Regulator and manifold for keezer

[ChrisfromAbby]

I've scored a deal from a friend in the restaurant equipment business... He's given me several 1/6bbl Sanke kegs, all the gas and beer lines, the keg couplers and a 4-way manifold!

I picked up a nice used 7.2cf freezer on Craigslist and am busy converting it to a keezer.

My question is about regulators - Do I just want a standard regulator, or do I want the dual product regulator? I was thinking that I could use one of the dual product connectors set at higher pressure (NOT through the manifold) to force carbonate one keg at a time, which I would disconnect from after 3 days. Following the force carbonation, I would then re-connect the keg to a line from the lower pressure manifold for dispensing.

Is this correct? Or am I making it too complicated?

 

[LandoLincoln]

I bought a dual regulator, and to be honest, I rarely set the pressure different from each other. I thought that I would be setting the pressure different to force carb fast but 95% of the time I just set it to serving pressure and wait 12 days or so.

 

[zachattack]

If you like carbing to style, different pressures are nice. For example, having an English mild at 2 volumes, and a hefe at 3 volumes.

Unless your friend bought the kegs to fill with his restaurant's own beer, chances are they belong to a brewery and you're basically using stolen kegs. Kegs are expensive and cost breweries a lot to replace, especially smaller breweries. You may only put down a $30 deposit on a 1/6 bbl, but even when bought in bulk they're still around $100 a pop.

 

[ChrisfromAbby]

They were discarded from cruise ships many years ago. I have been unable to trace an origination despite looking. They could be from anywhere....

 

[zachattack]

In that case, you've got a sweet deal! I do have a 2-product regulator, and I like having the option of different carb levels. But many people are happy with running everything at 2.5 vol or so.