How do I get water out of the gas in line or will it take care of itself? While sanitizing (I followed the instructions to put some sanitizied water in the keg and connect the gas line, adjust to 5 -10 psi and shake to ensure all surfaces are contacted) some water went into the gas line.
First time kegger
Don’t worry about the water if it has sanitizer in it. If you get beer in the line get it cleaned out and sanitized ASAP. Try using a brush just make sure you use the smallest brush they sell on here or it will get stuck.
you didn’t suck it back as far as the regulator did you? That would be a problem
Not as far as the regulator (as far as I know). There wasn’t that much water in the line and it did come out when I turned the psi up and drained it into the keg with sanitizer.
Second question is: How much psi does it take to carb 5 gallons at 30psi? My regulator said that my tank had around 1,000 psi in it when I first hooked it up (that’s how much it came with when I had it filled) and since last night it dropped to 850 psi. Is that normal?
The tank pressure is dependent upon the ambient temperature of the CO2 tank. I will show around 800 psi until such time that all the liquid CO2 is gone and then it will drop fast. For a 5# tank, you should get quite a few kegs carbed and served (5-8 maybe). Don’t keep it at 30 psi for more than a day or two. It will carb just fine at 11-12 psi and 44F.
My fridge temp is around 40-45 degrees and my regulator is currently set for 30 psi, (since 9:00 last night) what should I turn the regulator down to for the next 24 hours before serving on Wednesday?
[quote=“Sooner49er”]My fridge temp is around 40-45 degrees and my regulator is currently set for 30 psi, (since 9:00 last night) what should I turn the regulator down to for the next 24 hours before serving on Wednesday?[/quote]You could leave it at 30 psi until Wednesday afternoon, then drop it to 12 psi and vent the keg just before pulling the first pint or it will come out fast from all the stored up pressure.
Thank you! That’s what I was planning on doing, but didn’t know if it was right.
In the future, if you can plan ahead, just chill the keg, then hook up C02 at 10-12 psi and leave it for a week to 10 days. It is the most foolproof method you can use and works every time.
The way you are trying has a chance of being over or under carbonated.
The instructions should have told you to disconnect the gas line before shaking.
[quote=“560sdl”]In the future, if you can plan ahead, just chill the keg, then hook up C02 at 10-12 psi and leave it for a week to 10 days. It is the most foolproof method you can use and works every time.
The way you are trying has a chance of being over or under carbonated.[/quote]
I’m looking for a method of achieving carbonation in a couple of days. To impatient for weeks and don’t want to shake things up in order to serve within a few hours.
I understand that there is a chance for over/under carb, but many use the 30 psi for 2 day method right? Waiting a week to 10 days defeats the purpose of a keg to me. What would you suggest for a 2 day carb?
Two days is a pretty aggressive timetable. In order to be able to do that consistently you’ll need a carb stone in the keg. Something like this: http://morebeer.com/view_product/18212 Set it about 2 psi above your serving pressure, and vent the keg PRV every few hours.
If you’re willing to go a little more slowly, you can set the regulator at serving pressure and just shake the keg as much and as often as possible. It’ll be fully carbonated after 3-4 days. If the beer is unfiltered, make sure to let it settle for a day or two before serving.
If time is really of the essence, you can carbonate in the fermenter, then run a balance line to the keg and transfer under pressure. At STP, you only need a drop of 0.6°P to carbonate to 2.4 vol (assuming no head space). Of course, that runs the risk of destroying your fermenter if the beer over-attenuates, so for safety you should have a PRV installed that’s calibrated for the max. working pressure of your fermenter.
[quote=“Sooner49er”]
I’m looking for a method of achieving carbonation in a couple of days. To impatient for weeks and don’t want to shake things up in order to serve within a few hours.
I understand that there is a chance for over/under carb, but many use the 30 psi for 2 day method right? Waiting a week to 10 days defeats the purpose of a keg to me. What would you suggest for a 2 day carb?[/quote]
Some people successfully do the two day carb process. If you want to be desperate, they say you can do it in a couple of hours, but it is not really, fully carbed, but it is drinkable.
For me, the key was to develop a pipeline of kegs which meant I had 3-4 on tap which allowed me plenty of time to carb up the next few to put in the system when they kick. Honestly, this is the only true happiness :cheers:
The 30 psi for two days turned out great!
When I built my header system for my co2 lines I used 1/4" nipples between 1/4" tees with a 1/4" ball valve in each tee, I also used a check valve. I hung the header verticaly with wire ties to the top wire shelf. I installed a 1/4" nipple and cap in the bottom tee to use as a drain if need be. I have never had to use it, I always dot set it and forget it thing.
Cheers!
jazzman
10 days is still pretty fast, especially if you have had the beer in secondary for a long time. with kegging you dont have to worry about there being enough yeast in the beer still to produce CO2 in a timely fashion. Also, if you are lagering its the only way. it sucks to have to add yeast to a beer you have been lagering for three months.
In my mind it’s easy enough to carb in 5 minutes. Do it carefully and the carb level will be just fine (I use a bleeder valve to make sure, which makes the process quite foolproof).
http://www.thebeerjournals.com/carbonation.htmlThe problem, however, is that in my experience I still need at least a week for everything to settle out properly, especially if I go straight from primary to keg.
The drain is a good idea man. Time is your beer’s best friend with carbing. Any time I try to rush or cut a corner with carbonating a keg, it never turns out well. Great suggestions on here.
