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Author Topic: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.  (Read 3593 times)

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2019, 10:58:49 am »
See,I told you I was stupid....so, I have a key under pressure, full of CO2, after I push the sanitizer out to purge it.  I hook the fermenter out to the keg in.  CO2 from the keg blows back into the fermenter, stirring everything up.  At least that's what happens to me when I try this.  What am I doing wrong?

I vent the keg before I connect it to prevent blow back. Often I hook up a hose and a gas disconnect in to a jar of water, vent, leave it and push the beer into the keg from the fermenter with CO2. That prevents a vacuum in the fermenter, but uses some CO2.

I'm using 2 GF conicals these days.  I have a pressure xfer kit for them.  I'll give it a go on the next batch.

I have a Blichmann 14.5 conical. Top Pressure pushes the beer into the keg faster than just gravity, but that last corny takes longer to fill.

Make sure to stay under the conical pressure rating.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline denny

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2019, 11:30:26 am »
See,I told you I was stupid....so, I have a key under pressure, full of CO2, after I push the sanitizer out to purge it.  I hook the fermenter out to the keg in.  CO2 from the keg blows back into the fermenter, stirring everything up.  At least that's what happens to me when I try this.  What am I doing wrong?

I vent the keg before I connect it to prevent blow back. Often I hook up a hose and a gas disconnect in to a jar of water, vent, leave it and push the beer into the keg from the fermenter with CO2. That prevents a vacuum in the fermenter, but uses some CO2.

I'm using 2 GF conicals these days.  I have a pressure xfer kit for them.  I'll give it a go on the next batch.

I have a Blichmann 14.5 conical. Top Pressure pushes the beer into the keg faster than just gravity, but that last corny takes longer to fill.

Make sure to stay under the conical pressure rating.

I will.  It's not much.
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Offline Robert

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #17 on: July 17, 2019, 12:37:53 pm »
^^^^
Well if you're able to pressure transfer, IMO that's definitely the easiest, most controllable way.  Don't have to lift one vessel up to get sufficient gravity either, which is a real plus for me.  It's not as philosophically "elegant," does use CO2, but is my preference.  (Necessity now when doing pressure fermentation, as even after crashing the beer is partially carbed and needs a little counterpressure to control foaming.)  My favorite method even when not using significant counterpressure is to set everything up, with the fermenter and receiving keg at equal pressure, and use a picnic tap on the gas side of the receiving keg to bleed some pressure to start flow, and again periodically to keep it going.  As opposed to having just a tube run into a pail of sanitizer,  there's no danger of venting excess beer if you're not looking.  And if you are doing a true counterpressure  transfer, it's simpler than using a spunding valve and hoping you don't get beer in it.
Rob Stein
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Offline kgs

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #18 on: July 30, 2019, 07:18:50 am »

I then attach the gas in QD allowing CO2 to escape purging the line and as the gas flow begins to slow down I attach it to the fermenter lid.


For a plastic fermenter with an airlock on top, how do I connect the gas line? I have a batch ready to transfer to keg and it has a standard airlock and grommet. Do I take the QD off the "exit" end of the gas line, remove the airlock and grommet, and stuff the line in there?

I am thinking for the future it might work to drill another hole in my fermenter lids so it's possible to add a gas in ball lock with a threaded post so the fermenter is transfer-ready (e.g. https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Gas-Ball-Lock-With-Threaded-Post-P4508.aspx ). But maybe I'm fancying this up more than necessary.
K.G. Schneider
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Offline Robert

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #19 on: July 30, 2019, 07:35:40 am »
I think adding the ball lock sounds like just the thing.  For now, do what you can.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline BrewBama

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #20 on: July 30, 2019, 08:15:50 am »
If I could adapt a hose to what I had I would not drill an additional hole. Just me.


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Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #21 on: July 30, 2019, 12:23:48 pm »
I have the mounted gas post on some of my larger fermenters, but a drilled bung and gas line from keg post to fermenter blow hole (inserting the line into the bung there) works well, too.
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Offline juggabrew303

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Re: Kegging through the ball lock disconnect.
« Reply #22 on: August 02, 2019, 11:19:03 am »
I use gravity to drain through the QD out post and pop the PRV.  It’s a slow transfer from my plastic big mouth bubbler.  Only issue I’ve hand is clogging the post with hop gunk


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