Using 8g CO2 soda bulbs in your Tap King

[Beerisyummy]

Sounds like you've got 9 more bottles to get through MrTbeer.

I'm pretty keen to see how the mod goes with beer instead of water.

When I did the chamfer it was with a pen knife too. The important thing is to keep the chamfered edge nice and smooth.

The whole thing could probably do with some lubricant also.

 

[Beerisyummy]

Anyone come up with a decent source for the 8gm bulbs? Not a lot of them on FleaBay.

I've managed to find a hospitality store in Artarmon (Sydney siders). Southern Hospitality on Hotham sells them for $9.17/ 10pack.

They can be had online for around 70c each if you shop around. If anyone can find a cheaper source please share.

Next I will hacksaw the end of a spent 12g to make a wedge and save 35c in coins.
The No2 bulbs at NightOwl are same size as 8g Co2 bulbs, in theory you've just figured out a way to pour Guinness through the TK. Might be wrong there these ones are N not NO2, cool website http://morebeer.com/products/nitrogen-cartridge-18g.html

Have a read up on dispensing Guiness. It's dispensed at around 35psi as far as I can tell. How to make a Tap King explode?

When you cut down the bulb let us know how you go with the length. The collar needs that little bit of pressure on the head of the soda bulb to work, so I'm guessing it's a fine line between 6-7 5c pieces.


I have tested the bottle of water this morning and it's still dispensing. For now I'm confident this method will work over a 12hr period, which is enough for BBQs.

I'd have left it for the full week, but the water is becoming carbonated to 12psi. After a week I imagine that the cartridge would have discharged 2x into the water itself.

My very basic understanding of this is that the system is designed to run with around 2.5 volumes of CO2 and the cartridge will only push approximately 1.1 volumes to displace the liquid gold. Given that I've only added still water I would imagine the experiment was doomed at conception.

I guess beer is the only way forward!

I had entertained ideas of using the TK head to carbonate the bottles over a week or two, but it seems this 8g cartridge method won't really cut it. The best way to do this still seems to be with a larger external CO2 bottle.

I'm guessing a Soda Stream bottle and regulator set to 12-15 psi jabbed into the TK lids several times over a week or so should do the trick.

 

[carpedaym]

Hey folks, I'm watching with keen interest having just bought a TK. Just a thought thought on the 5c coin issue.

Having not played with it, I'm making some assumptions. The first of which is that we're shooting for a replicable solution with currency, rather than saying "just find a washer that's thinner/thicker than a 5c piece". Anyway, onto the thought...

If the ideal number of 5c coins is between 6 and 7 and the thickness of a 5c coin is "<1.3mm" (as per wikipedia), that puts the ideal thickness of the stack between 7.8 and 9.1mm. In the middle is 8.45mm.

It looks like the 5c's are a bit of a squeeze to get in there, but $2 coins aren't much larger in diameter. These are 3.2mm thick.

3.2mm + (4 x 1.3mm) = 8.4mm

Does anyone with an empty TK bottle and a spare $2.20 want to see whether that would get the 8g tube sitting at a better height? (I know I'm driving the costs up here... )

 

[Beerisyummy]

Fail.

I'm spewing because I thought you were onto something. The $2 coin also has a much softer edge on it which would've reduced the stresses on the cartridge holder.

It turns out that the $2 coin does not fit.


It's worth noting that I've got three of these mods going and they all work very well so far. Another work around for the extra white washer is the small o ring from the collar head. It works in place of the second white washer.

So far I can get two working mods from three Tap King lids.

"Please hold pressure over a week".

 

[carpedaym]

Nooo! Damn. Those 5c's must be a tight fit already! I did note that 1c pieces are smaller if anybody has any of those still lying around behind a couch somewhere.

 

[mrTbeer]

Although sealed from beer, the coins are open to moisture in fridge air as are the Original TK bulbs. I noticed after rinsing one sealed lid there were a few drops of water inside. Maybe inconsequential but possible infection especially from copper coins. Non food safe bulbs don't worry me too much, The 8g & 16g ones are food safe, although 12g are used for air-guns I doubt they pay extra to add any oil and then fail to brag about adding oil. Just my 2c, pardon the pun.

 

[Bats]

I had a go using 8g bulbs last night.

6 x 5c coins were too low. The pin didn't even pierce the bulb.

I then tried 7. It only just pierced but not enough to pressurise the bottle. My guess is the barb only just pierced and created it's own plug not allowing any CO2 out. Obviously once I disconnected I still lost all the CO2 out of the bulb.

So I tried 8. Too high and the lid would not go back together.

I didn't do any chamfer etc. Just rammed the bulb up in there tight.

I have been successfully dispensing beer using Mosa 12g bulbs from ezychargers. The Mosa website state they are food grade even though they are predominantly used for paintball guns etc.

I would still like to work out how to make the 8g bulbs work and I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I can get the 8g bulbs for $8 a 10 pack from my local IGA so it's way easier.

