Will this work?

[Donbecker]

Ever since I've got my kegerator, I've had a hard time tracking down the various CO2 pressures for each type of beer.

Often times when I'm discussing this with a distributor, I suspect I'm not getting CO2 content of the beer, but a recommended pressure to run the keg at (so it's a number taking into account elevation and/or a poor attempt to balance via pressure).

So the idea I have is when I get a new keg, to shut off the tank and read the keg pressure from my secondary regulator.

I've done this once before, @ssumed it was the keg pressure and moved on.

Can anyone with more experience than I weigh in on this subject?

If I can use this method to determine an approximation of CO2 content it may make balancing much easier.

Thanks!

[ernestbud]

you also have to take into account the temp of the keg; how long was it out of ref b4 you got it home this will cause an increase in pressure also check your actual liquid temp b4 you adj. any pressures by just adjusting the pressure by a couple of pounds isn't going to effect the co2 vol that much depending on how fast u empty your kegs. it seems as though most people on this forum are trying to make this more like rocket science other than just trying to get a perfect pour and wasting all that beer with excessive foam

[Donbecker]

well I do pay attention to the temp. of the keg so I don't think that would be an issue.

You raise a valid point with a lot of it depending on how fast the keg is emptied, but how should that factor into balancing the system?

I really don't think people are trying to make it more complicated than it is, I think it's a combination of bad information and lack of experience.

Personally I don't like pouring foam or wasting beer, just trying to understand how to setup this stuff properly.

[ernestbud]

of course each type of beer has its own charactoristics and pressures but in general your ab products just require the 12-14psi and that is all a lot of these guys just seem to be too worried about their co2 vol if that keg sits there a week or too sure too much co2 will be absorbed but are they sacrificing a lot of beer due to foaming just to get the desired co2 vol and at the same time how many really know exactly how that brew is really suppose to taste

[ernestbud]

don is resposnse to your original quest will it work just take another coupler-sankey whatever you want to call it and mount a pressure gauge on the gas inlet of the sankey and hook it up to your keg this will give you an accurate pressure reading on your new un-tapped keg