A Buying Guide Of Best Keg Co2 Regulator: ALL Budgets, Brands & Types - My Comfy (2023)

FAQs

What is the best CO2 pressure for a keg? ›

For a keg refrigerator at 38˚ F, the recommend CO2 pressure is between 12–14 lbs for most domestic beers. This pressure will maintain the level of carbonation that the breweries specify. If the beer is dispensed with too low of a pressure, over time the CO2 that is dissolved in the beer will break out.

Most of a Co2 Regulator is the same as an Argon Regulator. The one BIG difference is the Cylinder Fitting, which is Female. All the other Regulators we have discussed have a Male thread to go into a Female Fitting on the cylinder. Co2 Cylinders have a Male thread, so the Regulator has to have a Female fitting.

A good middle-level CO2 tank is the 15 pound capacity tank. This will fit inside most kegerators, and carries enough gas to carbonate a couple hundred gallons of beer.

For example, if your homebrewing equipment features corny kegs (5-gallon capacity), a small 2½-pound CO2 tank will dispense for about 7 to 11 kegs while a 10-pound CO2 tank can last up to 44 kegs.

For lagers, a regulator set between 10 and 14 psi works best. Continental and light pilsners require slightly higher CO2 regulator settings, from 11 to 16 psi. Wheat beers, Belgian beers, and common American sours are generally the most carbonated beers, requiring about 15 to 20 psi.

Our top pick for the best single-stage CO2 regulator is the INKBIRDPLUS Aquarium CO2 Regulator. Its tidy design and accurate trimmer valve for fine adjustment give it the edge over its competitors. It also includes a bubble counter and check valve, which is everything you need for a functional regulator.

Make Sure Your C02 is Turned On Before You Tap The Keg

Before tapping your beer tap system. Make sure that your C02 is turned on and working. Bleed the air inside of your jumper line by engaging the coupler in the air. This will push any air out of your beer line and make sure it's only c02 before you tap your keg.

Sohum Gas Safety Device with auto cut off feature is the perfect gas regulator for your home.

A 5-lb CO2 tank will last between 6-8 half barrels or full kegs before it needs to be filled.

How much CO2 needed for 5 gallon keg? ›

It will take about 1/2lb of CO2 to dispense a 1/4 barrel keg (7.75 gallons) and about 1/3lb CO2 to dispense a 5 gallon keg (corny keg / sixtel).

Just like soda, beer is carbonated – and just like soda, it will foam when you shake it. Try to let your keg sit for at least an hour after you move it. Keep it at the right temperature – Because keg beer is unpasteurized, it should stay refrigerated to between 34 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that most portable CO2 tanks, both new and used, be re-certified every five years. Nitrogen and other high pressure inert gas cylinders generally have a 10 year re-certification requirement (although there are exceptions).

Can I use one air tank to dispense multiple kegs? Yes. Whether its CO2 or Nitrogen gas, you can use an air distributor, splitter or secondary regulator to make a single gas line into many. There really is no limit on how many lines you can split off of one tank.

A: You tap a keg by using a keg coupler.

Do not agitate the keg. If there has been excessive agitation during transportation, allow the keg to settle for 1 to 2 hours before tapping. Make sure the beer faucet is in the off position prior to tapping. Remove the dust cover from the beer keg.

An over carbonated keg can also be detected by looking at the beer line for small bubbles coming up from the keg, as co2 tries to escape the head space. To fix this, unhook the co2 and purge the head space.

Temperature and CO2 Balance

As temperature drops, CO2 dissolves more easily into the beer. For example, at 38 degrees F, Coors Light needs 15 psi to maintain its CO2 level. At 40 deg F it needs 16 psi. At 36 deg F it needs 14 psi.

Ideally, most kegs should be kept at 38 degrees Fahrenheit and not much lower or higher. Keeping a keg at a higher temperature will not only cause your beer to excessively foam but it will also lead to stale beer.

Too much pressure - If your pressure is set too high the beer will flow too fast and cause it to be agitated and foamy when it pours. If you have a flow control tap or a kegerator with correct length lines you should set your pressure at the recommended one from the carbonation page.

Q: At what pressure should I run my CO2 regulator? A: For the standard 5 ft. run found in kegerators and most kegerator conversions, 10-12 PSI is recommended. Longer draws in commercial establishments and jockey boxes require higher pressure depending on the distance the beer needs to travel.

What is the difference between single and double gauge CO2 regulator? ›

Single gauge regulators only have an output pressure gauge. Dual or double gauge regulators have both an output pressure gauge and a tank pressure gauge. The tank pressure gauge has a measurement range of 0–3000 lbs, or PSI.

How Long Does a Keg Stay Fresh? For most beers on tap, dispensed with CO2, the rule of thumb is that non-pasteurized beer will retain its freshness for 45-60 days, if proper pressure and temperature are maintained. If you are serving up pasteurized draft beer, the shelf life is around 90-120 days.

Agitating the keg increases the contact area between CO2 and beer even further, promoting faster diffusion of CO2 into the beer. Continue to shake the keg for 20-30 minutes then lower the pressure to 20 PSI and allow the keg to carbonate for 2-3 days. Check the carbonation levels and enjoy!

It's not so much the gas going in you need to worry about as what is on the connector itself. As long as it's clean I don't worry about it much, but if you were to drop it in something or if it has mold growing on it you should probably wash it and dunk it in sanitizer before putting it on.

