Mick Dundee’s Kegerator Build

[Brew_DD2]

My regulator goes up and down all the time with temperature fluctuations. PTFE all your threaded connections and spray down all joints with soapy water.

 

[MickDundee]

My regulator goes up and down all the time with temperature fluctuations. PTFE all your threaded connections and spray down all joints with soapy water.

That’s reassuring. Does it go right into the red and back out again? Like almost the “change keg” level?

I’ll still keep it off until tomorrow/Tuesday when I can properly test. Will weigh the tank and check the John Guests with soap. I’ll get some PTFE tape ordered from Amazon this week.

 

[Brew_DD2]

That’s reassuring. Does it go right into the red and back out again? Like almost the “change keg” level?

I’ll still keep it off until tomorrow/Tuesday when I can properly test. Will weigh the tank and check the John Guests with soap. I’ll get some PTFE tape ordered from Amazon this week.

Yeah, when I had it outside it bounced regularly from red to 50psi.

 

[MickDundee]

Yeah, when I had it outside it bounced regularly from red to 50psi.

That’s good to know. I did think that at that loss rate (pretty much empty since Friday) I would be aware of gas release, like being able to feel an escape around the JG fittings or something. Also, the kegerator is about 5 feet from a carbon monoxide detector and since our next door neighbours set theirs off with their car exhaust when their car wasn’t even in the garage I would think that 6kg of CO2 in less than a week would have set ours off.

The keg pressure has been consistent as well so I suspect mine is just doing what yours does. It’s just unnerving seeing it at the same level for 3 days then suddenly drop after fitting the reducers and moving the tank.

I’m sure I’ve seen you say you have the same reg as me too, the Premium ODI one from BKT?

 

[Brew_DD2]

That’s good to know. I did think that at that loss rate (pretty much empty since Friday) I would be aware of gas release, like being able to feel an escape around the JG fittings or something. Also, the kegerator is about 5 feet from a carbon monoxide detector and since our next door neighbours set theirs off with their car exhaust when their car wasn’t even in the garage I would think that 6kg of CO2 in less than a week would have set ours off.

The keg pressure has been consistent as well so I suspect mine is just doing what yours does. It’s just unnerving seeing it at the same level for 3 days then suddenly drop after fitting the reducers and moving the tank.

I’m sure I’ve seen you say you have the same reg as me too, the Premium ODI one from BKT?

That's the one. They all do it though. Moen doesn't jump around any more now that it's indoors. That being said, check all of your joints because it's painful losing a whole tank of gas.

 

[chillipickle]

I set my keg up on friday in my tall fridge temporarily untill the wood collar is finished for the freezer.
The co2 bottle was reading 60 on the gauge, then sat afternoon it had dropped to just under 50.Panic stations, thinking i had a leak some where but it hasnt moved since.
Think i am going to keep the co2 bottle out side the freezer.Not that i have any need for 4 kegs atm, but the freezer could fit them with out the co2 bottle.

 

[MickDundee]

So it turns out Mrs Dundee had a glass-worth of wine squirrelled away in the fridge and I had no beers in the fridge. I just had to start on my keg.

I weighed the tank and it weighed 16.8kg. The tare weight is 13.7kg so I have lost about half a tank somehow. I’m not sure how much of that is my “accident” and how much is leaking. I’ve covered the John Guests in Fairy but in the 5mins I’ve had the gas back on I don’t see any bubbles. I suspect I don’t have the nut tight enough between the tank and the reg, so now that the beer is carbed (15PSI for 5 days appears to be perfect) I’ll keep it off when not in use until my keg spanner arrives.

Anyway, back to the fun bit. I still need to balance my lines (need to shorten them) so the flow is a little slow with very little foam but it’s poured well. Chuffed to bits with it! Cloudiness is because it’s a witbier.

 

[Banbeer]

The tare weight is 13.7kg

Are you sure it's 13.7kg tare as it looks like the same bottle as mine from the same company and I'm sure mine is 15.7kg? I could of read it wrong though as it's not that clearly stamped.

 

[MickDundee]

Are you sure it's 13.7kg tare as it looks like the same bottle as mine from the same company and I'm sure mine is 15.7kg? I could of read it wrong though as it's not that clearly stamped.

https://hobbyweld.co.uk/products/carbon-dioxide-food-grade/
Definitely 13.7kg

 

[MickDundee]

My leak problem is sorted, but not until after I lost the best part 5kg of gas in the process (I weighed it without taking the reg or lines off last time - weighed in at 14.8kg yesterday).

Part of it was me being a numpty (I didn’t have a spanner the right size so thought “it’ll be ok hand tightened, I’m quite strong”) and part of it was that the gas line on one of my 3/16 reducers wasn’t pushed in properly (I think because it wasn’t quite cut straight.

