Pezzza Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 11 hours ago, Titan said: Buy a pair of those thick long bootlaces, it should do the job. That was such a good suggestion Titan - one thing for sure - got plenty old work boots with thick laces - found one and washed all the dust out of the lace which took forever ha ha... Then another few washes and soaks in boiling water... soak overnight... will give it a boil tomorrow and sterilise and give the liquid dip tubes a rub - thanks mate. Great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 4 hours ago, Beer Baron said: Does high shed temperatures impact the grain in any way Not that I've noticed. Beers all taste the same as they always did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 10 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said: eah dunno whether you can go with a picture on the Web at the best of times @Journeyman as a surefire cert... but I might be wrong. 100% right there. The best to do is ask them to sub CMB. They are the only disconnect that I have had no issues with. I have even had issues with stainless steel ones. They are a bugger to remove. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said: Am pretty sure that CPB's base model disconnects are not CMB... but I could be wrong. Just when have bought diconns off them I had to specifically ask for CMB which are a tad more expensive but a beautiful thing. @MartyG1525230263 So CMB is a brand of tap rather than a type of tap? Any other upgrades I should look at? How are their regulators and manifolds? That seems another area I have read about people having issues with. Edited April 3, 2020 by Journeyman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 8 minutes ago, Journeyman said: So CMB is a brand of tap rather than a type of tap? CMB is a brand of disconnects. Most the disconnects are copies of their design but are not as good. Nothing worse than losing a keg of beer overnight because a liquid disconnect was leaking at the keg or losing a bottle of gas because the gas disconnect was leaking. I have never had a CMB leak but I have had the cheap knockoff leak. The taps that come with the kit are fine. They do the job well however, there are nicer taps like Intertap but they are not cheap. The thing is once set up you can up grade easily and sell the old stuff. There is a good market for second hand gear. As for the manifold they are all much the same. Now regulators are a different proposition. I started with a KegLand reg and they are good. I know have a Harris and they are brilliant. The difference is the adjustment. The Harris has good pressure on the adjustment screw and a turn of only a couple of degrees will see it go up 1 psi. The cheaper one, the pressure on the adjustment screw is weak and to get it to go up 1 psi you may need to turn it 30 degrees. If you get my drift. They just don't have the response or feel. But they work fine and are $49 where a new Harris is 3 times that. As I say keep an eye out on GumTree and Market Place as stuff always pops up and as you get better gear just sub it in. I sold my KegLand reg for $40 in the box with receipt about 3 weeks after I bought it as I picked up a Harris for the same price second hand. As I said I have used those CPB kit before and they are fine as long as you change the disconnects. Another thing is number of kegs. I have 3 taps and use 6 kegs in the rotation. One cider for the wife and 2 taps for me. The others are kegs that are aging or a lager that is doing its thing in the back of the kegger. Now a lot of people dont go the lager route but I was drinking a 11 week lagered AG Pilsner yesterday with my son and it was wonderful. They are worth the time if you have the space. I also have a party tap and a pluto gun. They are a must if you want to taste test the kegs that are aging so you know when they are getting near right. Other will have different thoughts but I hope that all helps. The thing is you never hear anyone say "I have too many kegs" . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red devil 44 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Harris Regulators are the best, they have a much better diaphragm inside them and softer seating, hence the easy adjustment ( I used to service & rebuild them ), more expensive yes but worth it IMHO 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 17 minutes ago, Red devil 44 said: Harris Regulators are the best, they have a much better diaphragm inside them and softer seating, hence the easy adjustment ( I used to service & rebuild them ), more expensive yes but worth it IMHO Yeah between you @Red devil 44, Otto and ChPkBrew you all convinced me a while back ha ha... CPB man also noted Aus Std which is a good thing I think if dealing with high pressures-energy-safety hierarchy you will know it all Red ha ha Eliminate Substitute Engineer Admin PPE yahdee yahdee yah... Also rang Harris when looking for a Nitro (higher pressures in the cylinder @Red devil 44 Red?) solution and they said the Harris 601 was fine - as did the Nitro gas supplier. Can get them for $90 from CPB but will cop the freight on top... Discount Home Brew Supplies they are c.$95 but buy some hops or hose or disconnects or something and > $100 freight is free. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 @Journeyman one last thought. Leave room for more taps. A mistake I made was centring the taps. If you offset them you leave room for more if you want to increase the beers on tap later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 3 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said: Can get them for $90 from CPB but will cop the freight on top... Discount Home Brew Supplies they are c.$95 but buy some hops or hose or disconnects or something and > $100 freight is free. Great price and great ideas. I have seen them for double that new while i have been browsing buying sites. At $95 it is a no brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 9 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said: Also rang Harris when looking for a Nitro (higher pressures in the cylinder @Red devil 44 Red?) solution and they said the Harris 601 was fine - as did the Nitro gas supplier. Can get them for $90 from CPB but will cop the freight on top... Discount Home Brew Supplies they are c.$95 but buy some hops or hose or disconnects or something and > $100 freight is free. 5 minutes ago, MartyG1525230263 said: Great price and great ideas. I have seen them for double that new while i have been browsing buying sites. At $95 it is a no brainer. CPB should be post-free if I order the Harris with the system. Thanks guys - advice may be free but this is gold for a tyro kegger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 If you can cop the extra cost and is same freight @Journeyman JMan I think it's the better way to go as the Harris 601 will last the distance and it is a beautiful thing to use. And the Co is based in Aussie as far as I believe (Darra Bris up your way @Red devil 44?) and the equipment is made in Europe so those are also positives. The safety aspects being Australian Standard compliant are another plus. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) Do most beers use the same pressure? How about if I do cider and beer at the same time? I'm wondering if I should be looking at a dual reg instead of a single. Also if I'm going to carb in keg, I'd need either a separate reg or a dual, right? Edited April 4, 2020 by Journeyman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red devil 44 Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 51 minutes ago, Journeyman said: Do most beers use the same pressure? How about if I do cider and beer at the same time? I'm wondering if I should be looking at a dual reg instead of a single. Also if I'm going to carb in keg, I'd need either a separate reg or a dual, right? Yes if you are carbing a keg with a single stage Regulator at normal serving pressure, you can serve others, but if you are fast carbing eg 24hrs then high pressure is required, meaning you can’t serve off any other tap. If carbing at serving pressure it could take a week to fully carbonate. I put my keg on high pressure 300kpa ( 40psi ) for 24 hrs, ( and it is 24 hrs on the nose ) comes out perfect every time, no froth, nice head, great taste and carbonation. Dual stage Regulators allow you to serve and gas up at the same time, you will just have to install 2 manifolds, 1 for serving pressure, the other for high pressure. I can send you a pic of my dual manifold system if you want, be aware though a dual stage Harris Reg will cost you a pretty penny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 47 minutes ago, Red devil 44 said: Yes if you are carbing a keg with a single stage Regulator at normal serving pressure, you can serve others, but if you are fast carbing eg 24hrs then high pressure is required, meaning you can’t serve off any other tap. If carbing at serving pressure it could take a week to fully carbonate. I put my keg on high pressure 300kpa ( 40psi ) for 24 hrs, ( and it is 24 hrs on the nose ) comes out perfect every time, no froth, nice head, great taste and carbonation. Dual stage Regulators allow you to serve and gas up at the same time, you will just have to install 2 manifolds, 1 for serving pressure, the other for high pressure. I can send you a pic of my dual manifold system if you want, be aware though a dual stage Harris Reg will cost you a pretty penny. Yes please on the pics. I figure if I am doing this, I better do it right. Chances are if anything breaks I will not have the cash on hand to buy anything new. Buy cheap and you probably have to buy it again; buy quality and that's the only payment. Also I'm thinking I need disconnects for all active kegs? So if I get the '2 tap' conversion kit and have 4 kegs I need 4 each of gas and liquid disconnects? If I have 2 extra spare kegs they'd need them as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Red devil 44 said: ...be aware though a dual stage Harris Reg will cost you a pretty penny. Ouch! Beerbell has Harris 601 for $99 but the dual Harris is $310!!! Guess I'm carbing at serving pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red devil 44 Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 22 minutes ago, Journeyman said: Yes please on the pics. I figure if I am doing this, I better do it right. Chances are if anything breaks I will not have the cash on hand to buy anything new. Buy cheap and you probably have to buy it again; buy quality and that's the only payment. Also I'm thinking I need disconnects for all active kegs? So if I get the '2 tap' conversion kit and have 4 kegs I need 4 each of gas and liquid disconnects? If I have 2 extra spare kegs they'd need them as well? If you have 4 kegs serving at the same time then you will need 4 ( Gas in ) Disconnects & 4 Liquid ( Beer Out ), the ones that are spare don’t require them, only if you have a dual manifold system with a dual stage regulator you will need more. Having a set or 2 spare of each wouldn’t go astray though, I have a few spares for everything, taps, o-rings, back up regulator, disconnects. One good tip if going to kegging, put a check valve ( non-return ) on the gas line in from your regulator, this stops any beer travelling back up your gas line and damaging the regulator diaphragm, I have 2 lines in and both have check valves, not dear, about $10, good piece of mind to have rather than replacing a diaphragm. It shouldn’t happen but without them it could 