DIY Pressure Sprayer keg

[floydmeddler]

Hey folks,

I built a little beer keg out of a pressure sprayer if anyone's interested. Came in more expensive that I'd have liked, but was a fun project and is still cheaper than alternatives.

It's an 11 litre sprayer, but should hold 12L no probs.

Here are a few pics of the assembly

3 45 x 3mm discs are needed. Only 2 shown in this pic.

Trickiest bit was attaching the posts. Lots of gas PTFE tape required. I had to remove the post after this pic to add the tape.

Parts list with prices:

Pressure sprayer: £16.99

Pressure Sprayer Bottle With Lance Pump Action Garden Sprayer 2L 3L 5L 8L 11L | eBay

Corny posts: £18.81

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003196449092.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.7b4a1802d8PCVJ

¼ inch NPT nuts x 2: £4.19

NPT Locknuts In Brass, American Thread Slim Locknuts in NPT , Made in UK | eBay

45mm x 3mm acrylic discs: £4.97

Translucent Coloured - Acrylic, Perspex, Plastic Circles/Discs Laser Cut Acrylic | eBay

O ring – 37mm x 4mm: £1.95

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362938520339?var=632073711542

Relief valve: £2.63

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004230884987.html?pdp_npi=2@dis!GBP!￡0.70!￡0.63!!!!!@211b5e2416686237902608954e9c6c!12000028462129888!btf&_t=pvid:6ac22780-253c-438d-9164-be51b212ef4b&afTraceInfo=1005004230884987__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1668623790&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct

Total cost: £49.54

Let me know if you can think of any ways of making it cheaper. Especially with regards to posts. They were a big expense.

Happy brewing :-)

Floyd

 

[dj_jaimej]

hey, i had the same idea and have made similar. i think I've just done a slightly simpler version.

i just fitted a single gas post to the bottle. and the hose that comes out for the sprayer i've fitted a liquid ball lock connector. I had to change the o-rings/washers to get a seal. pressure tested it just using the pump handle that comes with it and a spending valve and it seems to be holding ok.

it already has the pressure relief valve which i'm leaving on. My plan is to bottle/pour straight from my pressure fermenter and when the level gets low hook up the 'keg' to the liquid out post of the fermzilla to get the last of the beer out into the keg. my co2 can just be hooked straight on to the gas post. This can then be taken to parties or whatever and even though the co2 won't be connected as the beer will all be drunk at the time the garden sprayer pump can be used to get the last of the beer out.

yet to try it out myself as I've only just got my first home-brew batch on the go but i'll feed back in due course... out of interested OP have you any feedback on yours? or has anyone else tried this?

 

[MashBag]

Is it me.
Don't you want a party tap on the hose?

 

[Clint]

Is the plastic food grade?

 

[dj_jaimej]

Is it me.
Don't you want a party tap on the hose?

in my head I was going to use an inline connector to give me some flexibility for filling and then for attaching a party tap or hooking it up to my bar tap. but you're right, about 20 minutes ago i just changed from the ball lock fitting to a post on the line, so i can chop and change a bit more easily without having open ends. pressured tested to 15psi for 10 minutes and holding pressure.

Thanks for the feedback... all appreciated as i'm a total noob

 

[dj_jaimej]

Is the plastic food grade?

I had read somewhere that these are made from food grade plastic

 

[Clint]

It's usually stamped HDPE and I think it might have a number.

 

[dj_jaimej]

no markings at all on the product or the packaging, checked a few retailers websites and none specify. I've emailed spear and jackson with the query, hopefully they'll get back to me.

I had presumed all garden sprayers would be food grade given that they are used for watering and fertilising edible plants & veg

 

[Clint]

Or spraying poison!

 

[dj_jaimej]

Or spraying poison!

thankfully these ones won't be. only thing these will be seeing is a light, crisp 5% lager... I hope

 

[Its 6pm somewhere]

I doubt they're food grade tbh. Oxebar kegs are very reasonable and you don't need the fancy tapping head, a plastic T piece, two carb caps and some beer line. It won't have the prv but if you're only using it for dispensing it'll be fine. A few standard 2l fizzy drinks bottles from the shop just as good and I've seen mention on the forum of a big cider bottle...can someone in the know follow up with brand and where to get it as I haven't a clue...

 

[Its 6pm somewhere]

I've emailed spear and jackson with the query, hopefully they'll get back to me.

I doubt a company will commit to writing that something that isn't stamped as food grade is, they'll cover themselves legally and say it isn't even if there's a possibility it could be.
There seems to be specific food grade sprayers for industrial kitchens etc but a 1.5l one is double the price of a bog standard 5l garden one.

It'll function fine as a cleaning tool even if you don't use it for the beer

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Having modified one of these to make a beer line cleaner container.

You could have attached the gas post to the PRV attachment site.
Filling could be done back down the beer out line, so no need to put a liquid post on.
I found that the beer line cleaner mod worked much better when I put a larger diameter line out of the bottom of the bottle and also removed the restrictor that is in the liquid line where the black tube fits onto the screw thread into the container.

 

[Clint]

Trouble with non graded plastic is they could be contaminated with all sorts of rubbish if they include recycled. The supplier states they're only good for products within a certain Ph range too.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Trouble with non graded plastic is they could be contaminated with all sorts of rubbish if they include recycled. The supplier states they're only good for products within a certain Ph range too.

I certainly had one of these fail when I used and left some caustic beer line cleaner in my first iteration.

Copes okay with PBW, starsan and water.