which barrel?

[tubby_shaw]

so you know when to top the barrel up with c02 as the beer will stop flowing? does it pump out the lot or just enough?

The beer will slow as it comes out of the barrel and if CO2 is not added than air will bubble back into the barrel through the tap quickly causing the beer to go off
The CO2 injectors have safety valves incorporated that will bleed off excess gas at around 8 to 10 P.S.I. The larger S30 and widget world cylinders will allow you to top up occasionaly The 8 gram types of injector normaly dispense the whole bulb in one go

[james_m_r]

I have bought myself a youngs budget barrel & c02 injector today and have a few questions I hope somebody can answer.....

1) 1st thing I noticed was a small sticker on the cap which tells me to lubricate the seal proir to use. What should this be lubricated with?

2) After I have drank say half the beer and notice the pressure is dropping, I top up with c02. Will this need to be done again or will the pressure remain sufficient until the barrel is empty or does this depend on how fast the beer is drunk?

3) I understand it is a good idea to occasionaly release the cap on the barrel during secondary fermentation to release the pressure. How often should this be done?

4) Not relating to barrel but to tap on ferm bucket which I have recently fitted. I presume the back nut only has to be as tight as you can tighten with your hand? (wanted to get that straight before I got my 2nd kit on the go)

Thanks all,

James

[tubby_shaw]

1. Just use a very light smear of vaseline, and I do mean light
2. You will need to top up as and when required. If you have freinds round and are giving it some hammer you will need to top up more often as less gas will be generated naturally
3. No need to release cap once sealed. There is a pressure releif valve built into the cap. It is a good idea after sanitising and just prior to filling to give the barrel a squirt of CO2 to purge the air, but this is not essential.
4. Hand tight is fine. It's only plastic after all and mechanical tightening will just strip the threads.

[james_m_r]

cheers t_s.
So if it is just me drinking 4 ish pints on a Friday and Saturday night only, would once be enough for c02 injection?

[prolix]

I have to use shed loads of gasto get the bugger out but that might be because I am doing it wrong

[james_m_r]

how many on average per keg load do you reckon?

[Road Runner]

I have to use shed loads of gasto get the bugger out but that might be because I am doing it wrong

It could also be possible your keg has a slight gas leak somewhere too, allowing the pressure to drop. Or is it stored somewhere very cold causing the beer to absorb all the gas?

Do you prime with enough priming sugars (whatever you're using), say around 80-100 gms?

[tubby_shaw]

how many on average per keg load do you reckon?

Ah the proverbial how long is a peice of string question
There are a fair few variables, it is going to depend on what type of beer it is, by this I mean does it have a barreling gravity above or below 1010 as the higher gravity will mean more dextrins in the beer which will slowly ferment giving CO2.
What temperature it is stored at, the lower the temperature the higher the CO2 absorption but slower fermentation of any residual sugars.
How much ullage is in the barrel, more ullage usally means less gas needs to be injected.
All I can really say is that the cost of the gas is secondary to the enjoyment of good beer