Beer line check valve

[Jim]

Does anyone know where I can get one of these without having to pay £15 + VAT for delivery?

[Aleman]

You could try Hallamshire Brewery Services which is where I got a lot of my kit from . . . Before finding EBay, and Colin Farrar do one as well (Bottom of the page), but slightly different. They are really good to do business with and worth talking to to see if what you are doing will work

When I bought a replacement Inlet valve for my beer engine they shipped it (and it arrived!) before I sent the cheque out

[Jim]

Daab, no it's a different thing, it's not a cask breather or a non-return valve - it's supposed to be an alternative to using a cask breather.

Aleman, I've emailed Colin Farrar to get a price; if that's no good I'll try HBS (though they don't list one on their website).

Edit: There's a couple of threads here and here.

[Aleman]

I'll try HBS (though they don't list one on their website).

No they don't list JG Fittings or RG550 Pumps either I get the impression that they can get pretty much anything, although it postage is quite cheap the actual items can be pricey. I can't recall what I paid for my Check Valve though I'm sure it was under 20 quid, but it was in an order with a demand valve and RG550

[des]

I had a beer engine delivered and ParcelForce managed to snap that particular valve off the bottom of it (bless 'em). I replaced it with a 22mm check valve from B&Q with a couple fittings to get the connection. (standard household plumbing gear) and it works fantastic.

I would have used 15mm but the only ones they had were doube check valves and were very resistant to me trying to 'blow' through them - bet I looked a pillock in B&Q trying to get a tune out of a check valve.

[Reaper]

Hi
Whats the postage like at Colin Farrar, if its a silly price I live less then a mile away from them, I dont mind picking owt up and posting it on to you.

Paul

[Jim]

Just got the price back from Colin Farr:

£11.79 each + £2.50 (Carriage) + VAT (17.5%) = £16.79

[Aleman]

Thats a good result then Jim

[delboy]

Those check valves seem like a cracking idea, out of interest what sort of pressure from the corny would they resist, is anything above 1 or 2 PSI going to bring cause it to fall and dump the contents of the corny on the floor?

[Aleman]

IIRC Its something like 30 psi, way above what you would normally put on a keg for real ale dispense (That should cause apoplexy among the CAMRA aficionados )

[Aleman]

I should have said that the primary purpose of these valves is in pumped dispense NOT Pressure dispense. When you have a long beer run back to the cellar the suction created in the line can cause bubbles o break out of solution. To avoid this a pump (RG550 with flow sensor or FloJet) is connected in line between the bar and the keg. When the engine is operated the pump pushes the beer to the engine , and the CO2 pressure (If Used) is at a very low level to maintain carbonation. When the suction is reduced the valve closes and the pump switches off.

[delboy]

IIRC Its something like 30 psi, way above what you would normally put on a keg for real ale dispense (That should cause apoplexy among the CAMRA aficionados )

Thanks for the info aleman, looks like one will be on my shopping list, should be handy for pulling from a corny with with a little bit of CO2 pressure to save it from oxidation.
Would also be useful for dispensing a very lightly carbonated beer (SWMBO won't go for it otherwise, any thing flat is described as cold tea ).

[Jim]

It arrived this morning.








The pic's show a test with water, and the barrel was under pressure. Nothing came through until the handle of the beer engine was pulled - then it flowed through normally.

A test with beer will follow in a few weeks!

(There's a bit of tidying up of connections with jubilee clips to be done first, of course).

[Garth]

That looks like a cracking idea that Jim, might have to do that and make use of me engine

I think I have one of those somewhere, it was attached to the bottom of one of my many engines when I bought it,

to be honest I thought it was a cask breather and was a bit peeved as I'd just bought one for £25 from the Harmony Hut.

[Jim]

Just connected real beer up to this and pulled the first pint. Works a treat (even with the barrel under full normal pressure)!

An added advantage is that because the beer line up to the check valve is under pressure CO2 bubbles don't form in it.