Gas regulator types include LPG gas regulators, acetylene gas bottle regulators and oxygen gas bottle regulators. The gas regulator setup can include bayonet fittings, pol gas fittings and other gas regulator fittings suitable for a variety of gas appliances and equipment such as MIG welders.

The red ones are for propane while the blue ones are for butane. There are Low pressure propane gas regulators with hand wheels which do not require a spanner. These regulators are suitable for small BBQ's, Patio Heaters and most of the other gas products.

Cornelius Keg

This type of keg has become very popular with homebrewers, KegWorks reports. It has a capacity of 5 gallons or 18 liters and can hold approximately 53 beer cans (each 12 oz) or 40 pints (each 16 oz).

CO2 (or mixed) gas cylinders do not have to be kept in the refrigerator. Gas cylinders are often located outside of the refrigerator to allow maximum use of the refrigerator interior space.

5 Gallon homebrew kegs have about 45-50 12oz beers depending on how high its filled and then also how much sediment might be transfered from the fermentor.

The pressure in a 5lb Co2 tank is on the order of 1200 PSI, and the average serving pressure is in the vicinity of 10lbs PSI. A regulator reduces the pressure to a more manageable level.

How many gallons is a 5lb CO2 tank? ›

A 5lb CO2 tank will carbonate and dispense approximately 30 gallons of beer (around 6 x 5 gallon Corny Kegs). If you're dispensing already carbonated commercial beer, a 5lb CO2 tank will last longer than this.

A 5-gallon (19-L) keg of beer usually takes 5 to 7 days to equilibrate. Although this is not the fastest method, the risk of over-carbonation is minimized and the beer is carbonated in a reasonable amount of time.

Flat beer in a keg is usually due to the keg being under gassed or the keg having a gas leak. Before you gas the keg a second time you will need to check the keg for leaks. To do this you need to set your regulator to 40 psi (280kpa) and pump gas into the keg for about 5 minutes. This will be enough to test the keg.

The most common cause is a lack of proper cleaning. If your beer starts to taste off all of a sudden, be sure to do these things first: clean your beer lines properly using the right cleaner. clean your glasses thoroughly and rinse with cold water before every pour.

Stout: Stouts are the darkest and thickest type of beer and are typically made with highly roasted malt or barley.

While the gas in the CO2 cylinder does not expire, our cylinders need to be checked for quality assurance purposes by a certain date, which can be found at the bottom of cylinder. For best use, we recommend storing your cylinder at room temperature.

Once penetrated on the first pull, the CO2 cartridge will last 24 hours or 21 shots.

CO2 Tank Recertification. Remember that we cannot fill Tanks that have expired date codes. Tanks are required to be retested every 5 years.

25-ounce tube of specially formulated oil is used with pneumatic or CO2 powered airguns. Pellgun oil prevents your airguns from rusting and the seals from drying out. Made in the USA, "Take It Outside" with Crosman.

One 12 gram CO2 cartridge can approximately deliver a minimum of 30 shots and a maximum of 200 shots if used from an air gun. However, a 12-gram CO2 cartridge can give you 20 to 30 good shots at once, and then you need to let it cool down before attempting the next shot.

What is the best PSI for a Kegerator? ›

Beer can be pushed at anywhere from 4 PSI to 14 PSI, but most kegerators work best between 5 and 12 PSI. You should compensate for the size of your beer lines - the bigger the inner diameter of the beer line, the more pressure that should be used to push the beer.

A good middle-level CO2 tank is the 15 pound capacity tank. This will fit inside most kegerators, and carries enough gas to carbonate a couple hundred gallons of beer.

Fill a keg with good tasting water (e.g., carbon-filtered tap water, reverse osmosis) and connect to a CO2 tank. Set your regulator for between 20-30 PSI, depending on how strong you want the bubbles to be. Once the keg is connected vent the head-space and then let the water chill and the CO2 infuse.

Most domestic ales and lagers dispense at 10 to 12 PSI. Stouts and other nitrogen-reliant keg beers are dispensed from 25 to 30 PSI. These suggested settings should provide the ideal amount of pressure for your regulator per each type of beer listed.

Generally speaking, it takes about 1lb of CO2 to dispense a full 1/2 barrel keg (1 barrel = 31 US gallons / 1/2 barrel = 15.5 gallons).

After cold crashing, hook up your co2 and crank it up to 30 psi for 24 hours. This should get your beer to around 75% carbonated, so lower the pressure to a serving pressure of around 12 psi to finish it off over the next 3 or 4 days.

Force Carbonation Methods

Once you have confirmed that the entire system is working properly, adjust the regulator to raise the pressure to 20 PSI. Allow the keg to carbonate for 7-10 days, and then check the carbonation levels.

If your serving pressure is too high, it can pump excess co2 into the keg and lead to foaming. Check your regulator and adjust as required. If your serving pressure is too low, you may notice air pockets and bubbles in the beer line, causing foaming. Increase the serving pressure to ensure a solid flow.

Answer: 12-14 PSI will do nicely for most beers. Remember that temperature is as vital to getting the proper head as the CO2 regulator setting. To keep your keg of beer tasting fresh, keep the regulator at 12-14 PSI.

A 5-lb CO2 tank will last between 6-8 half barrels or full kegs before it needs to be filled. A 10-lb CO2 tank will dispense 10-13 full kegs per fill. This number can be higher or lower based on how often you're using your kegerator, the level of carbonation, and if your system is properly balanced.

How long does a keg stay fresh without CO2? ›

Since a picnic pump uses oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, a tapped keg will only last about 12-24 hours depending on the type of beer and how much oxygen was pumped into it.