Using 8g CO2 soda bulbs in your Tap King

[AzzA68]

The Mosa bulbs took 7 of my 5c coins... I have not yet tried the Leland bulbs, but I reckon they'll need about 9 5c coins; give the length/height difference.

I liked the idea of not having to pull apart the lids so much, that I committed to the idea... damned now Best of all is it will give the flexibility to use any bulb that can be made fit, be it 8g or 12g.

rexmybeer, I like your mod; the 5c coins were easy to do but they were damaging the plastic moulding.

If you don't need to pull the lids apart then the seals should last longer.
The white seals on top of the CO2 bulbs could well likely be replaced with O-rings... it's just a matter of finding the right size.
They grey seat washer gaskets on the gas and beer valves are the ones that will be hard to replace... but... like I said, if they can be left undisturbed they should last longer.

 

[AzzA68]

The nitrogen thingy is a bit more complex... N2 doesn't compress as well as CO2, so you need more to push the same quantity of beer. Pubmix gas was he answer to that and other issues. N2 and CO2 and isn't available in bulbs... but... according to the Mosa website... you can order custom gas mixes. Obviously there would be a minimum order.

The other option is to naturally carbonate, and then push with N2 a a reduced rate... if you've enjoyed a draught Guinness then you've enjoyed the wait.

I have access to LN2 at work (liquid nitrogen) so I could naturally carb and then open the keglet and drop in some LN2... it boils off immediately and turns to gas... so you have to seal the lid ASAP and be very careful about how much LN2 you add; otherwise the whole keglet goes boom! A beer-grenade! Spectacular but such a waste. This BTW is how Guinness fizz their draught cans, with LN2 and a million dollar pingpong ball (AKA "widget").

 

[FmC]

FmC.
Love your work mate.


Now I haven't left any of my TK bottles for long term storage but, I have done a few pretty basic cleans without disassembly of the lids.

Treat em like a keg boys! Was it infected?

I've been flushing mine with water and giving them a starsan rinse if they aren't getting filled up straight away. It seems to work well.

Thanks :chug:

When I was building up my stock of TK bottles, some sat for maybe a month or so. I had rinsed them, but there was obviously still some dregs in the valves.
When I got around to using them, I found two problems; Mould forming in/around the valves, & the co2 bulb starting to corrode.

I now take them apart after they are empty, clean the parts, & put them in a container, ready for the next bottling session.

 

[AzzA68]

....
I've 're-packed' around 60 TK bottles, all with the Ezy-Chargers 12g MOSA bulbs, & can confirm that they are identical in size & fitment.

I'm interested in the 8g bulbs due to thier lower cost & better availability, but will stick with the 12g's for now (at least untill I run out of them...) I'm sure I contributed to EzyCharger's lack of stock of the 12g bulbs :unsure:

... Beerisyummy's bulb retainer mod. ...

60!! my liver salutes you

I've committed my first 6 TK lids to the retainer-less mod, and have another 2 newbies chilling/emptying, and to be honest I think the valves and seals will last the longer for it... and my patience. (seriously? you pulled down and reassembled 60 of those lids?!?!? makes bottling into stubbies sound easy )

 

[FmC]

60!! my liver salutes you

I've committed my first 6 TK lids to the retainer-less mod, and have another 2 newbies chilling/emptying, and to be honest I think the valves and seals will last the longer for it... and my patience. (seriously? you pulled down and reassembled 60 of those lids?!?!? makes bottling into stubbies sound easy )

lol - not 60 at once... but I have cleaned/bottled 16 at once, the last two times I have brewed a double batch.
I'll be putting down another brew within the next few days, which should be ready by the time I have 8 empty TK's, so I'll have to test this retainer mod out.

 

[Beerisyummy]

lol - not 60 at once... but I have cleaned/bottled 16 at once, the last two times I have brewed a double batch.
I'll be putting down another brew within the next few days, which should be ready by the time I have 8 empty TK's, so I'll have to test this retainer mod out.

You won't regret modifying the bulb retaining system. It serves no purpose other than to keep the bulb inside the lid before and after use.

The only downside is that you have to remember to reach inside the head unit to remove the bulb assembly after removing the botte. Definite first world problem!

 

[FreeBaseBuzz]

I think I've found out why people are having some small issues using Beerisyummy's mod described on the first page of this thread, with regards to 7 5c pieces or 8.

It is suggested to use 2 white washers due to the offset caused by the yellow section and the fatter neck of the 8g bulbs. Doing it this way means the spike that pierces the bulb has to travel around 2-3mm further than with the stock 12g bulb.

I used a Dremel with the narrow sanding drum to widen the neck on the yellow section so the head of the 8g bulb can sit up at the same height as the 12g one does. Apart from that, I followed Beerisyummy's guide exactly.

(the narrow ones of these.)

I also used the Dremel to cut off the 12g bulb at the right height to use as a spacer.
Seems to work well, but I'll be able to let you know for sure this weekend, as I won't be kegging (and kegletting) till Sunday.

