Does it matter if the CO2 tank is inside the kegerator or outside? I read somewhere that a cold tank won't last as long as one at room temp. Is this true?
Where to put the CO2 tank?
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It makes no difference, it will yield the same amount of CO2, of course.
Now a cold tank will have lower head pressure, so your high pressure gauge may show a somewhat lower value, that's normal. The amount of CO2 didn't change.
Placement wise, do whatever works the best for you.
I keep mine outside the (upright) keezer so I can fit an extra keg in there, for a total of 5.
Now a cold tank will have lower head pressure, so your high pressure gauge may show a somewhat lower value, that's normal. The amount of CO2 didn't change.
Placement wise, do whatever works the best for you.
I keep mine outside the (upright) keezer so I can fit an extra keg in there, for a total of 5.
To extend @IslandLizard 's great post....the only real considerations are cost, aesthetics, and space. Functionality won't change except for as he notes, the high-pressure gauge will read somewhat colder in the kegerator or keezer.
Like IL, I eventually moved it out so I had more room in the keezer. At one point I bought some secondary regulators and installed them inside the keezer. Eventually that keezer died and I built another--and moved the secondaries outside the keezer. Made it easier to move kegs in and out.
You can move the gas inside by drilling a hole just barely larger than the gas line and passing it through the keezer collar or a side of the kegerator where there aren't cooling coils.
Or, you can use bulkhead shanks to do that. A bulkhead shank has an MFL male thread on each end to which you can attach swivel nuts. I think it's a cleaner look (YMMV), and if I want to disconnect everything to move something, easy to do. That's what I did in this pic, showing four secondary lines entering the keezer via bulkhead shanks.
You can get them from several places; I've ordered mine mostly from the Chi Company. The last three items on this page are what I'm referring to.
The last pic shows how I started kegging, using a picnic tap to serve....
Like IL, I eventually moved it out so I had more room in the keezer. At one point I bought some secondary regulators and installed them inside the keezer. Eventually that keezer died and I built another--and moved the secondaries outside the keezer. Made it easier to move kegs in and out.
You can move the gas inside by drilling a hole just barely larger than the gas line and passing it through the keezer collar or a side of the kegerator where there aren't cooling coils.
Or, you can use bulkhead shanks to do that. A bulkhead shank has an MFL male thread on each end to which you can attach swivel nuts. I think it's a cleaner look (YMMV), and if I want to disconnect everything to move something, easy to do. That's what I did in this pic, showing four secondary lines entering the keezer via bulkhead shanks.
You can get them from several places; I've ordered mine mostly from the Chi Company. The last three items on this page are what I'm referring to.
The last pic shows how I started kegging, using a picnic tap to serve....
Wow, all that extensive detail! ^
You ask about a gas tank and you get the rest of the keezer build with it.
http://www.ritebrew.com/category-s/1915.htm
The 2 items on the top. While you're there, I'm sure you'll find other stuff you need (or want) too.
Beware:
With those bulkhead shanks, keep an eye on the minimum and maximum wall thickness they can cover, there's only about a 3/4" range between, although a longer one can be padded with washers, a short piece piece of pipe, or an extra piece of filler/wood, etc.
You ask about a gas tank and you get the rest of the keezer build with it.
Although Chi Co. has a much larger assortment (wider and deeper product lines) of everything kegging and dispensing beverages, they also have them at one of my favorite places:
http://www.ritebrew.com/category-s/1915.htm
The 2 items on the top. While you're there, I'm sure you'll find other stuff you need (or want) too.
Beware:
With those bulkhead shanks, keep an eye on the minimum and maximum wall thickness they can cover, there's only about a 3/4" range between, although a longer one can be padded with washers, a short piece piece of pipe, or an extra piece of filler/wood, etc.
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Technically that is true, but only if you go through the whole keg in a short time. The reason is that CO2, like any other gas, will be more dense the colder it is for a given pressure. So if you set your regulator to 1 bar and place the tank in the keezer where it will cool let's say to 8°C instead of leaving it outside at a temperature of let's say 20°C then you will be using about 4% more CO2 to get the same serving pressure of 1 bar (or any other pressure for that matter).
