Cheap cask aspirator

bobsbeer · May 27, 2013

This idea came from our American cousins but seems to solve the problem of how to add co2 to a cask/cornie and serve from a beer engine. Without adding oxygen. The answer, use a propane regulator. These supply a constant 1/2 psi, (37mbar), so enough to keep the keg aspirated, but not enough to carbonate. Looking around, specific aspirators cost about Â£30-40 ish. A propane regulator about Â£5. So a massive saving. You just need to take off the inlet side fitting and replace it with a barbed fitting. Connect up the gas via a regulator off the co2 cylinder to the inlet side of the regulator and then the out, to the gas inlet of the cornie. Job done and the money saved will pay for the next batch of grains. :thumb:

Cyclops · May 27, 2013

do you have any more info on this Bob?

bobsbeer · May 27, 2013

What more info do you need? Seems straight forward. The cylinder connector fitting I am told is a bugger to get off, but you then screw in a barbed fitting to attach the hose. Probably can get a JG fitting to fit so you can use 3/8th gas line. The regulator is the type you would use on a bbq. Like this one:

Just remove the brass part.

Darcey · May 27, 2013

Ohh very interesting!

I like the sound of this!

cnelsonplumber · May 27, 2013

bobsbeer said:
What more info do you need? Seems straight forward. The cylinder connector fitting I am told is a bugger to get off, but you then screw in a barbed fitting to attach the hose. Probably can get a JG fitting to fit so you can use 3/8th gas line. The regulator is the type you would use on a bbq. Like this one:

Just remove the brass part.

Not sure if I have this right, but if you remove the brass bottle connector from the regulator and thus destroy the certified joint integrity, be careful what you replace it with as this will see full bottle pressure. Unless you use another regulator off the bottle in which case you could throttle that one down to 0.5 psi and save yourself a fiver.

I have only ever seen one bottle go balistic when the regulator blew off but I'm glad I wasn't in the way.

I imagine thats why the fittings are difficult to get apart.

bobsbeer · May 27, 2013

You use the propane regulator AFTER the bottle regulator, NOT directly from the CO2 bottle. The bottle regulator can be set at whatever as long as it's above 1/2 psi. But it means you can have 2 or more feeds at different pressures. Yes you probably destroy the certification, but why would you want to use it for propane again. You are not destroying the regulator, just taking off the bottle connector.