Regulators without Pressure Relief Valve

[ChaosB]

I am in the market for a new dual gauge CO2 regulator. I previously owned the CO2PO regulator from Northern Brewer but after a year, have broken it, more on that later if you're interested.

I've been looking at this Harris regulator from Austin Homebrew as well as different Taprite offerings.

https://www.austinhomebrew.com/Harris-CO2-Regulator_p_9903.html

I noticed they don't have a pressure relief valve.. a feature that I've used frequently when trying to dial in pressure just right. So what happens if you turn the pressure up too high and then try to dial it back down? Does it automatically relieve pressure or do you have to disconnect your line to blow some off and reconnect?

Problems with CO2PO:

- The check valve cracked in half while I was tightening the MFL attachment on it. Tried to replace it with another check valve and the new one doesn't fit. I've only seen the replacement check valves sold in 1/4 NPT so I guess Northern Brewer is using proprietary sizes. This seems to hold true with the pressure relief valve as well.

- I have now dropped the already once broken regulator while reaching for something on the shelf behind it and the pressure relief valve snapped off leaving the threads still screwed into the body. Even if I manage to drill them out or something, all of the replacement pressure relief valves I've seen are too big to fit in this tiny hole.

Why do they not make regulators out of something stronger than brass or chrome? Where's the stainless steel?

- Even before I started cracking brass pieces, the sticker behind the dial needle started peeling off. This didn't render it unusable but I would have to flick the dial in order to get the needle to move past that portion of the gauge or it would just get stuck there. This may be from putting the tank and regulator inside the kegerator when I had a smaller tank that fit.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Reason #539 I don't buy anything from NB and never will.

Upgrade to Taprite. Buy once, cry once.

 

[ChaosB]

Reason #539 I don't buy anything from NB and never will.

Upgrade to Taprite. Buy once, cry once.

Yeah, I got a good deal on a keg kit and honestly the false bottom they have is pretty great but normally not my go to shop because they're pricey and don't ship to APO.

any info on regulators without relief valves?

 

[doug293cz]

If the regulator doesn't have a pressure relief valve, you can get the same result by pulling the PRV on the keg.

Brew on

 

[ChaosB]

If the regulator doesn't have a pressure relief valve, you can get the same result by pulling the PRV on the keg.

Brew on

Yes but I'm paranoid about letting out the hop aroma from the keg. It doesn't smell like hops when I adjust the regulator and I don't have to open the kegerator and work my hand around the draft lines to do it.

 

[Jayjay1976]

When you grill a steak are you afraid that if you sniff it too much it will lose all its flavor? When I was a kid my cousin told me that if I farted in church I should sniff it all up before anyone else smelled it. Despite my best efforts, I only made a fool of myself.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes but I'm paranoid about letting out the hop aroma from the keg. It doesn't smell like hops when I adjust the regulator and I don't have to open the kegerator and work my hand around the draft lines to do it.

You shouldn't be routinely venting the pressure. Get your pressure set and leave it there. If you are having to change pressure to serve vs. store, then your system is not set up correctly.

Brew on

 

[day_trippr]

I see no likely intrinsic benefits switching from the "CO2PO" to the "Harris" regulators. They're likely made in the same factory to the same cut-throat cost requirements. It's basically picking a different brand of low grade product.

fwiw, I've had Taprite, Chudnow and Micromatic regulators in service for years. I rate them 1 through 3 in that order, and wouldn't go outside that group.

Machining SS is a pita and expensive AF compared to pot metal and low grade brass. While there's likely a huge product liability insurance burden applied to them, check out the price of SS diving regulators. Wanna pay over a grand to keep your keg charged?

Cheers!

 

[ChaosB]

You shouldn't be routinely venting the pressure. Get your pressure set and leave it there. If you are having to change pressure to serve vs. store, then your system is not set up correctly.

Brew on

Yeah maybe I'll have better luck with being able to set the pressure once and forget it once I get a new regulator.

 

[ChaosB]

I see no likely intrinsic benefits switching from the "CO2PO" to the "Harris" regulators. They're likely made in the same factory to the same cut-throat cost requirements. It's basically picking a different brand of low grade product.

fwiw, I've had Taprite, Chudnow and Micromatic regulators in service for years. I rate them 1 through 3 in that order, and wouldn't go outside that group.

Machining SS is a pita and expensive AF compared to pot metal and low grade brass. While there's likely a huge product liability insurance burden applied to them, check out the price of SS diving regulators. Wanna pay over a grand to keep your keg charged?

Cheers!

Oh I see, fair enough. Any experience with Kegco ? They seem to have pressure relief valves.

 

[day_trippr]

I have no first-hand experience, but over the years here Kegco regs have historically been relegated to the "avoid" bin...

Cheers!

 

[ChaosB]

Gotcha. I suppose I could hook up a wye splitter with a second check valve to use for pressure release from the regulator as well as my Beer Gun.

 

[ChaosB]

This solution worked rather well.

FYSA the Chrome Dispense gauge cage kit does not fit over the Taprite Series 740.

 

[bracconiere]

if you're worried about hop aroma, and venting the keg....shut off the co2 tank, and pour a few beers? as long as their not allready overcarbed, should keep your hops and lose pressure....and if their over carbed you'd have to pull the PRV on the kegs anyway....