So i just got a keg, and in the whirlwind of things being talked about at the LHBS I forgot a few questions (was surprised when stickers became a large topic): 1) how do I know where 5 gallons is in the keg? I mean my batches lately have been over 5gal at the end of boil. Can I over fill the keg? 2) can I secondary in it? I planned to move a beer to secondary, and as this beer will be the first I keg, I was wondering about putting it in it. If my folks turn up with the old college dorm fridge, I might even get to lager it before hand. Is this OK to do? Just need to get some gas and that fridge I mentioned and will officially be kegging.
Consider your fill line to be the end of the gas-in tube in the keg. You don't want that submerged because a loss of pressure at the regulator could push beer up the gas line and into the regulator probably ruining it. Yes you can secondary in it but keep in mind that the liquid pick up is at the bottom so whatever settles out will be the first stuff poured. I like to cold crash in the fermenter then rack it to the keg so I only have clear beer in it and minimal goop.
Just don't submerge the small tube descending from the gas IN post. Otherwise you will likely get beer push back out into your CO2 tubing. There is typically a weld line inside the keg near the top, which I believe approximates 5gl, but you can go slightly pass that line if you are careful to squeeze out another pint or so.
Since the gas tube has been mentioned a couple times... I have cut most of my gas tubes down to about 1/2" (maybe less) of length beyond the flange. It really only needs to be long enough to hold the O-ring, and the shorter tube provides a little more margin for error in the final kegged volume.
Certainly no reason you can't cut the gas tube to get a little more beer in the keg. I haven't cut mine but mainly because I don't need to with my batch size.
OK sounds like secondary then keg is the best route. Also I will watch the gas in tube and see where I end up. Will stop just shy of it and bottle what ever is left.
I'll disagree with that. Each transfer introduces the possibility for contamination and oxidation. Furthermore, it's extra work. Much easier to try to avoid moving sediments when you rack (you should do this anyway). You could also explore the use of finings at the end of primary before you transfer. Lastly, when some sediments that may not have settled initially collect in your keg, discard the first few pulls of the tap, or apologize to your guests for serving them free cloudy beer.
Your keg is your secondary of sorts...you will just be serving out of it. If you have extra volume save a few sanitized swing-tops/bottles and use those for the extras with carb drops. Btw, If you dryhop a lot leave a little extra room in the keg for the bag of hops so it won't get hung up on your prv on the lid.
...and I'll disagree with you. If the transfer is done properly, you run NO risk of contamination or oxidation. And you wind up with clear, bright beer from the very first or second draw.
Don't recommend this approach. You can't easily see the end of the gas tube . . . pretty sure you don't want to put your hand in there and feel around. A better approach is to rack to keg with top lid sealed (and PRV rotated) using a liquid disconnect to the "out" tube (fill keg from bottom). If you've previously purged your keg this minimizes exposure to air. You want your CO2 before your first rack. Search this Forum and Home Bar for keg purging/burping. Oxygen is the enemy.
"Properly" being the operative word here. You can be as meticulous as you like. There's always a risk. The fewer windows you open, the less chance of contamination and/or oxidation. If there was NO risk, then you could transfer a thousand times or more without fear.
I recommend OP try different methods of Xfering to a keg (open and closed primarily) with open being much simpler for a first time kegger. Simply putting a spigot on you fermenter will mitigate many of the problems associated with "open" racking/siphoning/packaging, imho.
LOL. I've been transferring from carboy to keg (sometimes MULTIPLE times) for the last 30 or more years and have never lost a single batch to oxidation...I'll modify my statement then to say that there is MINIMAL risk of damaging the beer IF you do it right, purging the vessels, being careful with sanitation, and using common sense. Apparently, I've been doing it right. I am probably more careful than the local brewery that is 5 miles from my home (which makes shitty beer and will probably be gone in a few years).
