How do I get my corny to work!

[BrewStew]

like i said mate.. it sounds like you've got a leak. you're not supposed to feel the gas coming out :?

have you got a gromet/washer in your gas bottle connector ? disconnect your bottle and take a look inside the female end. i've got a plastic washer in mine that i lose if i'm not really careful when i disconnect the bottle.

make a nice thick solution of washing up liquid and water and go around every screw on and push fit connector dropping the soapy water on it. any bubbles tell you you've got a leak and need to tighten the nuts.

little tip, the john guest (push fit) fittings you've got are screw-on on the other end so check them too! i've lost a bottle full of gas because they came unscrewed once.

you're nearly there mate... dont give up now!

 

[BrewStew]

also, stick the washing up liquid solution on the cornie PRV... i've got one that's a bit fiddly to get fully closed.

 

[NickW]

I think ive got it!

That washer - I didnt think I needed it

Put it on, and its looking very promissing.

PSI staying at 15'c..

In the future, when I want to top up, say tomorrow evening .... How do I check the pressure?

 

[Aleman]

If, when you open the red cylinder valve, you get CO2 washing over your fingers, you have a problem The simple check is to make sure that you have a washer (bodok) where the reg fits the cylinder . . . without this it will leak, but if you have a big bowl of wheaty bangs you can normally tighten it, so that it seals . . . . you may never get it off though

If that is not the problem then it is likely that the seal on the cylinder valve has gone, you may find that backing it off completely . . . that is open the valve all the way, will make it seal against the upper surface . . . this should be about to or three turns, and should be considered normal practice.

 

[BrewStew]

DOH!

:rofl: :lol: :lol: :lol:

ok did you do the washing up liquid test? cos that's the only way you can really be sure you've not got any slow leaks!

if you're absolutely sure you've got no leaks... then you can leave the pressure on all the time... if you want to be more cautious though, you're best bet is to turn off the gas bottle and disconnect the grey corny post connector, and just hook it up as and when you want to top it up or for the duration of an evening when your drinking it.

when you hook it up though, make sure you turn the gas bottle on first before connecting the grey disconnect.. you dont appear to have the gas valves i do on my gas board, so if you were to hook up the grey connector first, you run the risk of a backflow (and that's why its not a good idea to fill the corny too close to the short gas inlet pipe inside), if you're a bit close, always make sure your gas bottle is on before connecting the grey disconnect when you're keg is full... just to be sure.

if you're sure the beer level is low enough under the gas inlet tube, then you can check the pressure by just connecting the grey disconnect to the corny and your reg should immediately give you your answer

for the record... if you like fizzy cider, go for 1 PSI per degree celsius room temp that your cornie is stored in

 

[J_P]

Oh so that's what you meant, I thought you were taking your beer to work :lol:

 

[BrewStew]

:lol:

 

[BrewStew]

have you sussed it crE?

or have you turned to drinking the fruits of your labour? :lol: after all that panicking i'd be halfway down that keg by now! :rofl:

 

[NickW]

Hmmm, perhaps its not completely fixed.. Still dropping, but a lot slower.

I'll perhaps buy a spanner tomorrow, cant find myn., Just tightened as best I could by hand!

I'll update tomorrw i think.

I really do hope it works out, cant afford it not to this close to xmas/new years!

Too late now to keep trying, ill just stress myself out!

No- i didnt drink any :lol: , I've got sort of an agreement with my liver that I dont drink in the week! (apart from the odd one )

 

[BrewStew]

you'll definitely need a spanner for the gas bottle nut mate

if in doubt, turn the gas off and disconnect the grey posts. at least whatever pressure is in the corny should stay there (as long as the PRV and posts are sound )

have you tasted it yet since you racked it? i'm keen to hear your opinion... flat or carbonated

 

[NickW]

Aii, I will get a spanner tomorrow and try again!

Yes it tastes great! Very sweet for a 5.8% cider!! Can imagine it will be even better carbonated.

I put the rest that didnt fit into the corny into a glass demijohn to do some more fermenting , see how far it'll go!