 

[donrisotto]

Just a heads up guys; Keep the CO2 caddies AWAY from hot water, just found out the hard way they melt like cheese in the sun. managed to get them all back together but I think i've significantly shortened their lifespan.

however, if you're really keen a bit of careful hot gun application/steam/boiling water could solve all your spacing issues

 

[AzzA68]

If people are keen to only ever use 8g bulbs of one particular brand; you could fill the bottom of the bulb holder with resin or modeling putty. Something like 2 part Araldite, JB Weld, or Selleys Knead It. Use a spent bulb to make the casting... either wrap it in cling-wrap or paint it with PVA glue as a release agent.

EDIT: use a fine brush for the PVA, make sure the coating is thorough, and let it dry first.

There are also two part modeling putties available that set into a silicone rubber compound, these might be useful if you want to use 8g bulbs from different manufactures; the set putty is quite rigid but still flexible, so it should have enough give to account for bulbs that have a ~2-3mm difference in height. These putties are used for making dental moulds, and ear-plugs, etc... I have some and will give it a try, in about a month when my next batch nears drink-ability.

Using either of these methods would overcome the stress damage that the 5c coins do to the bulb holder; enough damage and the plastic will become porous... which is, obviously, bad.

 

[Brewa]

Thanks for all the info on the mods, I'm convinced I can easily do the conversion for the 8G bottles (once I find some).
A couple of questions, (as I have had to return my faulty tap king unit and can't experiment), can you use plastic wine corks as a spacer instead of the 5c coins? You could cut them into whatever shape/height you want and it has a little flex in it as well.

Also, where is the piercing pin, in each bottle or in the tap king dispenser?

 

[barls]

In each bottle mate


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[Beerisyummy]

It's too early in the morning to crack a bottle of wine and find out! :drinks:

Just compare the cork to the diameter of a 5c piece. It doesn't really matter what you use as a spacer, as long as it does the job.



Freebasebuzz,
I just noticed your post on drilling out the plastic to accept the fatter neck on the 8g bulbs. That was the way I first tried making things work. I had varying results with the handheld machining.
I'll have to give it another go with the dentists drill.

 

[sticksy]

sorry if this has been asked. when using the tap king do we carb as usual in the tap king bottle or bulk prime? ive only got the one fermenter ATM and no space.

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[Beerisyummy]

sticksy,

Both bulk priming and adding sugar directly to the bottle will work. It really depends on what you want from the finished product.
Personally, I find bulk priming easier.

If you naturally carb the beer you'll end up with more sediment than force carbing. Simple as that.

 

[sticksy]

does it affect the taste much either way?

im restricted by space and funds to bottle priming at the mo but have a few donated TK bottles and am keen to try this.

how long do you need to chill the conditioned bottle before the TK system will pour correctly?


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[Beerisyummy]

Taste is a personal thing. Many styles of beer will taste just fine with a little sediment.
Just do it and see what you think.

The bottle needs to be below 4c before it will work as intended. You can tweak the regulator to adjust the unit from factory settings if you want.

 

[sticksy]

thanks for the help!

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[Brewa]

Thx for your earlier replies.

For those using the 5c pieces to get the 8 G cannister to the correct height, I tried using a plastic wine bottle cork but that was too hard to shape, instead I used a proper wine bottle cork (made of cork, of course).

I sanded it to fit into the bulb holder and it didn't take long to do. All you need is a bit of sandpaper and a sharp blade/Stanley Knife.

Sand around the side of the cork until it slides in to the bulb holder ( you can make it as tight or loose as you like) then you can take out the cork and slice it until it's the desired height. Being cork its also got a bit of sponginess for a bit of give and take. If you force the cork in and can't get it out, use a corkscrew or long screw to pull it out and sand some more off it.

Using a wine cork means you can switch between 8G, and other length cannisters (12G).

Now when I manage to get my hands on an 8G cannister and get a replacement TapKing, ( I had a faulty one), I can try out the mods properly.

Anyone know where in Melbourne I can walk in and buy the 8G cannisters? I've tried numerous supermarkets, and am now well-versed in the dumb look followed by "No, we don't have em" scenario. Whilst Big W stock them, the CBD store does not stock them nor intend to get any in.

I've ordered some from Ezychargers, but I have a brew ready for bottling next weekend and not sure if they will arrive by then.

The other thing I'm finding is the on-line sites are charging almost and sometimes more than the 10 Pack costs itself in shipping. I don't want to buy in bulk until I can get the mods working.

 

[FreeBaseBuzz]

Brewa, try catering stores or kitchen supply stores.

Also, if you do Beerisyummy's mod (on page 3 of this thread, i think), to remove the tabs, you can bottle without having the canisters, as you can just slide them in after the beer is bottled and sealed

 

[Brewa]

Brewa, try catering stores or kitchen supply stores.

Also, if you do Beerisyummy's mod (on page 3 of this thread, i think), to remove the tabs, you can bottle without having the canisters, as you can just slide them in after the beer is bottled and sealed

Thanks FreeBaseBuzz, I will try to find some in the CBD.
I've done the mods to two empties (thats all I have), but haven't had a chance to try them out because I've had to return my faulty Tapking and 4 suspect bottles for investigation and waiting on the replacements now. I visited about 7 stores looking for 8G cannisters and whilst everyone in those stores claims to know where to get them, none could name a store. I have some on order off the internet, hopefully they (and the Tap King) arrive soon.
I have a 10 litre IPA brew bubbling away and would like it to be my first tapking with real beer.