Kegerator/regulator question

[soulcougher73]

I thought i would try my question here before creating an account on a kegerator/beer forum. I assume some people here own one or are into home brewing.

So i am new to kegerators, but i bought a dual tap one and have it set up for the most part. My kegerator has a single hole for the gas line to come inside on the back of the kegerator where i also store the CO2 tank. But it can hold up to 2 corny kegs inside so i bought a secondary regulator that i keep on the inside of the kegerator with the kegs.

My question is when i go to force carb my beer at say 30psi. I set 30psi on my primary regulator attached to the CO2 tank on the back of the kegerator. My secondary regulator i have fully open (i think) but it only ever reads 25psi or thereabouts.

So assuming both regulators are working correctly does the cold inside affect a 5psi drop?
Which one is reading correctly?

What ive been doing is upping the primary reg. to 35psi to get the inside secondary regulator to read 30psi. But then i wonder if im actually putting 35psi the kegs and its just the cold affecting the gauge possibly.

Thanks for any help i may receive 🙂

 

[MongGrel]

I used to have a kegerator, but it was a single and I had the regulator outside, so I guess I would not know how cold might affect one.

I'd suspect one of the gauges might be a little off myself.

Not sure what the point would be having two regulators from one CO2 tank, but I just had a single keg one.

Someone that works in a bar will maybe drop by, I imagine.

 

[soulcougher73]

I used to have a kegerator, but it was a single and I had the regulator outside, so I guess I would not know how cold might affect one.

I'd suspect one of the gauges might be a little off myself.

Not sure what the point would be having two regulators from one CO2 tank, but I just had a single keg one.

Someone that works in a bar will maybe drop by, I imagine.

Well its a 2 tap tower and can hold 2 kegs inside. But it only came with 1 hole to run a gas line inside so i needed to split the line on the inside somehow (or drill a 2nd gas line in the kegerator). The secondary regulator inside allows me to keep 2 different Psi's on both kegs if i wished depending on the type of beer etc.

 

[dullard]

If I understand it correctly you have this:

[FONT=Fixedsys]Tank ――> Primary Regulator ――+――>Keg [/FONT]
[FONT=Fixedsys]                             │[/FONT]
[FONT=Fixedsys]                             └-> Secondary Regulator -> Keg[/FONT]
 
where both kegs and the secondary regulator are in the fridge

If that is correct, then I suspect that it is a combination of (a) the regulators aren't that accurate and (b) you have a pressure drop inside secondary regulator.

The temperature change isn't enough to drop the pressure that much. Plus the primary regulator would keep adding gas to raise the pressure back up as it cooled.

 

[soulcougher73]

If I understand it correctly you have this:

[FONT=Fixedsys]Tank ――> Primary Regulator ――+――>Keg [/FONT]
[FONT=Fixedsys]                             │[/FONT]
[FONT=Fixedsys]                             └-> Secondary Regulator -> Keg[/FONT]
 
where both kegs and the secondary regulator are in the fridge

If that is correct, then I suspect that it is a combination of (a) the regulators aren't that accurate and (b) you have a pressure drop inside secondary regulator.

The temperature change isn't enough to drop the pressure that much. Plus the primary regulator would keep adding gas to raise the pressure back up as it cooled.

I have:

CO2 Tank(outside)--->Primary Regulator(outside)--->Dual Secondary Regulator(inside)--->2 kegs(inside)(each keg has its own line from secondary and both with their own regulator on the secondary)

Hope that make sense lol

 

[dullard]

I have:

CO2 Tank(outside)--->Primary Regulator(outside)--->Dual Secondary Regulator(inside)--->2 kegs(inside)(each keg has its own line from secondary and both with their own regulator on the secondary)

Hope that make sense lol

That shouldn't change my response. Pressure regulators usually operate with a pressure drop. There has to be enough pressure difference from the inlet to the outlet side for it to open up. Thus, pressure "drops" across the regulator. That is probably most of your 5 psi difference.

 

[soulcougher73]

That shouldn't change my response. Pressure regulators usually operate with a pressure drop. There has to be enough pressure difference from the inlet to the outlet side for it to open up. Thus, pressure "drops" across the regulator. That is probably most of your 5 psi difference.

So in that case if i was shooting for say 30psi into the keg id set my primary at 35psi so the secondary reads 30psi?

 

[dullard]

So in that case if i was shooting for say 30psi into the keg id set my primary at 35psi so the secondary reads 30psi?

I think so.

 

[soulcougher73]

I think so.

Thanks for the help.