Have I bought the wrong pump/engine?
- Thread starter dweb
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I am no expert but that looks like a 'false' hand pump i.e. one that needs the beer to be at pressure same as a keg tap.
You need one with a pump chamber.
You need one with a pump chamber.
George Mason do a gas powered handpull, check and see the Manufacturer if its a Masons then it probabley is only of use with gas.
Have you got a link to it on Ebay, I would like to see it.Or possibly make an offer for it. All the best BusterThanks guys.
it`s back on Ebay
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Plenty of pumps on ebay, I have just bought and Angram clamp-on unit for around ã70 including postage and am expecting it to arrive shortly. But as said, it does look like the one above is a 'cylinderless' one designed to the pressure fed.
Daniel
Daniel
peebee
Out of Control
A hand-pump to serve your beer without gas? You're going to be disappointed! Although you will probably find using gas doesn't mean you can't enjoy your beer as "cask conditioned" unlike what CAMRA will try to tell you.
When you pull beer out of the cask you need to replace the "void" you are creating with sterile gas (CO2) or else do as the pubs must do and get the entire cask drunk within a very few days. If you just allow air in the remaining beer will start going off in a matter of days. CAMRA will tell you this how it must be, but unless you have a bunch of very thirsty friends your health will suffer repeatedly trying to drink an entire keg before it turns! Remember CAMRA look after the public visiting pubs, they don't look after home-brewers!
Pubs try to get around this by using "breathers" which replaces the "void" with CO2 but at zero pressure. You can do this. Your beer wont go off, but it will go flat! Hand-pumped beer isn't flat, it contains almost 1 volume of CO2 dissolved during fermentation for starters. "Breathers" do allow this dissolved CO2 to slowly disperse and the beer suffers. Doesn't have to happen in pubs because they turn over the beer quickly.
Another option is to use a "check-valve". It isn't a check-valve at all, probably got that name in a lame attempt to put CAMRA followers off the scent. It's a "demand-valve". Your beer is kept under pressure (about 3-8PSI) and only opens the valve when the hand-pump attempts to pull beer. Without it the beer would just pour out of the hand-pump! It's a cheat, but one that allows us home-brewers to use hand-pumps.
The next big issue is how do you get a CO2 regulator to work at 3-8PSI? You do need to keep the pressure low or your beer "force-carbonates" (I can tell its happening at about 4PSI, CAMRA tells you it will happen if a CO2 cylinder just comes within the same building as the beer!). Not as easy as it might appear. I do it by "modifying" air-brush regulators; I know Dads_Ale uses a more involved system with an "intermediary" vessel at zero pressure (CAMRA might even approve).
Long-winded post, but I wish I could have found this information when I first wanted a hand-pump!
When you pull beer out of the cask you need to replace the "void" you are creating with sterile gas (CO2) or else do as the pubs must do and get the entire cask drunk within a very few days. If you just allow air in the remaining beer will start going off in a matter of days. CAMRA will tell you this how it must be, but unless you have a bunch of very thirsty friends your health will suffer repeatedly trying to drink an entire keg before it turns! Remember CAMRA look after the public visiting pubs, they don't look after home-brewers!
Pubs try to get around this by using "breathers" which replaces the "void" with CO2 but at zero pressure. You can do this. Your beer wont go off, but it will go flat! Hand-pumped beer isn't flat, it contains almost 1 volume of CO2 dissolved during fermentation for starters. "Breathers" do allow this dissolved CO2 to slowly disperse and the beer suffers. Doesn't have to happen in pubs because they turn over the beer quickly.
Another option is to use a "check-valve". It isn't a check-valve at all, probably got that name in a lame attempt to put CAMRA followers off the scent. It's a "demand-valve". Your beer is kept under pressure (about 3-8PSI) and only opens the valve when the hand-pump attempts to pull beer. Without it the beer would just pour out of the hand-pump! It's a cheat, but one that allows us home-brewers to use hand-pumps.
The next big issue is how do you get a CO2 regulator to work at 3-8PSI? You do need to keep the pressure low or your beer "force-carbonates" (I can tell its happening at about 4PSI, CAMRA tells you it will happen if a CO2 cylinder just comes within the same building as the beer!). Not as easy as it might appear. I do it by "modifying" air-brush regulators; I know Dads_Ale uses a more involved system with an "intermediary" vessel at zero pressure (CAMRA might even approve).
Long-winded post, but I wish I could have found this information when I first wanted a hand-pump!
peebee
Out of Control
Just a little update to my "treatise". I should clarify the "force-carbonation" issue.
I can detect "force-carbonation" in bitters served at 4+PSI. We Brits like "young" bitters and the "fresh" hop flavours associated with them. Its the "fresh" hop flavours that seem to suffer most with carbonation. With darker beers, low-hopped beers and matured beers, I find I can get away with higher (6-8PSI) cask pressures. Another way of trashing "fresh" beers is using a sparkler on your hand-pump (just be careful how you use them, if you use them at all).
And the cheap way of maintaining such low pressure is to do it manually! But beware, a hand-pump will draw beer out of a cornie even when the pressure drops to 0PSI as air gets dragged past the seals. And the remaining beer will then go off!
I can detect "force-carbonation" in bitters served at 4+PSI. We Brits like "young" bitters and the "fresh" hop flavours associated with them. Its the "fresh" hop flavours that seem to suffer most with carbonation. With darker beers, low-hopped beers and matured beers, I find I can get away with higher (6-8PSI) cask pressures. Another way of trashing "fresh" beers is using a sparkler on your hand-pump (just be careful how you use them, if you use them at all).
And the cheap way of maintaining such low pressure is to do it manually! But beware, a hand-pump will draw beer out of a cornie even when the pressure drops to 0PSI as air gets dragged past the seals. And the remaining beer will then go off!
Good post, but its for a Bonfire party and we'll be having the whole lot out in the one night.
The real challenge is that having bought some Harry Mason cabinet type pumps, is to build a cabinet around them. And get hold of some Y-thread nuts and tails as that's what's in the bottom of the cylinder. Any recommendations for somewhere that does next-day delivery on a Saturday? (Order on Friday, tomorrow)
Daniel
peebee
Out of Control
Nope, I've not a clue where you might come up with that sort of stuff. Sorry.
Ended up finding some from a local supplier that worked with a little bit trimmed off with a saw!
Got the cabinet together literally minutes beforr guests startrd arriving, flushed through with water till all the valves etc stopped sticking, and attached to the beer. One pump on a firkin, one in a pin, while lot gone five hours later! job done!
Daniel
Got the cabinet together literally minutes beforr guests startrd arriving, flushed through with water till all the valves etc stopped sticking, and attached to the beer. One pump on a firkin, one in a pin, while lot gone five hours later! job done!
Daniel
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