I recently acquired some kegging equipment, and I need your help to figure out what I have and what I still need. I know I have: - 2 corny kegs but they appear to be different types - picnic tap - some kind of CO2 connection line (blue) -(not pictured) CO2 tank and PBW I don't know what that little thing in my hand is. I know I need a regulator of some kind. Help appreciated.
That looks like a spunding valve. It’s used to carbonate, via CO2 produced from fermentation. It’s not necessary for kegging, but should come in handy. The kegs look the same, just one has a relief valve on the lid, the other does not. They are both ball lock connections, as opposed to pin lock. All you really need is a regulator and more hose and connections. Good luck, it’s not complicated once get things figured out.
What you still need: A regulator. Almost every kegger starts out with an econ model, regrets it when it fails, then buys a more reliable reg. If you start with something decent you're ahead of the game. You'll need a twin gas outlet from the reg. Simplest approach is to add a "wye" to the reg output (twin shutoff valves)...this will give you two connection points for the two kegs. You'll need another gas line. Personally I'd replace the blue line with red (blue is bad luck) ... think about CO2 tank/keg placement to determine length. The line on the picnic tap looks decent but I'd replace it with new. While you're at it, get about 30' of 3/16" Bevlux...you'll thank me later. Oh yeah, a handful of hose clamps (worm clamps are okay) for the gas lines. Replacing all the gas/diptube o-rings will minimize some frustration. And the obvious - - a kegerator/keezer. Rarely are kegs put away in a good and clean condition before they are disposed of. So a thorough cleaning is necessary. Here's an decent break-down tutorial: Not included in this video is the need for an good soaking in PBW (fill it to the brim)...I leave mine overnight with all the tubes/post/gaskets/lid/o-rings inside. You will not need o-ring lube, you will need an 11/16' box end wrench. Use your Starsan squirt bottle to hit all the fittings whenever you make a new gas connection. We talk about things like this all the time in Home Bar, it's a good place to search for keg tidbits. Topics covered in pretty good detail are gas leaks, foam & balancing. You'll also need a good collection of spare parts, but that's for later.
No (and yes, 11/16' should've been "). Many people rave about how effective keg lube is, that they never have leaks. But keg lube's primary job is to keep o-rings pliable, it can be useful in very low humidity environments. This is just the opposite of how our kegs operate. I have a tube of o-ring lubricant in a drawer somewhere, but it never gets used. This is consistent with how the compressed gas industry treats their o-rings. In my area you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an air-fill station (dive fills). No one here lubes their rings and typically they last 5+ years (hydro cycle) with no problems. I am a big proponent of replacing the gas/diptube rings at a whim...at 2¢ (in bulk) why not?
thats interesting because I had a problem getting the lid to seal once and a friend recommended keg lube. The guy at the Homebrew shop said it helps prolong the life of the o-rings to prevent them from drying out and cracking. I use it on most of my o-rings, not all. But always in the o ring for the lid.
