Hands free bottle filling with a Nukatap counter pressure filler - the complicated method

[Buffers brewery]

As the title suggests I bought one of these a few weeks ago as I wanted to fill a couple of bottles with an already carbonated beer I had in one of my King Kegs having previously bottled at the priming/packaging stage.

After assembling it I opted for the tap connector initially but found that the positioning of my drip tray didn't work.

Plan B I switched to the hose connection.

Now came the challenge of the method of actually using it.
So, one hand holds the Nukatap and my second hand positions and holds the bottle. I can press the gas button with hand number one but after the bottle is pressurised I need hand number three to operate the beer tap on the barrelator. Ah, but the beer doesn't flow as the bleed valve needs to be adjusted. I need hand number four to get the bottle filling! I need two more hands
I feel a complicated project coming on.....

 

[Buffers brewery]

First requirement was to replace hand number one so I didn't need to hold the Nukatap. A 3-d printed holder was produced that could be fixed to a piece of board.

As an aside I replaced the 'orrid plastic post with a steel gas post.

Second requirement was to replace hand number two that holds the bottle. This is where it gets "complicated".
I constructed a crank/slide arrangement so the bottle could be loaded on to a platform and then the crank raises the bottle in to position and locks off to hold the bottle still.

Hand number one is now free to purge and pressurise the bottle then operate the beer tap. Hand number two can now adjust the relief valve. Job done!

Not quite.....

 

[Buffers brewery]

When I came to testing my new contraption I noticed a couple of things that needed some improvement. Firstly, having filled the bottle, when the bottle is removed two things happen. First an AIR gap appears as the filling straw is removed and then the beer that is in the straw and the line back to the tap starts to drip and empty on to the bottle support.
I tried using the gas valve to blow the beer out of the straw and inject some gas into the neck of the bottle before capping.
While the straw was emptied the pipe back to the tap continued to empty. A tap was needed.
The gas flow at full pressure was a bit fierce when trying to put some gas in the neck space so needed to be throttled back. A flow control was needed.

This worked....but we can complicate this just a little bit more....

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

All the same issues I had with those devices Buffer. Unlike you though I wasn’t prepared to fix all their design issues and went for something that is properly designed and fit-for-purpose. I’m so happy I bought a Boel itap - genuine hands-free, mess-free bottling.

I’m enjoying the giggle though so don’t stop now!

 

[Buffers brewery]

Thinks: As I now have a tap on the Nukatap I don't need to connect it to the barrelator tap. I can connect direct to the King Keg.
Thinks: I need to split the gas supply from my cylinder so I can pressurise the bottles and maintain the pressure in the keg during filling.
So, replaced the short beer line to the tap with a length of beer line with a beer quick connect...

Then rummaged in my fittings box to create an additional gas line...

I think that's as far as I can go. First test run worked well. 500ml bottle filled in a couple of minutes totally hands free.

 

[Buffers brewery]

All the same issues I had with those devices Buffer. Unlike you though I wasn’t prepared to fix all their design issues and went for something that is properly designed and fit-for-purpose. I’m so happy I bought a Boel itap - genuine hands-free, mess-free bottling.

I’m enjoying the giggle though so don’t stop now!

Yes, I looked at the itap but was too tight to spend that kind of money on something I wouldn't use that much. And you know me, I do enjoy a crazy project

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Yes, I looked at the itap but was too tight to spend that kind of money on something I wouldn't use that much. And you know me, I do enjoy a crazy project

We all enjoy your crazy projects and I think that time spent overcoming issues is good fun. I’m not sure it will still be as much fun getting it all out and setting it up to fill a couple of bottles once in a while.

I’m assuming you still have a fair bit of mess with drips from the filling tube and foam dribbling out of the vent?

 

[Buffers brewery]

We all enjoy your crazy projects and I think that time spent overcoming issues is good fun. I’m not sure it will still be as much fun getting it all out and setting it up to fill a couple of bottles once in a while.

I’m assuming you still have a fair bit of mess with drips from the filling tube and foam dribbling out of the vent?

No, it's manageable. What I do, after filling the bottle up to when foam appears at the vent, I turn my tap off and vent the pressure. Drop the bottle down and put it to one side, quickly replacing it with a glass. A squirt of gas clears the majority of beer from the straw into the glass. The glass is then swapped for the full bottle and a second squirt of gas into the bottle neck before fitting the stopper. I have a bottle rack as part of the assembly so the next empty bottle can be quickly put under the straw while I fit the bottle cap to catch the odd drip.

As for the vent, a quick wipe with a clean cloth keeps it under control.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Set up and cleaning isn't too onerous either. The whole thing lives in my brew shed and can be lifted easily to where I'm bottling. To clean I use beer line cleaner pumped through the beer line from a garden spray with a clean empty bottle in position to flush the vent line. Rinse and sanitise using the same method and it's ready to go.

 

[RichardM]

That's very impressive.
Is there any chance of you printing a plastic holder for me? Is it symmetrical? I have my gas coming in from the left.
And if you wanted to make another crank/platform I would use that.
Of course I would be willing to pay for it

 

[Twostage]

That's quite a piece of engineering.

I use a short piece of plastic pipe that fits in the tap on the corny and the other end goes through a bung that fits the bottles. Not a perfect solution as you do lose some fizz but can be operated without the need for additional limbs

Might contemplate upgrading though.

 

[Buffers brewery]

That's very impressive.
Is there any chance of you printing a plastic holder for me? Is it symmetrical? I have my gas coming in from the left.
And if you wanted to make another crank/platform I would use that.
Of course I would be willing to pay for it

The plastic holder isn’t symmetric but I can easily make a mirror image if you really want . I’ll check out how much the various parts cost me and post a parts list.

 

[RichardM]

The plastic holder isn’t symmetric but I can easily make a mirror image if you really want . I’ll check out how much the various parts cost me and post a parts list.

Thank you. Yes, I would appreciate it, like you I only have two hands!

 

[Buffers brewery]

Got a bit carried away with the parts list but I’ve tried to include ALL the bits except for the wooden stand as that can be as big or small as you like (within reason).

 

[gavp1979]

Love reading your projects, wish I had the inventiveness and time cos it looks like you have loads of fun coming up with contraptions in your brew shed

 

[Buffers brewery]

Thanks @gavp1979 . Yes, the joys of being a retired old buffer! Currently looking for the next crazy project

 

[RichardM]

Got a bit carried away with the parts list but I’ve tried to include ALL the bits except for the wooden stand as that can be as big or small as you like (within reason).

Thanks for this. I'll study it over the weekend

 

[Buffers brewery]

 

[MikeB.]

Going off topic, but what’s the purpose of these? Are these connections to the kegs?

 

[Buffers brewery]

Going off topic, but what’s the purpose of these? Are these connections to the kegs?

Yes. I have two King Kegs inside the fridge and they are gas connections to each one. In normal use I connect my gas cylinder to the connector for the keg I'm pouring from.