hideously overcarbed.....unless you like your bitters at over 3vol.

 

[pixelboy]

well that was interesting...

beware n00b alert!!!

1. I cleaned and sanitied the keg and racked an APA from primary to the keg.
2. Connected the sodastream adapter to the harris regulator, co2 spews out everywhere from the sodastream->adapter join.. even when super tight. So I put some thread tape on it and tried again.. a good seal.. I think.
3. Made sure the regulator was off.. closed is anti-clockwise right?
4. So I Connect to gas inlet to purge the air in the keg (burping?). As soon as I connect the coupling the left guage springs up to max.. > 6 bar. I release the pressure with the thing on top of the keg and guage goes down... then springs up to max again. All this time I think the regulator is closed ?
5. So I released pressure a couple of times and purged the air and then put it in the fridge.

I was planning to force carb it tomorrow when it chills...

What Im not sure of is, was I right that clockwise is OFF on the reg and if so why was the pressure so great? and how will I match the pressure for force carbing?

Do I need a washer between the sodastream bottle and the adapter?

Thanks in advance

 

[bradsbrew]

With my reg anti-clockwise with gauges above, so turning towards the gauge with keg pressure is off. If its gone to 6 straight up thats alot of pressure in the keg.

Brad

 

[clean brewer]

well that was interesting...

beware n00b alert!!!

1. I cleaned and sanitied the keg and racked an APA from primary to the keg.
2. Connected the sodastream adapter to the harris regulator, co2 spews out everywhere from the sodastream->adapter join.. even when super tight. So I put some thread tape on it and tried again.. a good seal.. I think.
3. Made sure the regulator was off.. closed is anti-clockwise right?
4. So I Connect to gas inlet to purge the air in the keg (burping?). As soon as I connect the coupling the left guage springs up to max.. > 6 bar. I release the pressure with the thing on top of the keg and guage goes down... then springs up to max again. All this time I think the regulator is closed ?
5. So I released pressure a couple of times and purged the air and then put it in the fridge.

I was planning to force carb it tomorrow when it chills...

What Im not sure of is, was I right that counter-clockwise is OFF on the reg and if so why was the pressure so great? and how will I match the pressure for force carbing?

Do I need a washer between the sodastream bottle and the adapter?

Thanks in advance

1. Thats the Way
2. Get a spray bottle with a little detergent in it and fill with water, spray this anywhere that gas could escape, if it bubbles up after spraying, gas is leaking still.
3. Yes
4. Left gauge shows the amount of Gas in Bottle

To force carb, at say 300kpa, you need to turn the knob on the regulator clockwise until the needle on the right gauge is up to 300kpa.. For dispensing say at 70kpa, you need to adjust the knob anti-clockwise until the needle drops to 70kpa..

 

[bradsbrew]

1. Thats the Way
2. Get a spray bottle with a little detergent in it and fill with water, spray this anywhere that gas could escape, if it bubbles up after spraying, gas is leaking still.
3. Yes
4. Left gauge shows the amount of Gas in Bottle

To force carb, at say 300kpa, you need to turn the knob on the regulator clockwise until the needle on the right gauge is up to 300kpa.. For dispensing say at 70kpa, you need to adjust the knob anti-clockwise until the needle drops to 70kpa..

Just went and double checked my harris reg gauge on Left is keg pressure, Gauge on Right is bottle pressure.

Brad

EDIT= That is when gauges are at top.

 

[bradsbrew]

With the leaking, did you use the washer that comes attatched to the box.

 

[pixelboy]

With the leaking, did you use the washer that comes attatched to the box.

Umm no, that's what its for hey :huh:

Thanks brad, yes it works much better, I think ive gone thru a whole sodastream bottle already and I havent force carbed yet.

But its a lesson learnt.

Thanks all.