Purchased A Kegerator

[Burchman82]

yes its a flow control job,
ive had some concerns about the carbonation. my beers come out quite frothy at the moment (granted they were carbed up for my prev setup) im just using the supplied line which is the heavy 8mm stuff. i dont have all that much running from the keg to tap (about 50cm max) should i be concerned?

 

[whitegoose]

Yeah they dohave flow control, I wasn't aware that system balancing could be done that way though. I think I'd rather get a smaller barb anyway...

 

[Guest Lurker]

One of the big advantages of a flow control tap is you dont needs long beer lines getting in the way.

 

[benno1973]

One of the big advantages of a flow control tap is you dont needs long beer lines getting in the way.

Thanks GL. Never had a celli-type tap before, so didn't realise what the little controller on the side did. I also didn't realise that these could be used for flow control and negate the need for balancing! Does this mean that I can ignore all the rules about line length and just go with the shortest amount required to reach the keg? Is there any minimum line length? This post seems to indicate not...

My other issue now is that I have disconnects with 6mm barbs, and 8mm ID beer line. Will the clamps hold the line onto the barbs sufficiently? Burchman82, how did you attach yours, or do your disconnects have larger barbs?

 

[Ross]

Dont these things come with a rip-off Celli type tap with flow control? In that case you can use a short length of large OD Beer line and use the control on the tap to balance surely?

Absolutely, & is what I recommended at the beginning of this thread as the easiest solution.

cheers Ross

 

[benno1973]

Absolutely, & is what I recommended at the beginning of this thread as the easiest solution.

cheers Ross

Where? I just re-read the whole thread and can only find your post referring to 3-way JG fittings? Just wondering because I'll feel stupid if the answer was there all along!!

 

[Ross]

Sorry KS,

I thought this was a another thread started by Whitegoose, just looked back to the beginning & seen it's a different thread on the same subject.
Hard to keep track with several different threads running.

apologies... Ross

 

[benno1973]

Sorry KS,

I thought this was a another thread started by Whitegoose, just looked back to the beginning & seen it's a different thread on the same subject.
Hard to keep track with several different threads running.

apologies... Ross

No worries Ross. As I said, I've been reading this thread with interest and I didn't want to think that I'd missed the critical post!! Anyways, I'll try with the 8mm line and see how it goes...

 

[benno1973]

OK, tried the supplied 5/8 ID line and it worked a treat. Thanks to GL, Ross, and those who suggested it. I didn't realise that the flow adjusters worked so effectively, and it really is a beautiful pour. Far better than my previous Andale taps (not that they were bad).

So I guess I should take back 2 of the things I said about this product. Firstly the supplied line length is fine, it's just my ignorance that was the problem. Secondly, the long screws are useful for something. Some people have used them to mount the font. I found that the diameter of the screws was far greater than the holes drilled for the font, but I could be wrong - they may just be useful.

However, now that it's up and running, I've come up against something else. The blurb says that the fridge holds 3 postmix kegs, but there's no way I can squeeze 3 in there! Every combo I try seems to leave the thrid keg sticking out slightly and the door won't close. Anyone been able to do it?

Oh, and BTW - the barbs are *really* difficult to screw on when there's thick 5/8 line attached to them! There's just not enough room in the font to connect everything!

 

[Thunderlips]

However, now that it's up and running, I've come up against something else. The blurb says that the fridge holds 3 postmix kegs, but there's no way I can squeeze 3 in there! Every combo I try seems to leave the thrid keg sticking out slightly and the door won't close. Anyone been able to do it?

Since I'm using an Andale font with mine I can't get a third 19L keg in there because the font goes down into the fridge.
But I can get a 12L keg in there as the third keg and it's as round as the 19L kegs I have.

Are you using 19L Cornelius kegs or something else?

A friend of mine has some kegs that are a fraction shorter than mine but also a bit fatter, so 3 of those might not fit.

 

[whitegoose]

OK, tried the supplied 5/8 ID line and it worked a treat. Thanks to GL, Ross, and those who suggested it. I didn't realise that the flow adjusters worked so effectively, and it really is a beautiful pour. Far better than my previous Andale taps (not that they were bad).

So I guess I should take back 2 of the things I said about this product. Firstly the supplied line length is fine, it's just my ignorance that was the problem. Secondly, the long screws are useful for something. Some people have used them to mount the font. I found that the diameter of the screws was far greater than the holes drilled for the font, but I could be wrong - they may just be useful.

