Technician Knowledge Base

Cylinder FAQS

1 lb of liquid CO2 will push 1 full-sized (half barrel) of beer.

1 20lb CO2 cylinder will push approximately 5 boxes of syrup and supply the carbonated (soda) water as well.

BEER FAQS

Kegs - a full size keg is a 1/2 Barrel
it holds 15.5 gallons of beer
weighs 180 lbs full and 30 lbs empty
cools slowly, so a warm keg might take 24 hours to cool in a 38 degree cooler

15.5 gallon 1/2 barrel full keg

Quick Carbonation Calculator

Bud Light, Coors Light, Mich Ultra	4.2%
Most beers	5.0%
Blue Moon, Heineken	5.4%
some crazy beers like Arrogant Bastard	9%+

Standard CO2 Volumes
English Ales	1.5 - 2.0 volumes
American ales & lagers European Lagers	2.2 - 2.7 volumes (bud light = 2.6)
Fruit Lambic	3.0 - 4.5 volumes
Porters / Stouts	1.7 - 2.3 volumes
German Wheat	3.3 - 4.5 volumes

at 38 degrees:
12.3 psi makes	2.6 volumes
10.2 psi makes	2.4 volumes
16.5 psi makes	3.0 volumes

1/6 barrel kegs hold 5.23 gallons
1/2 barrel full keg has 164 16oz servings (with 1" head) 15.5 gallons
1/6 barrel slim keg has around 40 16oz servings (with 1" head)

Connection and coupler styles

Restriction:


Tubing ID	Vinyl	Poly	Barrier II
3/16	3.0 lbs/ft	2.20	-
1/4	0.85	0.50	0.30
5/16	0.40	0.20	0.10
3/8	0.20	0.07	0.06
1/2	0.025	-	-
Lift	+5/ft
Drop	-5/ft
sankey cplr	+1lb

1# of CO2 pushes one half-barrel (full keg). so your 5# cylinder should push at least 5 kegs or 10 Quarter-barrels (half keg), or 14 Sixth Barrels.

Pressure gauge should read 750 psig at 72 degrees. It will continue to read this until all the liquid is used up, it is not a gauge of volume, it is a gauge of pressure.

SODA FAQS

640 ounces in a 5 gallon BIB
at 5:1 mix ratio each 1 ounce of BIB syrup yields 6 ounces of total product
that's 3,200 ounces per 5 gallon BIB (at 5:1 ratio)

1 20lb CO2 cylinder will push 3-5 BIB's and make the sodawater needed to fill them.

384 ounces in a 3 gallon BIB
at 5:1 mix ratio that's 1920 total ounces