My dad lent next a spanner yesterday (although my keg spanner arrived in the post this morning), so when I finished work I took apart my gas line, trimmed all the line to make sure it was straight and pushed it all back into my JG fittings, then attached it all back up using the spanner to tighten the reg to the tank.

I weighed the tank before I put everything back together, poured 5 pints last night, and left it overnight.

I weighed the tank again this morning. The weight of the tank has gone down by 8g which - making allowances for the fact I used a different part of the garage to place the scales and that when using the kg setting in my scale it’s only accurate to within 5g - appears to just be the gas used to replace those 5 pints.

I’m a happy boy this morning. Racking my loss up to experience - 1.1kg is about 3 Sodastream tanks. My “refill” element of the initial tank purchase was £35. Sodastream refills cost £12 each so I’ve basically paid a deposit on a big tank for use later and got 3 Sodastream refills.

 

[Brew_DD2]

My leak problem is sorted, but not until after I lost the best part 5kg of gas in the process (I weighed it without taking the reg or lines off last time - weighed in at 14.8kg yesterday).

Part of it was me being a numpty (I didn’t have a spanner the right size so thought “it’ll be ok hand tightened, in quite strong”) and part of it was that the gas line on one of my 3/16 reducers wasn’t pushed in properly (I think because it wasn’t quite cut straight.

My dad lent next a spanner yesterday (although my keg spanner arrived in the post this morning), so when I finished work I took apart my gas line, trimmed all the line to make sure it was straight and pushed it all back into my JG fittings, then attached it all back up using the spanner to tighten the reg to the tank.

I weighed the tank before I put everything back together, poured 5 pints last night, and left it overnight.

I weighed the tank again this morning. The weight of the tank has gone down by 8g which - making allowances for the fact I used a different part of the garage to place the scales and that when using the kg setting in my scale it’s only accurate to within 5g - appears to just be the gas used to replace those 5 pints.

I’m a happy boy this morning. Racking my loss up to experience - 1.1kg is about 3 Sodastream tanks. My “refill” element of the initial tank purchase was £35. Sodastream refills cost £12 each so I’ve basically paid a deposit on a big tank for use later and got 2 Sodastream refills.

I lost my first CO2 tank overnight to the same issue. It's a right of passage

 

[MickDundee]

Was talking to my dad about my gas issue this morning, and this afternoon decided to weigh my tank again.

The good news is I’ve not lost any more gas.
The bad news is I’ve dropped my ******* regulator!

Luckily I already had a Kegland one from my Sodastream regulator so I’ve hooked that up. Apart from everything being at the other side it it actually feels sturdier than the ODI one.

I take it I don’t have any comeback on the now dead regulator?

I’m going to leave it all alone now!

 

[MickDundee]

My manifold and in line regulator came today, I bought PTFE tape and a new CO2 tank yesterday. I’ll fix my leak and install the manifold tonight

 

[Smileyr8]

My regulator goes up and down all the time with temperature fluctuations. PTFE all your threaded connections and spray down all joints with soapy water.

That's the reason I placed my CO2 in the fridge, it seemed to fluctuate wildy.

 

[Leon103]

My manifold and in line regulator came today, I bought PTFE tape and a new CO2 tank yesterday. I’ll fix my leak and install the manifold tonightView attachment 30984

Where did you buy from?

 

[MickDundee]

Where did you buy from?

The greatest shop on all of the internet, the Kegland AliExpress store. Cost me £25.89 delivered for the manifold, inline-reg and 2x3/8-to-5/16 adapters, and arrived from China in 12 days.

 

[cheeseyfeet]

Change out your 3/8 beer line for the 5/16 EVA barrier stuff from the Kegland store, it's is amazing!

 

[MickDundee]

Change out your 3/8 beer line for the 5/16 EVA barrier stuff from the Kegland store, it's is amazing!

I’m already on a 3/16 beer line which I have balanced for my witbier. It’s super slow but keeps the carb well and doesn’t foam much other than about a finger of head. Is the 5/16 a happy medium between the super slow 3/16 and the super foamy 3/8?

 

[Brew_DD2]

The greatest shop on all of the internet, the Kegland AliExpress store. Cost me £25.89 delivered for the manifold, inline-reg and 2x3/8-to-5/16 adapters, and arrived from China in 12 days.

How are you connecting your gas line through the mini regs? I'd looked at them and was keen to get involved but the 5/16 sizing put me off because I wasn't keen for more connections via adapters on the gas side.

EDIT: Just had a quick Google and it looks as though you can get 3/8 to 5/16 reducers. I may have to get ordering!

 

[Banbeer]

3/8 to 5/16 reducers

That's how I did mine and it works a treat.