CO2 regulator

Pressure reducers are installed in hose or pipe systems to regulate the pressure in the system. Even if different pressures are acting on the inlet side, the pressure on the outlet side is not exceeded thanks to a pressure reducer. If the CO2 cylinder is connected directly to the tap, too high a pressure can cause the barrel to burst. Therefore pressure reducers ensure safety when tapping beer.

pressure reducer for CO2

Pressure reducers for CO2 are available for tapping systems with 3 or 7 bar. The pressure valve is connected directly to the CO2 cylinder. A bottle content manometer indicates a range between 0 and 250 bar. This also makes it easy to see when the CO2 is running low. A pressure reducer also includes a safety valve and a stopcock. Pressure reducers should only be purchased from approved specialist dealers in tested quality. In order to be able to adjust pressure reducers correctly, the operating pressure of the dispensing system must be known.

The beer itself contains carbon dioxide due to the fermentation process. CO2 pressure now helps to transport it first into the barrel and later from the barrel to the tapping plant and thus into the glass. If the pressure is too low, the carbon dioxide escapes from the beer in the beer line and there is only foam in the beer glass. For smaller kegs such as the 5-liter party keg, a small pressure reducer is ideal, which ensures pressure equalization and thus safety even at a low bar pressure.

Tool and individual parts

A practical tool is the "captive" carbonic acid key for tightening a pressure reducer. The diameter on one side is adjusted for CO2, on the other for nitrogen.

In addition, all individual parts around pressure reducers are to be bought separately from us. A content manometer indicates when the CO2 is empty and a working manometer carries out general measurements and indicates the working pressure, including stopcocks and intermediate pressure regulators for CO2, N2 and mixed gas from 3 to 7 bar.

Beer is easier to tap with pressure reducers. Regardless of the pressure acting on the inlet side, the pressure on the outlet side does not fall below a certain level. With the appropriately set pressure, beer flows out of the tap with the desired amount of foam. Tools such as working pressure gauges or content pressure gauges help to set the pressures.

pressure reducer: indispensable for tapping with CO2

Pressure reducers are an indispensable component of tapping systems. On the one hand, they guarantee sufficient operational safety of the system and, on the other hand, they ensure that the beer can be tapped sensibly and that not only foam comes out of the tap. If you need a suitable pressure reducer for your tapping system, you will find a large selection of different models and accessories in our shop.

How does a pressure reducer work?

There are different types of CO2 pressure regulators designed for different tapping systems and different line pressures. Irrespective of this, a pressure regulator always has a sensor that monitors the prevailing pressure in the line system and a valve connected to it with which the line pressure can be reduced if necessary. If the pressure rises too much, the safety valve on the CO2 pressure regulator opens. This is important both for the safety of the tapping system and for tapping the beer itself. As a rule, the pressure at the pressure reducer can be regulated in steps of 0.1 bar in each case. This allows it to be adapted very precisely to the respective conditions, so that optimum results can always be achieved when tapping the beer.

Why taps need a pressure reducer

The beer in the barrel contains CO2 due to fermentation. In order to prevent this from escaping, an appropriate counterpressure is required to balance the pressure in the beer keg. For this purpose, a pressurized gas container is used. Most beers are tapped with CO2 (carbon dioxide), which is why the pressurized gas container is often a corresponding CO2 bottle. Since the pressure in the CO2 bottle exceeds the pressure required for beer tapping many times over, it is not possible to connect the CO2 bottle directly to the system. Instead, the CO2 bottle must be connected to a suitable pressure reducer. This ensures that the optimum counterpressure is generated so that, on the one hand, the tapping system is not damaged and, on the other hand, the carbon dioxide remains in the beer during tapping.

The correct tapping pressure

For good results when tapping the beer, it is essential to set the appropriate tapping pressure. This can be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw
attached to the pressure reducer, whereby the correct level depends on various factors.

You must take these factors into account when setting the tap pressure:

• The temperature of the beer (The warmer the beer is in the barrel, the easier the carbon dioxide contained in the beer dissolves and the more back pressure is required)
• The CO2 content of the beer (The more CO2 is contained in the beer, the higher is the necessary back pressure to prevent the carbon dioxide from dissolving.)
• Length and diameter of the beer line (The thinner and longer the beer line, the greater the friction and thus the pressure loss caused during transport.)
• The difference in height to the tap (The greater the height that must be overcome from the beer keg to the tap, the more pressure is required for tapping.)

The fraction of the tapping pressure that is determined by the temperature as well as the CO2 content of the beer is called saturation pressure. The difference to the actual operating pressure is used exclusively to transport the beer through the pipe to the tap. There the pressure must be reduced again before serving. This can be done with the help of a so-called calming coil or with a compensator tap. Both variants ensure that the beer can be tapped largely without foam, whereby a compensator tap proves to be a particularly flexible and space-saving method.

No tapping with CO2 without pressure reducer

It is not possible to tap beer with CO2 without using a pressure reducer. The pressure reducer enables the correct operating pressure of the tapping system to be set. Without it the beer tapping would not be possible and in the worst case the keg could even burst due to the high pressure from the CO2 bottle.

Pressure reducer for different applications

It is important that you use the pressure reducer suitable for your tap system. Only in this way can you ensure sufficient operational safety and reasonable results for the tapping. It is therefore essential that you check in advance for which operating pressure your tapping system is designed. Also pay attention to the exact pressure gas to be used. Because even if beer is mostly drawn with CO2, nitrogen (N2) or (as for example with Guinness) mixed gas is sometimes also used as the pressure gas when drawing beer. In our range you will find the following pressure reducers for keg couplings and the corresponding accessories

Pressure reducer for AFG dispensing systems with 7 bar

• Pressure reducer for beer dispensing systems with 3 bar
• Intermediate pressure regulator for CO2, N2 or mixed gas
• Fitting accessories and spare parts

Purchase high quality pressure reducer

Select the pressure reducer that suits your tap system and buy the corresponding model directly from our shop. You will not only profit from favourable prices

prices and short delivery times, but also of a high product quality, so that you can rely on a trouble-free operation of your dispensing system.