Using CO2 only to purge

[HoozierDaddy]

I know it sounds retarded, but I am considering options as far as using CO2 to purge carboys, but not for a kegging setup. Due to a lot of factors, I am just not able to get into kegging, but it is an option down the road in two years approximately.

I don't know anyone with a keg system, so I really dont know what bits I would need to just use it to purge carboys and possibly fill bottles. Any ideas on what would be needed for this? Is t not even worth it? I figure if its just a tank and a regulator and a couple other parts, then game on. but as far as kegging equipment, I am totally in the dark.

[sean.michaleen]

Purging your carboy of oxygen is not going to be something you'll want to do before fermentation starts. After all, any oxygen in your carboy is going to be utilized by the yeast for their aerobic growth. Then as fermentation progresses, the yeast will be generating tons of CO2 and purging the carboy of oxygen themselves.

If you want to store your beer in a carboy for many months after fermentation stops, you definitely want to make sure there's no oxygen in the headspace. You could purge the carboy with CO2 to ensure that, but a much simpler method is to put an airlock on the carboy right after fermentation stops - the headspace is already full of CO2 at that point.

You can use CO2 to push your beer from your carboy into a bottling bucket or keg though. I put an orange carboy hood on the carboy, stick a racking cane down the center hole and attach my CO2 line to the side hole of the carboy hood. With just 2-4 PSI (be very careful, carboys can be very dangerous if they break!), the CO2 in the headspace pushes the beer up the racking cane and into your keg/bucket. To do something like that, you'll need a CO2 cylinder, CO2 regulator, and some 1/4" tubing. Pretty simple but minimizes your atmospheric exposure.

[HoozierDaddy]

I never mentioned oxygen anyway, so no concern there. Or glass carboys, as I use better bottles. So all I need is the cylinder and a regulator plus tubing and I can transfer with that? That sounds easier than I figured it would be. Primarily I just want to reduce my exposure to air as much as possible.

[San_Diego_Matt]

it's a little dark, but I do a lot more than just serve beer with my CO2.

[HoozierDaddy]

Yeah lookin to have a setup like that. I may pull the trigger on this soon. Plus its much easier to buy a kegging system slowly over time than all at once. This keeps it off the squaw's radar.

[BeerPal]

it's a little dark, but I do a lot more than just serve beer with my CO2.

You wanna be careful, zip-tying a hood onto a carboy (glass or otherwise) which was never designed to be a pressure vessel, during a closed system transfer. You could blow that thing up.

[San_Diego_Matt]

have you tried transferring from a better bottle at 3psi using a carboy hood? doesn't work so well unless you put some pressure on the hood and my hands aren't big enough to circle the entire thing.

I realize the concern, but I've got it covered

[BeerPal]

have you tried transferring from a better bottle at 3psi using a carboy hood?

3 psi is too much pressure. The hood is your safety valve. If it's blowing off, you need to dial the pressure back. Yes, the transfer takes a while at 1 or 2 psi, but what's your rush?