However, now that it's up and running, I've come up against something else. The blurb says that the fridge holds 3 postmix kegs, but there's no way I can squeeze 3 in there! Every combo I try seems to leave the thrid keg sticking out slightly and the door won't close. Anyone been able to do it?

Oh, and BTW - the barbs are *really* difficult to screw on when there's thick 5/8 line attached to them! There's just not enough room in the font to connect everything!

How did you go about attaching your 5/8 ID Line to your beer out disconnects? My disconnects are way too small for that line. Did you use any fancy fittings or did you just clip it on reeeeally tight?

edit: and yeah I agree, there's no way to fit 3 kegs in my fridge. Lucky I only have 2...

 

[claymen]

Hmmm I have 4 kegs, but room for 2 will be good enough. Although surely you can just squeeze the third one in. My fridge unit is on its way should be here next week

 

[RetsamHsam]

How did you go about attaching your 5/8 ID Line to your beer out disconnects? My disconnects are way too small for that line. Did you use any fancy fittings or did you just clip it on reeeeally tight?

edit: and yeah I agree, there's no way to fit 3 kegs in my fridge. Lucky I only have 2...

It is a pain in the arse, I try to heat the hose up abit and stretch it out with some sort of implement and then force it over the disconnect.

 

[whitegoose]

It is a pain in the arse, I try to heat the hose up abit and stretch it out with some sort of implement and then force it over the disconnect.

No I mean the other way round. The line that comes with the fridge is too big for my disconnects and Kaiser Soze says he is using the line that came with the fridge

 

[benno1973]

No I mean the other way round. The line that comes with the fridge is too big for my disconnects and Kaiser Soze says he is using the line that came with the fridge

Yeh, the disconnects were 6mm barbs, much smaller than the 8m ID line. I just used some ratchet clamps screwed in really tight, and it seems to hold fine. I tried pulling the disconnects out as hard as I could, and they wouldn't budge, so that'll do for now, unless there's a catastrophe down the track...

Oh, and I emailed Pinnacle last night about the 3 kegs, and here's the reply...

YOU MUST HAVE ODD SIZED KEGS WE TRIED AGAIN THIS MORNING TO MAKE SURE THEY FIT AND WER TIGHT BUT DOOR CLOSED COMPLETELY REGARDS GREG

I don't think they're odd sized kegs. They were ordered as part of a bulk buy through West Coast Brewers. Very disappointing if I can't get a third keg in there, as I want 2 on tap and my next one carbonating. It's one of the main reasons I got one of these custom fridges!

 

[benno1973]

Are you using 19L Cornelius kegs or something else?

Using 19L kegs, but they don't have Cornelius stamped on them or anything. Dimensions are 225 (D) x 560 (H), so maybe that's not standard?

 

[benno1973]

Actually, a quick search reveals this link, where Ross says that corny kegs are generally 210mm diam. I guess he'd know... Bummer. That'd be the issue then.

 

[camedmeades]

I don't think they're odd sized kegs. They were ordered as part of a bulk buy through West Coast Brewers. Very disappointing if I can't get a third keg in there, as I want 2 on tap and my next one carbonating. It's one of the main reasons I got one of these custom fridges!

You can just split the gas line before the fridge and have it carbonating externally. the have another splitter inside for two of the cold kegs that are hooked up.

 

[benno1973]

You can just split the gas line before the fridge and have it carbonating externally. the have another splitter inside for two of the cold kegs that are hooked up.

Yep, that's probably what I'll do, although carbonation will take longer I assume as CO2 dissolves more readily in cold beer?

Anyway, my brother has a bunch of thinner corny kegs, so I might see if I can swap a few with him.

 

[Pennywise]

Well I finally got to set up my kegerator, sort off, I reciever the wrong font so both taps wont fit in it together, aslo no plate to fit the font onto the fridge gave them a call and sorted it out, have to send the font/taps back and they'll send me the correct ones. Also only got one coupler. I couldn't wait to keg my first beer so I done one on Saturday, it's now sitting there getting all gassed up (sitting at 15psi). Hopefully I'll get the taps and that back by this friday so I can tap it. I was a bit dissapointed with this stuff up, but the good thing was that Greg from pinnacle was quite appologetic and also just as annoyed that this had happened.

This kegging thing is just as addictive as brewing, I want more kegs already (have 4 ATM).