# CO2 equipment?



## randyelias1 (Nov 11, 2009)

I recently purchased 2 co2 cannisters and a co2 bottle (high pressure). I also have an aparatis for putting co2 in beer. How do I use it?


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## smurfe (Nov 11, 2009)

Hook it up to your keg, calculate the psi needed to obtain the volume of CO2 in solution you want and set the psi. Let it set until you get the volume desired. Cold beer carbonates much faster at lower psi as well.


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## smurfe (Nov 11, 2009)

Also a detailed description of exactly what you have would help. I have no idea what your apparatus is?


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## Wade E (Nov 11, 2009)

Here is a chart to better help you understand C02 volumes at different temps and different styles of beer. Do you have a single or dbl gauge pressure regulator? Here is what my tank looks like with a dbl on the end and a singl gauge in the middle as I have a few egs hooked up and 1 is sparlkling wine which requires more PSI due to higher carbonation. The other is actually running 3 kegs of beer while the higher is running 1 of the sparkling.


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## TheTooth (Nov 12, 2009)

2 CO2 cannisters and 1 CO2 bottle and an apparatus for carbonating? I hope I don't sound like a jerk, but I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Here's what you need to carbonate kegged beverages:
1 - CO2 bottle (filled with CO2, of course)
1 - regulator to control the pressure of CO2 from bottle to destination.
1 - section of line (to connect regulator to ball/pin lock connector, whichever your keg is)
1 - ball/pin lock connector to attach to said line

After you have these items, all you need to do is attach the ball/pin lock connector to your keg and turn on the bottle/regulator, setting it to the proper pressure for your carbonation level. This pressure level will vary with temp... you need less pressure to carbonate a beverage at lower temps.

For instance, I find I'm good with about 10 - 12psi for beer at 35 degrees for most beers.


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## Malkore (Nov 12, 2009)

I'll add that a check valve installed in the gas line is a good idea. If you run out of CO2 and have a long gas dip-tube, you can push beer back up the gas line, into the regulator...and that's very bad.

i also find it easiest to use long tap lines to balance the system out. 10psi will rocket out of a 2 foot tap line and taste flat. 8 feet of tap line will probably give a perfect pour.
point here: buy long tap lines and then trim them gradually til you find the balance in your system. everyone's is a little bit different.


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## Wade E (Nov 12, 2009)

I agree with malkore and hate the fact that sellers usually sell people a 3' liquid line and then they struggle wonfdering why they are getting nothing but foam. I automatically just go with a 10' line as that seems to work well in most situations with low and higher carb beers. 
Tooth, I believe what Randy is staing isd that he has 2 corny kegs and the tank. We just need to know if he has the regulator and like Malkore stated a check valve which I still need which I acy=tually need 2 of since I have 1 line split into 3 and another for sparkling wine.


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## TheTooth (Nov 13, 2009)

Wade E said:


> I agree with malkore and hate the fact that sellers usually sell people a 3' liquid line and then they struggle wonfdering why they are getting nothing but foam. I automatically just go with a 10' line as that seems to work well in most situations with low and higher carb beers.
> Tooth, I believe what Randy is staing isd that he has 2 corny kegs and the tank. We just need to know if he has the regulator and like Malkore stated a check valve which I still need which I acy=tually need 2 of since I have 1 line split into 3 and another for sparkling wine.



That makes more sense. I just wasn't able to figure out what he meant at the time. LOL

I need to extend the serving lines on my setup. I had 6 ft lines in a refrigerator-based kegerator, and that was great. But I've built a bigger kegerator out of a chest freezer and the 6 ft lines just aren't long enough anymore.

Here's my current setup:









I have a dual-regulator off the CO2 tank, one at high pressure for my wife's sodas on the left... and the other setup at lower pressure for the beers and hard ciders. I just bought a bank of four secondary regulators so I can tune my pressures better on the alcohol side of the kegerator.


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## Wade E (Nov 13, 2009)

Good lord my friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## arcticsid (Nov 13, 2009)

Wade already said my reaction!!!!!
Holy Yikes Tapman!


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## gaudet (Nov 14, 2009)

Making me thirsty........


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## Tom (Nov 14, 2009)

And I thought I was bad with 20+ 5 gal cornies and 3 3 gal cornies.
I guess you make you "limit" on beers


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## Wade E (Nov 14, 2009)

Tom, from what I see you have way more then Tooth but he probably has way more in use at 1 time cause thats just bad ***! My wife would never let me get away with that! I picked up 2 more and thats all Ill probably ever need and 1 more then Ill probably ever use at once but its nice to be able to maybe naturally carb 1.


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## Tom (Nov 14, 2009)

Well SWMBO does let me have my small side by side with 2 taps thru the door in one of our rooms. It's also where I keep my Lalvin yeast chart.


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## Wade E (Nov 14, 2009)

Hoping 1 of these days she'll give up and let me drill some holes for some Perlicks!


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## Tom (Nov 14, 2009)

U will love having them !


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## TheTooth (Nov 16, 2009)

Tom said:


> U will love having them !



+1... Perlicks are awesome!


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## TheTooth (Nov 16, 2009)

Tom said:


> And I thought I was bad with 20+ 5 gal cornies and 3 3 gal cornies.
> I guess you make you "limit" on beers



That's not bad... that's great! You can never have too many cornies. 

And yeah... my wife and I probably make our limit on beers/ciders/wines.


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## TheTooth (Nov 16, 2009)

Wade E said:


> Tom, from what I see you have way more then Tooth but he probably has way more in use at 1 time cause thats just bad ***! My wife would never let me get away with that! I picked up 2 more and thats all Ill probably ever need and 1 more then Ill probably ever use at once but its nice to be able to maybe naturally carb 1.



You're missing the kegs in the cellar. 

Regardless, Tom's probably got way more wine than I do. I'm still learning and making kits.

Your wife will let you get away with it if she's involved. My wife like making sodas, so I gave her the four taps on the left. She's got a cherry cinnamon soda, a cream soda, and a ginger ale on tap at the moment. She wanted some soda water, so the fourth tap is just that... water force carb'd in a keg. LOL


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