 

[BrewStew]

5.8... i thought you were gunna let it go to about 6.3?

you're correct... once carbonation is sorted it'll have a little bite to it that should balance out the sweetness

glad you like it mate :thumb:

i'll be getting 10 more gallons of the stuff on in the next 3 or 4 days

 

[NickW]

I decided to rack it slightly earlier to try and make it a little sweeter. As when I tasted it, it was really sweet for a 5.8% cider! So thort I'd stop it there. Will push one further next time I brew!

Got the rest of what was in the carboy in a demijohn and its fermenting still. Gonna leave that one for a couple of months to see what happens with it!

Ok er.. back to the keg!!

Right , I've tightened up all me nuts , added some pressure - and woohoo! Pressure stayed constant even when the canister was turned off.

All good so far, 1 point to me.

Then, I unscrewed the Reg off the canister, woohoo! Pressure still remaining constant, another point to me.

THEN, I disconnected the pipe from the keg (the one with the john guest connector).. and hang on a minute - Even when the Reg is disconnected .. it shows the same pressure on the gauge :shock:

-- I fiddled with the screw, and it dropped back to 0.

Then, I connected the Reg back up to the corny (not the canister though), and it still shows 0 - no matter how much I screw the screw.

I think I'm getting somewhere - but then I get confused again!

Corny 2 - 2 crE

 

[BrewStew]

the grey disconnect wont let gas through when disconnected.. hence why your gauge stays constant because there's still pressure in the gas line.

hook it up to your corny with the gas turned off, and pull the PRV on the cornie... the reg gauge will drop

 

[NickW]

Hey stew!

I've just connected the reg back up to the keg, but nothing shows on the pressure guage - it just stays 0.. and I know full well theres pressure in there, as just a quick swift tug on the PRV confirms.

 

[BrewStew]

:hmm: ok. i guess your reg is different to mine in that respect.

with the gas bottle turned on, but the corny disconnected, are you able to set the keg pressure needle to your desired pressure before hooking it up to the corny? if not then you'll just have to play with it all hooked up to get it to the pressure you want.

sounds like you've got it sussed mate... have yourself a beer or pour yourself a TC

 

[NickW]

I think I may have!

I've emailed Norman to see if I can pop round his place tomorrow afternoon to ask a few more questions!

I've just been reading this:

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/cornelius.htm << the Bottom section titled "Pub Style Cylinder and Regulator".

It suggests you can force carbonate a drink within a few hours if its in a cold place? As long as you keep the co2 connected - you reckon thats plausible? Rather than me adding co2 by the day?

Edit.. sorry for posting another forum on here!! Its just an interesting article

 

[BrewStew]

it's plausible, yes. the colder the fluid, the less pressure you need to get it carbonated, but if you're chilling it and adding pressure at the normal rate, your doing exactly the same thing as if you were to just set the pressure higher at room temp.

be careful with setting the pressure too high.. while all may seem well to begin with, if you put too much pressure on it in too shorter space of time, the top part of the beer will absorb loads of gas but it wont have time too even out... so as you work your way down the keg (drawing from the bottom) you'll start to hit the over saturated part and be pouring pints of foam.

if you're in a hurry to get it carbed, i've got a tip. hook up the gas 15 psi more than you plan on... let it fill up.. then when you think it's full shake the cornie for about 5 mins. leave it for 15 mins, then repeat. do it 4 or 5 times leaving the gas on for the whole process, then turn down the pressure (and let out the excess pressure from the PRV on the cornie) back down to your normal conditioning pressure. it should have enough sparkle to pour a nice head and give it some lift... this obviously only works if the beer was bright when it went into the keg, otherwise you'll have to leave it over night for the sediment to settle out.

 

[NickW]

Cheers stew, you've been a great help again - putting up with all of my questions!

Just spoke to Norm, seeing him tomorrow.. probably going to pick up another corny too :lol:

I figured, fook the stupid pressure barrell with its stupid connector that broke straight away. Just gonna get 2 cornies. One for beer, one for cider. I've got a 20l wine box for red wine, and I'll just use the pressure barrell for white wine.

I think that's covered it.. :rofl:

 

[BrewStew]

no worries mate.. glad to have helped.

i might be writing a cornie How-to at some point after all this

i had a sneaking suspicion you'd be ditching the plastic barrel once you got yourself a cornie... they're great innit?