Keg Flow Meter

[_jon_]

Hey Guys,

So I saw on a YouTube video that a guy had a flow meter that told him how many pints were left in his keg, and was measure by intersecting the beerline with a flow meter.

I've had a look at that brand and there doesn't seem to be anything available in the UK by that brand.

Do you know of any UK available alternatives?

Thanks
Jon

 

[stevey]

You can buy a level indicator for use with corny kegs. It's made from two balls, one the size of a ping pong ball which floats on your beer and has a magnet inside, and a smaller pea sized ball with a magnet that follows the float down the side of the keg. I know it's not exactly what you were asking, but they look like they give a good indication of what's left in the keg (I don't have one myself).
I wonder if you are referring to the gadgets that breweries use to make sure their tenants don't buy beer from elsewhere, I think it was called brew lines or something similar.

A quick search turned this up:

https://www.bellflowsystems.co.uk/f...00-ac-dc-powered-electromagnetic-flow-meters/

A bit on the expensive side though.

 

[Graz]

I've seen a DIY alternative described where you get the empty shell from a Kinder Egg toy (dead Minion) sterilize it, pop a magnet inside, float this in the beer, then couple it to a small ball bearing on the outside of the keg. As the beer level inside drops so will the Kinder Egg / magnet dragging the ball bearing down with it.

 

[Graz]

Too slow

 

[stevey]

Too slow

The DIY version is much cheaper though.

 

[Godsdog]

I've seen a DIY alternative described where you get the empty shell from a Kinder Egg toy (dead Minion) sterilize it, pop a magnet inside, float this in the beer, then couple it to a small ball bearing on the outside of the keg. As the beer level inside drops so will the Kinder Egg / magnet dragging the ball bearing down with it.

Nobody more than me tried to replicate that idea and failed as if the magnets in the kinder egg are too weak it doesn't attatch to the keg wall and if too strong it just sits where it sticks, it really is a delicate balancing process and try as I did couldn't get it right.there is a poster in here who imported the american one for about £20 I think and never put a review up

 

[_jon_]

Thanks for the info.. not really what I'm looking for. As I don't want to have to open the fridge

The one I'm referring to has a digital display which you can mount on the front of the fridge and an inline adapter which measures the flow through the line.

You can callibrate it to the size of your glass and set it to 0 when you keg it. Then it'll count the volume poured through the line, and deduct the number of units (glasses) that have passed through it.

 

[F00b4r]

Nobody more than me tried to replicate that idea and failed as if the magnets in the kinder egg are too weak it doesn't attatch to the keg wall and if too strong it just sits where it sticks, it really is a delicate balancing process and try as I did couldn't get it right.there is a poster in here who imported the american one for about £20 I think and never put a review up

No need to import them as Brew UK sell them. Unfortunately they don't sell the add-on packs so you have to buy the full pack per keg.

I have been tempted to buy one but managed to resist so far....

 

[Graz]

Hmm, £15 per keg as opposed to just keeping a tally as to how many pints you've drawn from it i.e. PostIt note and a pencil on a bit of string stuck on your kegerator?

Not averse to the idea but £15 for a few magnets and a ping pong ball!

 

[F00b4r]

Hmm, £15 per keg as opposed to just keeping a tally as to how many pints you've drawn from it i.e. PostIt note and a pencil on a bit of string stuck on your kegerator?



Not averse to the idea but £15 for a few magnets and a ping pong ball!

Yep, is definitely priced fairly high for what it is but there again there is no messing about for hours working out which strength magnet is needed etc.

Another alternative that I use is these mini chalkboard stickers. I put two above the tap, one for the beer info and one for striking off beers drawn, so with a liquid chalk pen it is easy to see what is left in the keg.

 

[MattSpeight]

Hiya guys, i'm brand new to homebrew and the forum, already found it so usefull!!

Might sound daft, but I run a Micropub, we use Door counters, attached to the hand pulls to count cask pint, one click for a half, two for a pint. A really easy and cheap way to keep a count.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chrome-M...474324&hash=item1c931ae754:g:PTcAAOSwuEhZy4W3

 

[Godsdog]

Hiya guys, i'm brand new to homebrew and the forum, already found it so usefull!!

Might sound daft, but I run a Micropub, we use Door counters, attached to the hand pulls to count cask pint, one click for a half, two for a pint. A really easy and cheap way to keep a count.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chrome-M...474324&hash=item1c931ae754:g:PTcAAOSwuEhZy4W3

Great idea mate,just got one off fleabay for £1.89 British held stock from Chinese seller.thanks for a heads up

 

[Fil]

another alternative is a spare set of bathroom, fishing, or luggage scales. beer weighs about (1 x beers FG)kg per litre so weigh the keg empty and deduct that from any filled measurements taken, and divide by (1 x beers FG) to determine volume in litres.
(ie if the beers FG was 1.010 and the empty keg weighs 3kg, and the current mass of the keg is 13.1kg, you have 10l of beer in it.. 13.1-3 = 10.1. 10.1/1.01 = 10)