Kegerator newbie set up help

[Leon103]

I use both for a couple of reasons.
1 - I find it neater, less pipes in the fridge, and looks better.
2 - for using the extra post on the manifold for purging kegs and transferring from pressure fermenter.

Plus it's future proof so if I buy an extra keg everything is there to go.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Sorry, I'm not convinced. You have the same number of gas lines regardless of whether you use a manifold or secondary regulator, but with a regulator you can dispense at different pressures.

Though secondary regulators take up more space. Not that I think that's an issue if you're only using a couple of kegs. Plus as I didn't want to put the taps through the door due to a lack of space, the possibility of knocking them and having to bend down to pour a pint, I built a wooden box to sit on top of the fridge and mounted my secondary regulator in that.

 

[Gwen]

Let the fun begin. Double keg kit just arrived.

just a few more questions.
1. The 4 little connectors I take it they are line reducers for connecting the beer line to the tap
2. The spring I take goes in the tap. Which way? Wider end tap end or wider end line end?
3. The pink rubber seals on the keg lid. Are these just spare for the posts or do they have another purpose?
4. I will be at a later date get a gas manifold and inline regulators but to start with I will be having 2 kegs so will the check valve do both kegs if connected near the gas bottle end before the splitter?

 

[gavp1979]

1) the four connectors are stem reducers, they go in to the disconnect/tap connector and convert it to fit 3/16 line.
2) Sorry I can't help with that one as I have flow control taps which don't support the self closing spring.
3) They look like spares to me.
4)Yes you are currect that the check valve will protect your regulator from both kegs as long as it is installed between the regulator and y splitter.

 

[Regfixit]

Maltmiller has a video about the tap spring. The narrow end of the spring goes at the tap side.
And regarding the secondary regulators - here is a pic of my setup where I have three.

As people have said this allows different pressures for different things e.g. my lager is at 30 psi at the moment and IPA at 16.
I have a mix of commercial kegs like Magners cider and homebrew in cornies. Having the secondary regulators with their own shutoff valves makes it easy to swap the gas connectors for one from corny disconnects to Sankey etc without having to turn off all the gas.
At my girlfriend's I have a smaller CO2 cylinder and 2 kegs at same pressure using a Y splitter.

 

[Gwen]

Thanks Gav

Reg, I was only thinking when I came out of bookers this morning and saw the empty thatchers barrells about using them at home. What kind of connections do you use for them?

 

[Regfixit]

The Magners cider kegs I drink use a Sankey type connector, but I believe Thatchers gold use Grundy. Since I got my first corny keg, they have multiplied and so what I do now is fill a corny from the Magners/Kirin/Strongbow kegs and then dispense from that. I can fit three cornies under my homemade bar and also they are easier to transport back and forth between my house and my girlfriend's.

If you mean using empty Thatchers kegs for your own beer then I think that's a bit of a no-no as the kegs remain owned by the breweries and you need special tools to safely remove the spears etc.

 

[Gwen]

The Magners cider kegs I drink use a Sankey type connector, but I believe Thatchers gold use Grundy. Since I got my first corny keg, they have multiplied and so what I do now is fill a corny from the Magners/Kirin/Strongbow kegs and then dispense from that.

Oh dear, I can see the 3 corny's have might not be enough might have to do even more research on what a skankey connector is.

If you mean using empty Thatchers kegs for your own beer then I think that's a bit of a no-no as the kegs remain owned by the breweries and you need special tools to safely remove the spears etc.

No wasn't thinking of using them empty, only full ones to drink from. We do like Thatchers Gold and Haze.

 

[Gwen]

Well the build has finally happen

Only thing we did different to our plan was to just thread the normal size gas pipe through the drip hole in the back of the fridge instead of drilling through the side. It is a very tight fit, so will need to monitor any condensation and possibly change to smaller pipe. One thing I did not get done was attach the 2 duotight regulators as I did not realise they were the smaller fittings, so will need to get reducers. That will be next weekends job. Even hubby is please and commented how easy it was. He is now quite happy to get his own beer.