I am looking to slowly build a draft/keg set-up. For my initial step, I am not worried about kegging, but would like to be able to purge carboys with CO2 for secondary and bottling.
So, what do I need to do this and to be able to expand to kegging in the not too distant future?
CO2 tank - 5 gal
Regulator - dual gage
What hoses and fittings?
Thank you.
If you’re starting from scratch, go with a 10# or 20# CO2 tank, you’ll save a LOT of money on exchanges.
For purging carboys, all you need to do is attach a racking cane (or similar) to a hose to the regulator - it works much better to put the CO2 in at the bottom rather than at the top. If you’re going to transfer with CO2, you need a carboy cap, a racking cane, and enough hose to reach from the cane to the bottom of the receiving carboy which will ideally be sitting lower than the one containing beer so you can use the CO2 just to start the siphon and then let gravity to the rest. I use a stainless cane - worth the extra expense to know that there are no micro-cracks harboring something nasty.
Thank you for the response Shadetree.
So, most regulators come with the necessary fittings to simply attach a hose that goes into a carboy? Would the on/off control simply be on the tank?
I know very little about this but have been brewing and bottling for 8+ years, so I understand the racking into the CO2 and the benefit of filling from the bottom (even though CO2 is more dense than O2). If I am racking off primary, the initial headspace should be clear of O2 and similar when racking off a secondary/ageing if it was purged. Is there is great need to continue to seal that vessel with a carboy cap or continuing to fill the vacated space with new CO2?
Thank again fellow brewers.
Most regulators come with a shut off ball valve (and an integrated check valve) so all you need to do is to attach a piece of hose and a clamp to the barbed fitting. You can use the shutoff on the ball valve and/or the one on the CO2 tank.
How do you know when you’ve purged all the air out and replaced it with CO2?
[quote=“mattnaik”]How do you know when you’ve purged all the air out and replaced it with CO2?[/quote]You can see it. Kind of foggy.
