I would love to have the lids for the kegs converted to Ball Lock.
I know the center (liquid line) is an easy switch (I did it with a stainless steel post), but the PRV and the CO2 line-in are not playing well with a simple conversion as one socket is too big and the other would require modifying the lid.
It would facilitate pressurized transfers and keg management immensely. It would fit in with conventional brewing a bit more.
I'm also interested in controlling the PRV using a spunding valve since the current solution is (as far as I know) CO2 in and PRV out with the iGulu controller only being able to add CO2, the overcarbonation continues to be an issue with me at the tap end and I'm supposed to have Master Mode on both of my iGulus but I also haven't done custom recipes even for my hard ciders since the recipes just work.
If this has been brought up elsewhere, feel free to point me there and delete this. I didn't see anything obvious but also didn't search.
@Captain Zym
Can you post photos and a small guide of converting the liquid line here on the forums showing what you did exactly and which products you used?
Isn't the method of transfer right now from keg to keg considered a pressurized transfer? That we talk about in this thread here. I just did a pressurized transfer again today to move a mango kombucha from one keg to another one without all the fruit and so on. Keg with all the fruit has a double filtered floating dip tube, the FlotIt 2.0. Moving an entire keg from one to another used up around 24PSI of Co2 pressure this time to complete, and the recieving keg when the process was complete was sitting at 8PSI, and I had done a full pressure release to the recieving keg 3 times during the process.
No one else has talked about conversion like you are mentioning here, so this post definitely does not need to be deleted. Standardizing things is certainly preferred versus using propriatery connections.
Thank you so much for your suggestion.
In the early design stage, we did consider making the lid in the form of a ball lock, but we had to abandon this approach for the following reasons:
1. The ball lock is bulky (mainly in height).
2. High cost.
3. Overall aesthetic matching with the fermentation keg.
Moreover, the current design is simpler and more convenient. For professional brewmaster like yourself, you can even use the Master Mode to introduce CO2 from the bottom and expel oxygen from the top for a more thorough gas exchange.
Regarding Master Mode, we include a Master Card in the ingredient kit when shipping to backers. If you didn’t receive it, you can contact the support email support@igulu.com, and we will help you activate Master Mode remotely.
If Master Mode is already activated on your machine, you can manually control how much pressure to introduce into the keg.
Thanks
Freddie
@Freddie Thanks for the insight, and glad to see you guys are become a little more active on the forums again, as there has been a decided lack of official presence for a few months.
I am still getting regular Co2 leaks from 3 out of 4 of my kegs.
The leaks are coming from the PRV area even when the PRV is fully closed.
I pour water onto the keg lid and can see the Co2 bubbling out. Sometimes it bubbles out quicker, and other times it is just slow and steady. To be more specific it can range from 2 bubbles per minute up to 14 bubbles per minute. Attaching a video below where it is coming out at around 4 bubbles per minute. This occurs even if I forcefully push down on the PRV to make sure it is not "open". The bubbles leak around the edges and come out no matter what the PSI level is in the keg, from 29 down to 6. This is unfortunate because that means if I leave my keg in chill mode it does not maintain pressure, and slowly leaks it away.
You can see a slow leak that I am talking about here:
Anyone know how to prevent the kegs from constantly leaking Co2 and losing pressure?
@Halaster
Thank you so much for being active on the forum and helping others with various issues. Based on the video and description you shared, we would like to know if the issue of the PRV (Pressure Relief Valve) constantly releasing gas occurred during the primary fermentation stage or during the cold storage phase (secondary fermentation/cooling and dispensing).
Theoretically, even if CO2 production during the primary fermentation causes the PRV to automatically release gas, the pressure should still be controlled between 15-24 psi. During the cooling and dispensing phase, the pressure is maintained at ≥6 psi (because many users previously reported excessive foaming during dispensing due to over-carbonation, we decided to let customers choose the carbonation level by manually controlling the pressure using Master Mode).
Another possibility is that the fermentation of a particular recipe was too vigorous, causing the foam cap to rise and contact the PRV. In that case, the PRV may need to be removed and cleaned, or you can contact our support team to help resolve this issue.
@Freddie The issue is I cannot control the carbonation level since it is always leaking out. Even with master mode, if I inject pressure to raise it up to a certain level, such as 12-15, within a few hours it will have dropped by itself down to 8-10, and if I wait until the next day it will be even lower. Even if the keg is completely disconnected from the iGulu and in no mode at all, it is continuously leaking out from the sides of the PRV as seen in the video.
During primary fermentation there is no issue, because the pressure is still raising, and it will go up to the range of 28-29. But the moment I chill the keg down, or the moment there are no sugars left and no new Co2 is being created, the pressure slowly leaks away out of the keg instead of being maintained properly.
The way I would expect it to work is that it should maintain any Co2 inside the keg unless it has reached the threshold that forces the PRV to release it, or until I pull the PRV Up and manually release it. Instead there are bubbles always slowly leaking out as seen in the video. There should be no Co2 leaking out at all.
I have not had any foam cap rising to contact the PRV since I am just doing Kombucha right now.
@Halaster I think it's an issue with the PRV. You can contact support or provide me with an email address, and I'll have them reach out to you to help resolve the issue.
@Captain Zym hi, could you please share how you convert the beer line?
@William Sorry for the delay. So, I took the center post out and simply used a standard bulkhead ball lock post and threaded it through after cutting the bottom off the plastic post on the keg lid. It gets tough, but doesn't appear to cross thread. I never removed it during my testing period. I don't have pictures, but it is a very tight fit and as far as I can tell, doesn't leak. I've tested for leaks to 20 psi and it didn't leak but I'm not sure if its removeable. Since then, I've attempted to make another modification making it no longer usable. I'm still waiting for the additional kegs that were supposed to come with the kickstarter back in the day. Not sure if they'll show. (shrug)
After you have a standard ball lock, you can use any hose you want and step it down to the tap head. The biggest issue I've had is really that when it goes from ice cold keg to warm tap line and head, it degasses in the line and at 15-20psi (I think I have the original keg lid so the PRV is still higher) there is a lot of gas. So, longer or shorter doesn't really matter. I'm now just using the igulu to ferment, cold crash, and then off to fridge PET bottles and party taps a la Kegland.
