I've acquired a couple of surplus beer engines and have jerry-rigged them up to my pressure barrels (using syphon tubes and jubilee clips) for my home bar. One engine came with a 'check valve' attached and the other without.
I understand that the check valve only allows the beer to flow when the beer engine handle is pulled to suck the beer through the pipe, rather than under pressure from the barrel itself, but the barrel attached directly to the beer engine with no valve doesn't appear to be causing any problems of forcing beer through when not wanted.
So my question is, is there any need to install a check valve or is it fine to link the barrel direct to the beer engine?
Here's some additional info that may be relevant:
Both beer engines are made by Angram; the one with the valve is traditional looking, the one without is a fancy Greene King IPA pump. The barrels are directly under the beer engines, and so the beer is traveling around 1/2 metre. I'm using those small screw-in Co2 'bubbles' to top up the the pressure in the barrel when needed.
Any advice much appreciated!
I understand that the check valve only allows the beer to flow when the beer engine handle is pulled to suck the beer through the pipe, rather than under pressure from the barrel itself, but the barrel attached directly to the beer engine with no valve doesn't appear to be causing any problems of forcing beer through when not wanted.
So my question is, is there any need to install a check valve or is it fine to link the barrel direct to the beer engine?
Here's some additional info that may be relevant:
Both beer engines are made by Angram; the one with the valve is traditional looking, the one without is a fancy Greene King IPA pump. The barrels are directly under the beer engines, and so the beer is traveling around 1/2 metre. I'm using those small screw-in Co2 'bubbles' to top up the the pressure in the barrel when needed.
Any advice much appreciated!
