Beer Primary c02 Regulator The Ultimate Guide For Newbies

The Primary Beer CO2 Regulator

The primary beer CO2 regulator is responsible for delivering the main source of CO2 to a draft beer system. This includes delivering CO2 to other secondary beer regulators downstream, to gas blenders, or directly to a keg in a kegerator.

Understanding this piece of draft equipment is crucial, regardless of the type of beer system - be it a remote draft beer system, direct-draw, or a simple kegerator.

In this Ultimate guide, I aim to cover everything you need to know. Let's dive in!

How To Use a CO2 Regulator?

1. When you acquire your primary regulator, you will also need a CO2 tank to connect it to. Additionally, a crescent wrench is required to tighten the nut on the regulator.
2. The CO2 cylinder will have a male end. Before attaching the primary regulator, ensure it has a seal. While some regulators come with pre-seals, others might require a separate tank washer. If in doubt, ask your beverage CO2 supplier.
3. Once you have a seal, screw the primary nut clockwise until it’s tight, and then use the crescent wrench to further tighten it.

How To Read a CO2 Regulator Gauge?

1. After connecting the regulator to the CO2 cylinder, ensure that the primary lever is parallel to the floor, indicating it's in the shut-off position. It should be closed initially.
2. With the valve closed, open the CO2 cylinder to let the gas flow to the regulator. For those using a double gauge, the bottom left gauge should point to green, which indicates the cylinder's capacity.
3. The gauge displays the cylinder's fullness level - from green (full) to red (empty), indicating when it's time for a replacement.
4. The top gauge on the primary regulator displays the pressure being sent to your beer system. Typically, gauges range from 0-160 psi, and it's rare to need pressure above 100 psi.

Where Should The Primary Regulator Be Set At?

This largely depends on the beer system:

• For a kegerator with a single beer brand, the primary regulator shouldn't exceed 12 psi.
• For a direct draw system with 50 taps, setting it to 100 psi and adjusting the pressure with secondary regulators downstream is more appropriate.

How To Adjust The CO2 Regulator?

1. Depending on the regulator type, the adjusting handle, screw, or knob is prominently placed on the regulator front.
2. For Taprite, there's a plastic knob that you pull towards you to adjust, then turn clockwise to the desired pressure.
3. Other primary regulators might use a screw that's turned with a straight-edge screwdriver. Clockwise increases the pressure, and counter-clockwise decreases it.

Recommended Primary Beer Regulator

Best Overall:

Taprite's primary regulator stands out for its user-friendliness. It features a red knob on the front for easy pressure adjustments. Once set, simply push the knob in to lock the pressure.‍

My Recommendation and Summary

To sum up, we discussed the steps to secure the primary regulator to a CO2 cylinder using a crescent wrench and ensuring there's a washer or seal. We also touched upon reading the regulator gauges and making adjustments.

My top pick is the Taprite Dual Gauge Primary CO2 regulator, ideal for both kegerators and commercial beer systems.

For any further questions, please feel free to contact me. For an in-depth guide on draft beer systems, refer to my ultimate guide. Talk to you soon!

Cheers!! 🍻