Counter Pressure Bottle Filler
Update!
I've built my own counter pressure bottle filler so I can bottle bright beer from my corni kegs. I couldn't find anywhere in the UK selling them (Beertech used to) so using various diagrams on the web I constructed this:
It's not quite a poor man's bottle filler, but not quite complete either as I've had trouble sourcing parts for pressure relief
. I've done 10 bottles of stout with it so far and it's worked very well. There's little foaming when bottling and carbonation of the beer keeps well
Parts & Construction
2 x
1/4" BSPT x 3/8" John Guest push-fit connector - PI011202S - £3.00
2 x
1/4" BSP TF, FULL BORE BALL VALVE, GAS, LEVER HANDLE - 6121 - £6.20
3 x
1/4" PARALLEL NIPPLE, BSP MALE, Stainless Steel - 14460 - £14.02
1 x
10 mm COMP x 1/4" BSP PF, STRAIGHT ADAPTOR, UK - 6647 - £1.26
1 x
1/4" BSP F, EQUAL TEE, 316 S/S - 14305 - £1.46
1 x 12" length of 10mm stainless steel,
acrylic, brass or copper tubing (
I used acrylic) - £1.10
1 x Bottle bung/cork with bored hole - £0.20
1 x Roll of PTFE tape - £0.14
Total cost: £27.38 (Excl. delivery charges)
I could have probably saved a few quid by using a male threaded compression fitting instead of another nipple - but this was my first experience with purchasing/using plumbing equipment (previously clueless!
).
Very simple to construct, just ensure you wrap PTFE tape around all the threads. Thread the three nipples into the equal tee and thread the ball valves on each end. Put the compression fitting on to the bottom of the tee and fit the olive around your 1/4" tubing and thread the compression nut on.
Stick the JG fittings on each ball valve and push the bung up as high as the height of your bottles. Put it in an empty bottle, connect up your CO2 source and ensure you've got a gas-tight seal everywhere.
Operation
1. Sanitise and then chill all bottles, caps, bottle filler and beer line
2. Close both ball valves.
3. Fit the bottle filler into a bottle
4. Connect your CO2 source to one JG fitting, your beer line to the other. Set your CO2 regulator to 2-4 PSI.
5. Open the CO2 valve to pressurise the bottle. Work the bung to allow the oxygen to escape and flush the bottle
6. Allow the bottle to pressurise again and close the CO2 valve.
7. Open the beer valve and work the bung gently to release a gentle gush of pressure - beer should flow slowly.
8. When the bottle's full, close the beer valve and carefully remove the filler
9. Cap!
Future Improvements
Instead of working the bung to release the pressure, I'd like a second tee connected to a needle valve to release the pressure like
this drawing. Having a few problems getting the right parts though :hmm:
Cheers :drink:
