34 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I probably should have asked this earlier but I'm kind of a dummy and already ordered some required parts from B3. Right now I have a keg jumper (liquid), the regulator to keg assembly and for the hell of it a picnic tap assembly.For secondary I have better bottles with the orange cap. Should I get some in-line QDs to switch things up to push from the better bottle? Do I need any special parts to go from racking cane to bev line or from co2 line to orange cap?ETA: if anyone has a good, cheap source for the parts that would be helpful too.

[BrewerGeorge]

I do just what you're talking about (except mine is from primary) with the same equipment. I use a keg dip tube with the flare cut off. The bend in the dip tube is good for getting down low into the BB and avoiding the center hump. The dip tube goes through the center, larger opening of the orange cap with a worm clamp to keep it gas-tight and position it for height. 1/4" tubing fits tight over the top of the dip tube with no clamp necessary to hold it, and the end for the bev QD has the typical screw-on flare connection. The gas side has a female gas QD and all my gas tubing has male fittings. I actually take one of my keggerator gas QD's off and attach a jumper long enough to reach the fermenting fridge. If I was going to add anything new, it would be a small valve on the gas jumper to shut off gas flow without having to run around to the back side of the serving fridge.The thing to remember is no more than 5 lbs of gas. You can't hurt the BB, but the orange cap will pop off rather dramatically if you push the pressure. Or if you forget to open the gas relief on the destination keg.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

So it seems like I need:gas keg QDliquid keg QDsome in-line QDs so I can swap from pushing into a keg to pushing into the carboyclampstubingMy question is - if I want to use my racking cane, what size tubing do I buy for liquid? Also - is the standard gas tubing size the right stuff to go into the carboy cap?

[BrewerGeorge]

So it seems like I need:gas keg QDliquid keg QDsome in-line QDs so I can swap from pushing into a keg to pushing into the carboyclampstubingMy question is - if I want to use my racking cane, what size tubing do I buy for liquid? Also - is the standard gas tubing size the right stuff to go into the carboy cap?

Don't really need an extra gray, keg gas QD.As for tubing size, the only things I know for sure are above. If you want to use different components, you're going to have to experiment a bit to find sizes that work. The tubing doesn't have to fit the carboy cap, though, it has to fit the racking cane. So whatever size you're using now should work. The cane goes all the way through the center 'post' of the orange cap and the tubing goes on the part of the cane that sticks out the top.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

How do you get the gas into the cap?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

How do you get the gas into the cap?

or put another way - what is the connection where the gas is going into the carboy like?

[tag]

I used a 1/4" hose barb - 1/4" male flare fitting. Place the barb end into the smaller carboy cap opening. The CO2 hose screws onto the flare end. I would slowly increase the CO2 pressure until it began to flow, usually ~ 2 psi.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

hmmm....

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I used a 1/4" hose barb - 1/4" male flare fitting. Place the barb end into the smaller carboy cap opening. The CO2 hose screws onto the flare end. I would slowly increase the CO2 pressure until it began to flow, usually ~ 2 psi.

Could I just use a QD barb fitting? those 1/4" and then I could easily pop whatever I want onto the carboy cap.

[BrewerGeorge]

or put another way - what is the connection where the gas is going into the carboy like?

This goes into the side post of the cap. It's a tight fit and no clamp is necessary.McM-C p/n 51525K276This goes on the end of the gas line:McM-C p/n 51525K286I actually use these fittings for everything on my gas side. All the hoses end with the male fitting, all the gray keg gas QD's have a short piece of tubing and the female fitting. I have a couple of different length jumpers male and female ends to send gas up to six feet away from the brass splitter. My beer gun uses these; I have a schraeder valve filler - basically everything.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

This goes into the side post of the cap. It's a tight fit and no clamp is necessary.McM-C p/n 51525K276This goes on the end of the gas line:McM-C p/n 51525K286I actually use these fittings for everything on my gas side. All the hoses end with the male fitting, all the gray keg gas QD's have a short piece of tubing and the female fitting. I have a couple of different length jumpers male and female ends to send gas up to six feet away from the brass splitter. My beer gun uses these; I have a schraeder valve filler - basically everything.

I assume those are from mcmaster?edit: duhhh, yes they arethose are cheap and look pretty slick. they are good for both liquid and gas?

[BrewerGeorge]

I assume those are from mcmaster?

Yep, and they're really, really cheap.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Yep, and they're really, really cheap.

you probably missed my edit - are they good for both liquid and gas or just gas?

[BrewerGeorge]

I've never tried them with liquid for two reasons. First, they're too big to fit into 3/16" tubing, having a very, very tight fit requiring heating 1/4" tubing to get the barb in. Second, I have no idea of their resistance to flow even if they did fit.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I've never tried them with liquid for two reasons. First, they're too big to fit into 3/16" tubing, having a very, very tight fit requiring heating 1/4" tubing to get the barb in. Second, I have no idea of their resistance to flow even if they did fit.

good to know.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Am I missing anything?better bottle carboysorange capracking cane (SS)20# CO2 tankCO2 regulator10 pairs of mcmaster QDs linked by Georgegas tubing assembly (tubing, gas QD, 2 clamps)beverage jumper line (2 beverage QDs, tubing, 2 clamps)beverage QD3' beverage line4 tubing clamps (I think I have some but just in case)

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Alright - I guess I hope I didn't forget something :-/

[BrewerGeorge]

Looks okay to me.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

alright - I have all of the stuff in my possession. Only obvious thing I need to get is some tubing that fits over my racking cane that I can clamp onto a corny liquid QD. How will this work since the racking cane has a much larger OD than the QD barb?

[tag]

Get some 5/16" ID vinyl hose (usually sold for CO2 lines). This should fit tightly over the racking cane.For the keg end you can buy a 5/16" hose barb to 1/4" female flare fitting (just like the usual 1/4" flare fitting, just bigger). Screw onto beer-out QD and you're good to go.