Maintaining pressure in a keg

[TRXnMe]

Started drinking my first brew tonight :) A Coopers English Ale kit, quite nicec despite me making a few basic errors in the brewing of it :)

I have it in a keg, with the CO2 sparklet thingies to keep the pressure on, any idea how many pints each poxy little cylinder will replace? I've noticed they leak a whole load when used. Having read a little bit on CO2 sincec joining it appears that I should have bought an S30 thingy, not the soda syphon pressure lid I have done

Is it possible to fit use an S30 cylinder with a soda syphon pressure lid?

 

[RobWalker]

Warmer is easier to carbonate. I get 3 kegs out of an @30 at a cool temp.

You might be adding too much at once - I generally give it a second after each pint.

 

[eggman]

Need a bit more info.
How long has it been in the keg? How long did you leave it in the warm after kegging?
I leave mine in the warm for a week before moving somewhere cooler for at least 3 weeks.
Did you seal the lid properly with some vaseline on the washer?
:

 

[crofty83]

You can pick up a new cap for your keg with the S30 valve for just over £10 I think. I paid £25 for my C02 bottle which is also refillable. My local Tesco have them but if you have a HBS near by I'd go and give them the business :-)

 

[TRXnMe]

You can pick up a new cap for your keg with the S30 valve for just over £10 I think. I paid £25 for my C02 bottle which is also refillable. My local Tesco have them but if you have a HBS near by I'd go and give them the business :-)

Cheers, looks like Tesco if they have them as the nearest home brew shops are 20 to 30 miles from me

I gave the keg a week in the kitchen and a couple of days in the shed before curiosity got the better of me....

I also realise that the question I asked wasn't really correct (I'd had three of my own pints by the time I started to think about this last night, I guess there is some alchohol in there).. As an Engineer all I should have needed to know is what pressure goes into the barrel from a tiny little cylinder :) If I get 14 psi into the barrel that will double in volume (approximately) before pressure goes negative, sort of explains why the little cylinders are so useless, when there is only a small air gap at the top of the beer not much CO2 can get in...

I've got my second brew underway, that will be treated with a little more patience than this one, I'll also be getting a lid suitable for use with S30 cylinders for all my future kegs :)

 

[pittsy]

also try bottling a few of the new brew and see the difference , kegs are good (plastic) but bottles are far better , makes a big difference

 

[TRXnMe]

also try bottling a few of the new brew and see the difference , kegs are good (plastic) but bottles are far better , makes a big difference

My plan was to bottle off some of this keg, but it's not that good, too sweet for my taste, so I'll drink it (I don't believe in waste ) and bottle off the next brew :)

I'm already planning brew three, to start next weekend after the current one is bottled.

I hope the brew that's currently kegged will last me about 6 weeks, that should let me bottle off at least two brews :)

I also have my eye on a couple of Hambleton Bard kegs with, what I think are S30 fittings, one of them has an empty cylinder with it so that would add nicely to the storage capacity and let me have two types of beer in kegs for supping while the bottled stuff matures.

Time to order my next beer kit I think :)

 

[TRXnMe]

OK, I've found the kit I need on line, from vaious HB specialists, now, my last question (I promise, for a little while anyway), can I swap an S30 cylinder between kegs? Or will I need one per keg?

I'll only be drinking from one at a time :)

 

[pittsy]

yes you only need 1 you screw it on to keg valve and when you hear it release you just do a quick 2 second burst then unscrew job done till next time needed