First kegging Help please.

[templewater]

Hey people

New to kegging here. Ive 2 brews sitting in the secondarys and my Co2, lines etc are arriving today so I'm planning on getting them in the kegs tonight, only thing is I have no idea what i'm doing.
Ive brewed my house porter and a wheat and im wanting to force carb them for next weekend.
Ive read on various places to set it to 30psi for a week then reduce to 2psi for serving. on other places its 14psi for a week then reduce to serving pressure.

Can anyone EASILY explain to a numpty like myself how to keg these beers.
(I plan to read up more on the subject later, but, for the sake of the beers (and the fact that I need them ready for next weekend as the wife is going away with the kids for a week, thats right everyone, I have the house to myself for a week!!!!! )
No idea about serving line length but its probably approx 1 meter. (party flexi tap)
Storage temp likely to be between 5 and 10c (no fridge yet... in the Back porch)

Cheers lads

Aaron

[Wingnut]

Good news is that with a week, carbination could not be simpler. Just set the regulator to 12 psi and wait a few days. Two to three days should have things carbinated nicely.

The higher PSI trick (30psi or so) is just to carbinate it faster (12 to 24 hours) if you ever do put your pressure up to 30 psi, be sure to bleed off the pressure from your keg before you open your tap. At 30psi you will have only foam comming out of your tap!

THe larger concern with a new setup is leaks. Be sure to spray EVERY connection with starsan or a gas-leak liquid of some sort. I was amazed at how many leaks I had because things were not tight. (Even though I thought they were!)

IF you have no leaks an set the PSI to 12 or so, you should be good to go. After that it is just a matter of adjusting your line length to your tap to balance the pressure. 1 meter may be too short, I would start with 10 feet or so and check it from there. You CAN server at 1 meter, however, you may need to bleed off the pressure of the keg to get a good pour.

Good luck

[PorkSlapper]

Best resource I have used in setting up my kegging system. http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8715
Some of the links on the first few pages no longer work but there is alot of good info in them.
enjoy your extra time saved from not bottling -SAK

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

When I keg, I put the keg on the CO2 at dispensing pressure (8-10 psi). In a couple of weeks, the beer is carbonated and I don't have to fiddle with the regulator or vent CO2.

[captain carrot]

If you want to carbonate your beer in a hurry pressurize the chilled keg to 30 PSI. Lay the keg on it's side and rock forward and back 50 times. Repeat this 5 times total. Depending on the beer style and head space in your keg you could give it an extra shot and shake of CO2. If I have the foresight and space to chill the keg ahead of time this is how I get a beer on tap as soon as one blows.
Good luck!

[templewater]

Many thanks people.
I kegged last night and it went well. Sooooo much easier and relaxed compared to bottling.
Only thing is I misread you post wingnut and have set it to 20psi. Shold I reduce that to 12 or a bit less?

As I make 23 litre batches (In this case 21) I forgot to clean some bottles so I had some extra, great for tasting except when the brew is 7.9%. Sweet suffering f$ck, its kicked me right in the gonads. Didnt even realise how pissed I must have been until I woke up this morning. I'm going to need smaller glasses!

Aaron

[TheDarkSide]

Many thanks people.
Only thing is I misread you post wingnut and have set it to 20psi. Shold I reduce that to 12 or a bit less?

Yes, you'll want to reduce it from 20 psi. Otherwise you'll be pouring too much foam. With your lines at 1 m, maybe try 10psi. Turn it down and vent the keg and let it equalize. You may need to make minor adjustments to get it just right.

[templewater]

Cheers TDS, i'll get it turned down whenst I get home.
Picked up some beerline today (hope it fits, brew shop only had one size).
Another question if yous dont mind.

I have a hefe to keg. Now am I right in thinking that when pressurising to fit the style it is done after it is carbed? Or do I need to take the style into account when carbing from the start?
With the hefe do I carb like the previous beer or do I set it higher to reflect the style?