CO2 line splitter

[windrider]

Quick question. I want to put a 19 litre & 9 litre corny keg on gas at the same pressure.

I only have 1 x gas line from my regulator but have a John Guest Y splitter. Would this be okay to use on kegs that vary in size?

I'm guessing it'll be fine. But wanted to make sure before i go ahead and do it.

[jaroporter]

yup, no probs. same for more kegs..

[Kev888]

Yes, if you want tthe same pressure for both beers then it should be fine. Though you get twice the chance of gas leaks with twice the cornies, so be vigilant after connecting up.

Just take care when first coupling the cornies to the same gas line. They will suddenly share/equalise pressure and if one was much higher than the other then the abrupt drop may cause foam to form and get up the beer line, especially if the keg was quite full. Ideally, bring each keg to roughly the same pressure individually first.

Also if they aren't in a temperature controlled environment, the one with least beer in will change temperature quickest and so see most variation in carbonation levels - so don't just monitor carbonation levels in the bigger one and assume the smaller one will be identical.

[windrider]

Yes, if you want tthe same pressure for both beers then it should be fine. Though you get twice the chance of gas leaks with twice the cornies, so be vigilant after connecting up.

Just take care when first coupling the cornies to the same gas line. They will suddenly share/equalise pressure and if one was much higher than the other then the abrupt drop may cause foam to form and get up the beer line, especially if the keg was quite full. Ideally, bring each keg to roughly the same pressure individually first.

Also if they aren't in a temperature controlled environment, the one with least beer in will change temperature quickest and so see most variation in carbonation levels - so don't just monitor carbonation levels in the bigger one and assume the smaller one will be identical.

Good advice, thank you.

Can I just burb both kegs after filling to get rid of any oxygen. Pull the PRV until no CO2 escape then gas and seal them both at the same time so they’ll all be the same pressure?

They are both going to be in the fridge so will be kept at same temp.

[Kev888]

Yep, that sounds fine to me. Or if you ever need to add a keg by itself, just gas it up to pressure individually before reconnecting the other.

They don't have to be exactly equal, just enough to prevent violent changes when they equalise. You'd be slightly unlucky even then, but the foaming can and does happen sometimes so IMO is worth such simple precautions to avoid. I had it in the gas line in the early days before I realised what was happening, which was just an annoyance to have to clean, but I hear some people had it reach the regulator.

[rpt]

Do the cornies not have non-return valves on the beer and gas lines? I use Sankey kegs where there are NRVs in the coupler and so there is no problem sharing a gas line between kegs.

[Kev888]

No, cornies don't have no-return valves by default. As I understand it, they are designed for dispensing non-carbonated drinks syrup so I guess foaming is unlikely in that scenario.

You can get in-line non-return valves I think, but personally I never found it necessary and there are times when its helpful for venting and cleaning etc. When I first started fiddling with sankey couplers it took a while to get used to that differnce, though I think they are a better system.