Kegging - Vacuum

[roger mellie]

I have steadily become more and more obsessive with reductive beer making - especially my kegging techniques. Mainly this is purging / flushing keg/hoses/filter/pump with CO2 before I keg. I think it definitely increases the freshness and longevity of the beer.

This has me thinking.

If all we are really trying to do is exclude Oxygen - why not buy a cheap vacuum pump and evacuate the whole lot. Indeed - what about using a bleed valve to modify the vacuum and suck the beer through the filter into the keg once it has all been vacced out?

There are issues with imploding the Corny to consider - possibly also the filter may not function the same - has anyone toyyed with this idea. I would have thought a cheap vac pump would be less than a perestaltic.

Just pondering

RM

 

[Guest Lurker]

How ya gonna get the lid to seal with negative pressure?

 

[roger mellie]

How ya gonna get the lid to seal with negative pressure?

Good point - but not insurmountable. I have 'modified' some of my lid clamps so that they are pretty tight - with one of those squishy O-rings and a bit of lube maybe?

or maybe have a lid especially for this that goes in upside down

I dunno - its probably a spectacularly crap idea and I will just get more anal with CO2 purging.

RM

 

[Doogiechap]

I've got an old fridge compressor that has been modified into a vacuum pump waiting for such a use. The idea of the reversed lid may help to get things happening. RM you are welcome to borrow the pump if you want to take this further .
Cheers
Doug

 

[roger mellie]

I've got an old fridge compressor that has been modified into a vacuum pump waiting for such a use. The idea of the reversed lid may help to get things happening. RM you are welcome to borrow the pump if you want to take this further .
Cheers
Doug

Cheers Doug - A fridge compressor was exactly what I had in mind also. However...

Something ground breaking has to happen before I can test this theory

I need to brew some beer.

Reckon it might be worth a trial - if only to see how easy it is to suck the sides in on a Corny. :huh:

Will PM you at some stage.

Beers

RM

 

[danbeer]

By sucking rather than pushing your beer through a filter, you run the risk of pulling out dissolved gasses from the liquid. (there will be a lot of dissolved CO2, post fermentation, even if the beer isn't bubbly)

Sounds like a recipe for making lots of foam.

 

[wessmith]

Anything designed to take pressure is usually NOT designed to take a vacuum. Hoses will collapse, kegs can collapse and even some fittings will leak. All this can happen at a fraction of the pressure rating of the vessel/hose/fitting. Vacuum is not a good idea.

Wes

 

[Guest Lurker]

If you get it to work, could be a way for people with those new kegs that pop out at the bottom to suck the bottom back in again!