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 I do all sorts of beers and serve and carb them all at the same pressure. An idea I like and have used is to have the gas bottle outside of the fridge and run the line through the side of the fridge and connect that to the manifold. The line that is outside put a T piece in it and run another gas line and disconnect on that so you can pressurise kegs outside the fridge. Comes in really handy. Most of us would pressurizer immediately to purge any O2 from the head space. I have included some pics: a T piece which I have inside the fridge. I have a keg under pressure but no tap which is conditioning the carbonating using that line. I have a 3 line manifold but run 4 gas lines with the T piece. As you can see I have the bottle outside and have space for the T piece outside. I have spare bottle with a reg so don't need to external line at the moment. Hope that all helps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 The keg on the left is hooked up to pour, the one on the right is being carbed? And so is the one at the back? What is the beast on the top shelf? You're not using a t-piece outside at present? Is there a reason to remove it when not in use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Journeyman said: You're not using a t-piece outside at present? Is there a reason to remove it when not in use? I haven't used an external T piece on this set up as I have a spare bottle and reg. However, that will be given to my son soon so will have to set one up in the near future. 15 minutes ago, Journeyman said: The keg on the left is hooked up to pour, the one on the right is being carbed? And so is the one at the back? The two front ones are hooked up to pour the one at the back is my latest brew, a clone of the Tooths 1917 XXX ale. Nice drop just getting read to go on the bank. Will be in use before the weekend is over. 15 minutes ago, Journeyman said: What is the beast on the top shelf? That is a 13 litre keg that I have cider in for the wife. I have a 25 litre one of the same make that I use as my pressure fermenter. I bought them of a guy on GumTree for $100.00 a bargain I must say. A couple of last tips. Colour code the lines so you know which is which. You will need some food grade lube so buy some when you order your tap kit and use it when putting the lines on the taps and manifold etc. And set up the gas lines on the manifold and disconnects before securing the manifold in the fridge and put it in a bucket of water and pressurise it to see if it is leaking. When it is not just screw in whole-us-bowl-us onto the fridge wall. Edited April 4, 2020 by MartyG1525230263 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red devil 44 Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Journeyman said: Yes please on the pics. I figure if I am doing this, I better do it right. Chances are if anything breaks I will not have the cash on hand to buy anything new. Buy cheap and you probably have to buy it again; buy quality and that's the only payment. Also I'm thinking I need disconnects for all active kegs? So if I get the '2 tap' conversion kit and have 4 kegs I need 4 each of gas and liquid disconnects? If I have 2 extra spare kegs they'd need them as well? Here is the pic JM, 4 kegs on serving pressure, one on the right currently cooled and carbing up on high pressure. Always have one carbed ready to go in case one blows mid session 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) I like the idea of fast carbing. But it's clear the ~$90 versus ~$310 to go from single to dual means it's a lot cheaper to get 2 x 601's and just buy an extra CO2 - Does carbing or dispensing use more CO2? I'm guessing carbing because the beer takes it in where the pouring side just pushes things along. Also carbing has the whole purging side as well. If I get a 6 kg and a 2.6 kg would I be better running the 2.6 to pour and keep the 6 for carbing, purging etc? Or do I have things upside down? EDIT: Taking a look at CPB there's only $15 difference between 2.6 and 6 kg cylinders anyway so I'd just get 2 x 6 kg Edited April 4, 2020 by Journeyman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 7 minutes ago, Red devil 44 said: Always have one carbed ready to go in case one blows mid session Great set up there. So how many empties waiting to be filled? I usually have 1 in line to be used like you, one full in the brew fridge cold crashing and 1 empty ready for the next fermented brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 Would something like this be a simple solution for now? Run one at carb pressure and the other for serving? https://cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/dual-pressure-manifold-distributor-pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 3 minutes ago, Journeyman said: If I get a 6 kg and a 2.6 kg would I be better running the 2.6 to pour and keep the 6 for carbing, purging etc? Or do I have things upside down? Personally just buy more kegs and slow carb at serving pressure it takes a week and the beer is conditioning at the same time. If you have enough kegs it is not an issue. A second gas bottle and reg will cost as much as 2 kegs so I would buy the kegs. The only reason I have a second bottle is I flip stuff and acquired it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 6 minutes ago, Journeyman said: Would something like this be a simple solution for now? Run one at carb pressure and the other for serving? https://cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/dual-pressure-manifold-distributor-pack Don't think that would do what you want. Seriously don't over complicate it. Why do you want to force carb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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