... and what's this stuff for?

[Moley]

Looking at Barley Bottom's cellar and bar sections, it seems that these are flow regulators.
What are these for? I've got three of them which appear to be unused.

What does a cask/keg breather do? Out of test date but never used. Do I need it? Anyone else want it?

I seem to have acquired something which looks a bit like a wiring loom, four colour-coded 3/8" pipes, a black pipe to a stainless steel U-bend and back out to a black pipe with a white stripe, all contained within some tape-wrapped pipe lagging, is there any point to this or can I split it open and extract the bits I want?

And finally (until I think of any more stupid questions), how do you use a beer engine from a Corny? What keg pressure is necessary and what connects where? There's a screw thread on the bottom around what appears to be a butterfly valve, should anything be attached to that?

 

[evanvine]

Fascinating Moley, can't wait to hear the informed replies.

 

[Aleman]

You should have a connector screwed to the bottom of the beer engine . . . normally takes 1/2 pipe (standard for beer engine runs) which will then go back to the cask . . . or in your case corny. I have a modified corny to use with the beer engine. I removed the Out post and the out dip tube and pushed the end of some 1/2" pipe over the stud, done forget to secure it in place . That then goes tot he beer engine . . . the keg lays on its side with the out stud at the bottom. . . . gas in via the cask breather ensures that the beer doesn't go off if forgotten about. you cannot put pressure on the keg connected to a engine or it will push the beer past seals in the engine and empty the keg . . . The cask breather only allows gas to flow to the keg to replace beer removed . . . you set 20 psi on the reg connect to the beer engine then to the gas in on the keg.

Your wiring loom is a piece of python. . . the 3/8 pipe is product from corny disconnect to tap the black 1/2 pipe connects to your recirculation line on your chiller to keep the beer cool in the lines.

I've no idea what the flow control thingys do

 

[jamesb]

I'll take the cask breather off your hands for a reasonable price if you don't want it.

 

[Carl]

That doesnt look like a cask breather or 'aspirator'....it is a check valve that goes inbetween the beer engine and the cask, in the beerline itself......it stops the beer bieng swilled back into the keg and disturbing the sediment on the return stroke, its a pretty standard piece of kit with most beer engines......it is usually located under the bar about a foot from the handpull itself :thumb:

The flow controllers are used on standard freeflow fonts to regulate the amount of beer to pass through and control the fobbing issues with lager/cider (along with cellar/serve temp and gas pressures) and the 'flatness' of bitters. They should never be used with the beer engine!!

 

[jamesb]

That doesnt look like a cask breather or 'aspirator'....it is a check valve that goes inbetween the beer engine and the cask, in the beerline itself......it stops the beer bieng swilled back into the keg and disturbing the sediment on the return stroke, its a pretty standard piece of kit with most beer engines......it is usually located under the bar about a foot from the handpull itself :thumb

Looks more like a cask breather than a check valve to me, and I've been in my fair share of pub cellars.

 

[darrenwest1]

http://www.barleybottom.com/menu/product/&ID=115

its a cask breather

 

[Carl]

Fair play.....I always thought the cask breathers were sealed....and in Moleys 3rd pik theres a hole on the underside for the diaphram! jus had a look at my breathers and there slightly different but again have the hole lol

 

[jamesb]

The hole is there to allow excess pressure generated in the cask to vent to atmosphere.

 

[Moley]

Aleman: Thanks for the info. on the beer engine :thumb:
So if I clean up and keep the engine for occasional use only (I'm thinking of setting it up on the back of our boat if we attend any Boaters' Banters, in which case the keg will be emptied) and won't be using the cask breather, does anything connect to those two Guest elbows?

Carl: Thanks for the info. on the flow controllers :thumb:

Darren: Yes, that's the BB page that I'd found last night.

BTW, I offered the breather to James for what he evidently considered to be a reasonable price, and it's now packed up with his address on it.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'd buy a check valve for the beer engine :thumb: Then you can leave the corney upright with a blanket of c02 above the beer with minimum pressure and no leaking through the engine!
BB

 

[unclepumble]

It looks like you have bought a load of old junk that's no good for anything & overcomplicates things, If you want I can find a use for it all :mrgreen:

UP

 

[Aleman]

That is a cooling jacket on the cylinder . . . connect the python to it . . . and the chiller .. . cool ale dispensed via the engine . . . only problem is that if you don't pull beer frequently it gets too cold