If like most people it takes you several days or weeks to empty a keg then it won't make any difference at all because the CO2 you push in the keg will cool and contract in a short time so that you'll end up using exactly as much CO2 as if both tank and keg were exactly at the same temperature. But it's worth keeping in mind that if you have a party and plan on emptying the keg in a very short time then you might save some CO2 by keeping the tank outside, although it won't amount to much, so it's probably not worth it anyway.
One concern with keeping the tank inside is of course condensation, it's okay if it's an aluminum tank but a steel tank will be ruined in no time.
Just a point because I think people are saying "high pressure gauge" but if you're new to kegging, you may not know what that is...
Some regulators have two gauges. One gauge tells you your serving pressure, and the other gauge is designed to tell you how full your CO2 tank is (based on pressure). This one usually has a green range for a full tank and a red range for a tank as it nears empty.
In side the fridge, that gauge doesn't entirely read properly, and it will show you having a lower pressure than is actually contained within the tank. Often it will be down in the red much sooner than if you stored it outside the kegerator, but the key is that this reading is not trustworthy. It won't affect the rate of CO2 usage at all.
Some regulators have two gauges. One gauge tells you your serving pressure, and the other gauge is designed to tell you how full your CO2 tank is (based on pressure). This one usually has a green range for a full tank and a red range for a tank as it nears empty.
In side the fridge, that gauge doesn't entirely read properly, and it will show you having a lower pressure than is actually contained within the tank. Often it will be down in the red much sooner than if you stored it outside the kegerator, but the key is that this reading is not trustworthy. It won't affect the rate of CO2 usage at all.
FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
To expand just slightly more...What these guys said ^^
exactly why i pretty much ignore the high pressure gauge, and weigh my tank....the only time the gauge changes is when the tanks almost empty, but weight is accurate.....
Sorry but you got it backwards there. The gauge is trustworthy, the reason it reads a lower pressure is because that is the pressure that is in the tank at that temperature. What the gauge is reading is the vapor pressure of liquid CO2 and that changes with temperature according to this table. Density of the gas phase increases as well so the rate of usage will increase proportionally, but as I explained earlier in practical applications there won't be any difference.
Well stated.
You're 100% correct.
However I think the purpose of the gauge is to convey information. If the information conveyed is that your CO2 tank is prematurely "in the red", i.e. close to expiring, that information is bogus.
The data presented by the gauge is correct. The information we try to garner from that data is flawed.
There is no relationship between amount of CO2 left and high pressure gauge reading. The high pressure gauge is there just as a "last resort" to make you aware that you've waited too long with weighing the tank and now you'll need to rush to your local filling station if you don't want your CO2 to suddenly run out at an inconvenient time (like in the middle of a transfer). Considering that the density of liquid CO2 is almost 1000X that of the gas phase there is really very little gas left once the needle on the high pressure side starts dropping.
Personally, I consider it so useless that when it became damaged while removing the regulator I didn't even bother replacing it, after making sure that there are no leaks obviously. Weighing the tank is so easy, it's even got the tare permanently etched in big letters on it just for this very purpose.
Personally, I consider it so useless that when it became damaged while removing the regulator I didn't even bother replacing it, after making sure that there are no leaks obviously. Weighing the tank is so easy, it's even got the tare permanently etched in big letters on it just for this very purpose.
It also helps to jot down the weight of the regulator assembly that's attached to it, so you don't have to remove it.
Thinking about that made me wonder why the needle even drops: It drops because there's no liquid left!
As soon as it starts dropping you're literally running on fumes. Alas, starting at around 800-some psi or so, the volume of CO2 left at that point is equal to 800/14.7 = 54 times the volume of your CO2 tank at atmospheric pressure.
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Wow! Informative thread.
I'll second parts from the Chi Company. I've bought a lot there. In fact probably got the idea from the Mongoose......
I keep the tank outside simply because I want the space.
I'll second parts from the Chi Company. I've bought a lot there. In fact probably got the idea from the Mongoose......
I keep the tank outside simply because I want the space.
