Kegging Setups

[Paul H]

Looks awesome Paul. Got a pic of that room?

Looks really good having a setup like that and I bet that'd be heaps easier to maintain and use than a lot of the custom setups (mine included)

Haven't got one on me however the cream ledge on the left is a servery that goes out to a rumpus room.

I had two 380 litre fridges with taps on the front previously but hadn't got around to plumbing the gas in. Fortunatley my wife doesn't like things being done half-arsed so this was the way to go.


Cheers

Paul

 

[Bribie G]

Paul, I see the liver transplant came good eventually :icon_cheers:

Thirsty Boy
The Caravan pump thing looks brilliant for real ales, how do you attach it to a Corny ? I thought about doing exactly that a couple of years ago but never pursued it. When I was in Cornwall yonks ago I was in a pub in Tintagel and they were serving their St Austell beers direct out of cask on trestles behind the bar using similar little pumps only made out of brass / chrome - never seen it anywhere else but the bar guy says they were used as 'beer thief' pumps because they can be inserted through the spile hole of a cask - thinking about the days when "keeping beers" were matured for months in Victorian Britain, it makes sense. Caravan pump would be very similar in size and action.

 

[Swizzle]

Pleased to announce I've joined the kegging fraternity. A modest fridge conversion, fits 3 kegs and what a joy not to bottle.

Had a function to attend the first weekend the fridge was up and running so I ummed and ahhed about how to get the beer to the function. Considered some kind of funky attachment for the tap on the side of the keg - once removed from fridge door - ice etc etc and decided that the block and tackle and backing the ute into the shed would be much easier. Unfortunately no pics of the fridge on the ute but reckon I'll be right for party invites from now on...

 

[MarkBastard]

That's awesome mate well done

 

[[email protected]]

Well this is my "woeful in comparison to the other setups that are on here" system. However as far as space saving in a small apartment this does the trick wonderfully. If you don't have space for a second fridge I highly reccomend doing something like this.

 

[robv]

Here's my basic setup

 

[Housecat]

Well, here is my contribution to how I dispense my coldies!!

A mate of mine painted it in Coopers Pale Ale colours for me

Mind you, after having a look through this thread, I have to convince the wife that I "need" to upgrade my kit to something a bit more user friendly!



Will take some pics of inside later on to post in here too

HC

 

[DU99]

Brewery..nice range of beer/stout

 

[sav]

Hi Guys,

Thought I'd show off my latest project.
Been working on this for a couple of months now, and I'm very pleased with the final result.
Hope you like it.

Couple of front on shots.

Internals.

Built in temp control.

Back view.

For those with a keen eye, you may notice that the font is made from stormwater PVC fittings.
Hidden underneath is also a timber base with castors so I can move it around.

Let me know your thoughts.
Cheers.
Tim

I am admiring your ideas with the pvc was it hard to screw the taps on and did you fill it to insulate the hoses.

How did you mount it to the table.looks the goods man

sav

 

[MarkBastard]

Got a gas manifold in my bar now, so much better. It's all john-guest too! Just waiting on more John Guest MFL adapters.

 

[samhaldane]

Got a gas manifold in my bar now, so much better. It's all john-guest too! Just waiting on more John Guest MFL adapters.

Aw man that looks great!

I wish I had known you could get that kind of manifold when I set my system up. I would have more skin on my knuckles left intact after trying to get the line onto the barbs

Where did you get it from?

 

[MarkBastard]

Got it from www.chicompany.net

It's 6 way aluminium manifold with MFL ends, shut off valves, integrated check valves.

Then you use the normal john guest MFL adapters that you'd normally use on quick disconnects.

Here's the direct page.

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_p...products_id=364

You can get in heaps of different sizes with or without check valves. Mine is AirDist-O3C03444 6-way, 1/4MFL-SO, w/ Check Valve

 

[Malted]

My beer out QD doesn't like the kegerator door being opened. If there is any side pressure on the beer line it lets air into the line resulting in foamed up beer. Any tips or suggestions?

 

[MarkBastard]

My beer out QD doesn't like the kegerator door being opened. If there is any side pressure on the beer line it lets air into the line resulting in foamed up beer. Any tips or suggestions?

What sort of QD connection? Barbes? MFL with John Guest? MFL with swivel and nut?

 

[samhaldane]

Here's the direct page.

Cool, thanks!

 

[MarkBastard]

Cool, thanks!

They also have similar chromed brass ones. The aluminium ones are made from one piece of extruded metal and I liked the shape and the way it mounts better. I have heard that brass is better though.

 

[Malted]

What sort of QD connection? Barbes? MFL with John Guest? MFL with swivel and nut?

Sorry, seems I used the wrong term/ or didn't provide enough detail. What I probably should have said is 'my ball lock, beer out disconnect, threaded with John Guest'?

You can see the disconnects in this photo below. I now have about 4 meters of beer line between the keg and the tap. The beer line is coiled up and tied to the shelf on the door with about a loop of the coil between it and the keg. I have this 'loop' long enough so that it is not twisting the disconnect when I open the fridge kegerator door. I open the door every now and then (to get stubbies, glasses etc, to put in another keg or a jerry can for crash chilling). I run the reg at about 80 KPA and currently am dispensing a K&K golden ale through Perlick 525ss taps. I think it is 8mm OD beerline. I use a bit of lube on the o-rings of the keg posts.
Hopefully this is enough info to start a bit of a diagnosis?

I notice if you put side ways pressure on the gas in disconnect you can hear gas, psssst, escaping. It seems that if sideways pressure is applied by the beer line to the beer out disconnect, then air can get into the beer line and foam up my beer. It does not seem to be entereing at the JG fitting; it seems to be entereing between the post and the disconnect. The disconnect has to be perfectly up right with no side pressure from the beer line. If I pour a beer with the door open, I can see air/gas getting into the beer line and siplacing the beer. I centre the discconect and the gas gets expelled during the pour (glass of foam) and the line fills with beer. I close the door thinking it is all good and I get foam again once it works its way through.

How do you arrange the beer line in the fridge to stop this? Does it happen to anyone else? Is there a better system than these? Do all disconnects of this style not fit snuggly and tightly over the posts? Could it be that the posts that came with the keg are slightly undersize and thus allow the disconnect to move about a bit once put on?

 

[Jerry]

Malted,

If the disconnect didn't fit the post properly then you would have beer leaking out. Air can't 'leak' into the beer line.

The bubbles you are getting in the line is Co2 coming out of the beer. Your beer is either over or under carbonated.

There is a thread called 'Balancing your kegging system' or something. Sorry I can't remember the exact name; I haven't looked at it for a long time.

Scott

 

[booyablack]

This is the link to the thread that Jerry is talking about:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=24

 

[Malted]

If the disconnect didn't fit the post properly then you would have beer leaking out.

Yes that is irrefutable logic, thank you. You have my permission to call me a tool.

The amount of gas in the beer line just does not seem consistent. Kegging is so far a frustrating experience (but I do not miss washing bottles!). Seems like I have to 'attempt' to balance the system for every brew. I am starting to think that whilst the Perlick taps are terrific, it might be easier to 'balance' the system for every brew if I had flow restricting taps.

Given this information, i suspect it may be overcarbed. Let the burping begin.