Co2 vs. N2 vs. Distance?

[AsylumDC]

At my bar I am presently running 12 draft lines all on a C02/N2 gas blend . The total distance from kegs to draft faucets is no more than 30 feet. Do I need to run them all on a gas blend or can I save some money by only running the gas blend on those N2 specific beers(Guinness, etc.)? Straight Co2 is obviously cheaper but I'm trying to understand if I truely need the Co2/N2 mix to push the beer over the 30ft line span. At what distance point do the length of my lines begin requiring the Co2/N2 mix to push the beer properly?

[Larry Tapper]

At what pressure are you running the kegs now? If exceeds 12-15 lbs you probably need the plended gas.

[tapcleaner]

CO2 is cheaper and I agree with Larry Tapper it depends what your running the PSI at. Otherwise I've never had problems with beer gas.

[Scott Zuhse]

If you can assure constant temperature not only at the keg but also the entire run to the back of the faucet, use CO2 on your ales and lagers. Then use the blend on your nitrogenated beers.

The pressure at the keg for the ales and lagers is determined by the volumes of carbonation specified by the brewery. Example: if you have a 2.5 vol. beer and your temperature is maintained 24/7, use 14 psig. Now you have to be certain that you build 14 or more PSI of restriction in the system (beer line, hardware, gravity) to acquire the correct flow speed. Build the same restriction in the nitro beers as you do the A & Ls but apply 30 to 35 PSIG and use a stout style faucet.

If you cannot assure constant temperature, CO2 will be a nightmare. Use a dual gas blender which produces two blends appropriate for both types of beer and build each faucet to 22 PSI restriction.

Let us know what type of system you have, glycol or air cooled, and we can give you additional direction.