Until I figure it out, I'll stick to the 12g.

 

[Beerisyummy]

I would still like to work out how to make the 8g bulbs work and I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I can get the 8g bulbs for $8 a 10 pack from my local IGA so it's way easier.

Until I figure it out, I'll stick to the 12g.

I don't get it?

 

[Bats]

I don't get it?

The only other thing I could think of is maybe the 8g bulbs I bought from my IGA are thicker at the neck and harder to puncture. They do seem a bit tougher than the 12g one's that I have no problems with.

Maybe I'll try a different brand before I give up on the 8's all together.

 

[Beerisyummy]

I didn't do any chamfer etc. Just rammed the bulb up in there tight.

Follow the instructions I posted and you can use the 8g bulbs. Is there some part of the instructions that are unclear?

Please let me now if they're unclear so I can fix them up.

 

[Bats]

Follow the instructions I posted and you can use the 8g bulbs. Is there some part of the instructions that are unclear?

Please let me now if they're unclear so I can fix them up.

I did it last night before I read your instructions.

I will give it another go the way you described.

 

[Beerisyummy]

Cool.
Let me know if you get stuck.

 

[Beerisyummy]

Just a quick update on how much beer you can pour with the 8g bulbs. 1x 8g bulb will happily pour the whole 3.2l. :beerbang:

 

[barls]

giving the chamfer a go tomorrow as cant get the bulb to pierce otherwise

 

[Beerisyummy]

giving the chamfer a go tomorrow as cant get the bulb to pierce otherwise

Probably a good thing as it'll leak without the o ring slotted into the chamfer.

I've got another mod you guys might like. Just cut off the tabs from the white collar and remove the retainer tabs from inside the lid.

With this done you don't even need to undo the screws on the lid. Just pop the gas in when you're ready to go and remove the bottle by hand when you're done.

I guess I can try carbonating a bottle now. Not really an economical exercise, but more of an experiment to see just how many bulbs it takes and how long.

:beer:

 

[carpedaym]

Just a quick update on how much beer you can pour with the 8g bulbs. 1x 8g bulb will happily pour the whole 3.2l. :beerbang:

That is excellent news. For a slower drinker, would there be any foreseeable reason the 8g wouldn't last for a week or two?

Also, I've looked in a few supermarkets and they haven't stocked them. What section should I be looking in? (I'm the sort of guy who likes to waste 20m walking down every isle before asking somebody.)

 

[barls]

they are normally behind the counter with the cigs

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Have you tested the cut down mod yet Beerisyummy? Would it affect the stability of the cylinder while piercing/puncturing or while dispensing? Would be a good mod so you wouldnt have to worry about those pesky screws again!
Definitely have to screw down the reg on mine as you only have to look at the tap and you will get a glass of foam! How much gas did you have left after you dispensed the beer using the 8g? And over what time period of time did it dispense? Just thinking that if your beer is carbed to 2.0 and your TK reg was set for 2.5, would this carb the beer over time?
Just about to finish draining the last bottle and then I can do a full strip down before my next two bottles of bought beer go on for the weekend. Then I can have at least 2 hb of American Amber on TK for when I get home from work next time :beerbang:

 

[Beerisyummy]

Have you tested the cut down mod yet Beerisyummy? Would it affect the stability of the cylinder while piercing/puncturing or while dispensing? Would be a good mod so you wouldnt have to worry about those pesky screws again!
Definitely have to screw down the reg on mine as you only have to look at the tap and you will get a glass of foam! How much gas did you have left after you dispensed the beer using the 8g? And over what time period of time did it dispense? Just thinking that if your beer is carbed to 2.0 and your TK reg was set for 2.5, would this carb the beer over time?
Just about to finish draining the last bottle and then I can do a full strip down before my next two bottles of bought beer go on for the weekend. Then I can have at least 2 hb of American Amber on TK for when I get home from work next time :beerbang:

The cut down beer mod works a treat. When you pull the bottle back out of the head unit the bulb just stays in the machine. Nothing too hard about pulling it out.

The 8g bulb was enough to do the whole bottle with approximately half a glass extra. Pretty much similar to the test with just water. The whole bottle lasted a few hours.

I've filled another bottle for testing today and hopefully will have an operational kegging setup next week. With that I can just fill the bottles from the kegs without all the sediment and waiting for them to naturally carbonate. That's when I can really test out the system.

My biggest complaint about using the TK for HB is that my lovely lager was as cloudy as my wheat beer. Hopefully adding pre carbonated beer will solve this one. Even if you had to use three bulbs to carbonate and dispense each TK bottle, I suppose it's still pretty cheap. $2.10 to $2.70 per bottle in cartridges is doable for those without a keg setup.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I was going to investigate the use of a Sodastream bottle for the carb setup (when I get there). Carb as you would for a normal keg (accounting for TK bottle), bang in the 8g for the dispense and should be all smiles, hope fully no need for bulk prime and sediment. A little off with that one yet.