Non-return Valves Yes Or No?

[Carboy]

Hi,

I'm down to the final tasks on my kegerator project.

Just wondering if I need/have to install Non-Return Valves to my gas line and beer lines. I've done some reading outside of this forum, and sort further advice from my two LHBS owners, but they have conflicting opinions (one said yes, the other said no, but did add I could put one in the gas line if I thought it was necessary) I think he missed the point of my question :huh:

So now I've come to the wealth of all HB knowledge AHB Forum.

Advice please... Non-Return Valve in my gas line Yes or No & Non-Return Valve in beer lines Yes or No

I'm using Celli taps if that help?

Thank you in advance for your advice/help

Cheers
Carboy

 

[cozmocracker]

for the minor cost of the non return value, to ensure the saftey of your regulator from beer, i would go with a big YES.

 

[Ross]

Just 1 non return valve in your gas line is all that's required. You don't put in your beer lines, it is there to protect your regulator.

cheers Ross

 

[PostModern]

If you think you might occasionally be stupid, get one to protect the regulator. If you want to know, any any point in time, exactly the pressure of the headspace in your keg, or if you want to use the relief valve on your reg, then no, don't get one. Just use the keg setup properly and you won't get beer up your gas line.

So the tally is now 2 in favour, 1 against.

 

[matti]

I think you should get one then later you can always take it off.
It is a Cheap insurance for stupidity.
I am speaking from experience. (Stupidity experience.)
3-1

 

[Ross]

PoMo,

Having the valve in place does not stop you reading the head pressure of you keg, unless you have a greater pressure in your keg than your regulator's set to.....This is the exact senario (back pressure) that you are protecting your regulator from. Surely, once you are pouring beers, you should never have a need to monitor a higher pressure than you are applying, as the beer doesn't gas itself? I've never found a need to measure a higher pressure in the keg...under what circumstances would this be advantageous?

cheers ross

 

[Adamt]

If you think you might occasionally be stupid, get one to protect the regulator.

This applies to anyone who drinks, so get one!

 

[stillscottish]

PoMo,

Having the valve in place does not stop you reading the head pressure of you keg, unless you have a greater pressure in your keg than your regulator's set to.....This is the exact senario (back pressure) that you are protecting your regulator from. Surely, once you are pouring beers, you should never have a need to monitor a higher pressure than you are applying, as the beer doesn't gas itself? I've never found a need to measure a higher pressure in the keg...under what circumstances would this be advantageous?

cheers ross

I read something like that in a couple of places when I was reading up on kegging and it made me put off getting one - until about 3 seconds after the inevitable <_< .
It's a pretty safe bet that if you force carb, one day you'll forget to vent the keg before you hook it up to serve.

2c

Campbell

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I've got one connected and its saved my reg at least twice

Cheers

 

[mje1980]

How can you hurt your regulator?? I've been kegging for at least 5 years with no issues. Im interested....

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Force carb via the beer out post

Open your relief valve on the reg and bingo - beer in the reg

Sounds like a silly thing to do - but when you mind is elsewhere or in a rush

Anything can happen

There's other creative ways too

Cheers

 

[mje1980]

Aha!!!

 

[RobW]

Definitely worth having. Saved my reg just last week. (those gas couplings are hard to get off the beer post too!)

 

[Offline]

If you over fill your keg, ie the short gas tube is submerged in beer, you can do this via the gas post as well.
If you have over fill like this and you have more then one keg connected you can get beer transferring from the "too full" keg to the one your pouring from.
Dont ask how I know thiscleaning gas lines is not fun

Repeat after me

Don't over fill your kegs
Don't over fill your kegs
Don't over fill your kegs

Its better to just drink that a litre or so of flattish beer

 

[PostModern]

PoMo,

Having the valve in place does not stop you reading the head pressure of you keg, unless you have a greater pressure in your keg than your regulator's set to.....This is the exact senario (back pressure) that you are protecting your regulator from. Surely, once you are pouring beers, you should never have a need to monitor a higher pressure than you are applying, as the beer doesn't gas itself? I've never found a need to measure a higher pressure in the keg...under what circumstances would this be advantageous?

cheers ross

If I don't know the pressure of a disconnected keg, I always burp it before hooking up to the gas line. Therefore the keg will always have lower pressure than the reg.

Here's a scenario:
With non-return valve on.
If the keg has say 20psi and reg is set to 10. Hook it up, reg guage shows 10, I think I have 10psi in the keg. Leave it 24 hours before serving and I have it over-carbonated. Booo.

Force carb via the beer out post

Open your relief valve on the reg and bingo - beer in the reg

Sounds like a silly thing to do - but when you mind is elsewhere or in a rush

Anything can happen

There's other creative ways too

Cheers

Yay for the pinlock. Gas line can only go on the gas post. I pity you ball valve people.

Honestly, I've been kegging for about 3-4 years now and I have never blown beer up the gas line. You just need to think.

 

[porky]

If you over fill your keg, ie the short gas tube is submerged in beer, you can do this via the gas post as well.

This is true.

I have cut all my 'gas in' tubes so they are flush with the inside of the keg. Now I can fill close to the top with no problems of beer coming out the gas in line.

I also have a check valve, actually four of them. I am gassing two fridges with 10 kegs in them. One fridge on high pressure for force carb and the other one on serving pressure.

One check valve in line to the high pressure fridge and three on the serving fridge. One for every two kegs.

This way if I do connect a high pressure keg in the serving fridge I don't get high pressure in all the other kegs, only one of them.

Works for me.

Cheers,
Bud

 

[PostModern]

I'm just going to walk away from this, accepting that I'm some kind of wild loon.

I don't have any tubes from my gas-in posts. The post is just screwed down with a washer. I'd have to over-fill my kegs to the extreme for the gas line to be submerged in beer. I'm used to what I do, and maybe these non-return valves are good insurance. Personally, I like to rely on my common sense.

 

[raven19]

Just 1 non return valve in your gas line is all that's required. You don't put in your beer lines, it is there to protect your regulator.

+1

Small cost for protection of your precious regulator.

 

[wakkatoo]

was going to get one, till I realised all I needed to do was not over fill the keg.

I gas at serving pressure, just takes a little longer.

I guess that makes me aginst them, which I'm not - I can see their usefulness, I just don't need them and have had no troubles in the 3 years I've been kegging.

 

[mje1980]

I'm just going to walk away from this, accepting that I'm some kind of wild loon.

I'm used to what I do, and maybe these non-return valves are good insurance. Personally, I like to rely on my common sense.

Im with you mate. Kegging since 02 with no drama's, so i'll continue, but i can see the benefit of them though.