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Alternetives to Zahm & Nagel C02 testers?

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  • Alternetives to Zahm & Nagel C02 testers?

    Hi all,

    So since I seem to be the last person to know there is a extreme backlog for ordering a Zahm & Nagel C02 meter these days are there any alternatives for checking carbonation levels anyone would recommend?

    Cheers,

    Dave Woodward

    Loghouse Brewpub

  • #2
    Assuming you don't have the coin for a Gehaltemeter, this little thing works alright until you can get a Zahn & Nagel...

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    • #3
      Cheers,

      Will look into one till I can get the more accurate one.

      Comment


      • #4
        Anthony--any idea how much that critter costs?

        Julio--the accuracy of this type of CO2 meter (and the Zahm) is dependent on the accuracy of the pressure gauge and the thermometer. Both need to be checked for calibration, the thermo once, the gauge frequently. The rest is just a little pressure vessel. That said, the Zahm is bombproof... we're on the waiting list for a second one right now. Should be down to a month or so!
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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        • #5
          Timm,

          I've used the Zahm's at quite a few places and agree they're great units. I was shocked when I called today assuming delivery time of a couple of weeks and was told it could take up to 14 weeks!!

          Am going to starting ordering everything now rather than assume other stuff will be available when I want it jeez...

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          • #6
            Shoot, that's two months more than we were told. I hope ours is on its way--I just hate having no back-up for a critical tool.

            BTW--the new Zahm gauge I bought recently for our old Zahm lasted less than a month. When I last tried to calibrate it, the needle just stuck right about 10 psi, then suddenly jumped free at around 15 psi. The gauge is not fluid-damped, and doesn't seem to like shaking--not a good match. I tried to contact Zahm today about a refund or replacement (and to inquire about our new unit), but, of course, they being on the right coast, and us near the left, they were closed.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
              Anthony--any idea how much that critter costs?

              Julio--the accuracy of this type of CO2 meter (and the Zahm) is dependent on the accuracy of the pressure gauge and the thermometer. Both need to be checked for calibration, the thermo once, the gauge frequently. The rest is just a little pressure vessel. That said, the Zahm is bombproof... we're on the waiting list for a second one right now. Should be down to a month or so!
              They are about $250 + shipping.

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              • #8
                Could someone tell me what the price of the zahm is? Thanks.

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                • #9
                  1000+

                  Worth the money, but still expensive. I have one of the Taprite ones for now, it works good as long as you keep up on the calibration/testing.

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                  • #10
                    Since I have to order parts from Foxx equipment anyway I'll try their cheaper model till I can get the Zahm. I'm worried about changes to the quality of their testers now though. I've heard a few people complaining about faulty testers and talking to them they're training up all new staff to increase their output so am wondering if testers are being cranked out with not as vigorous QC..

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                    • #11
                      I ordered my from Beverage Factory and its the taprite model.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Robrewer View Post
                        Could someone tell me what the price of the zahm is? Thanks.
                        We ordered one about three months age (Zamh says it should be here in two weeks). Cost was ~$1,4000 US.

                        The biggest concern I would have with the Taprite-style testers would be having a pressure vessel rupture. Fortunately, the tester will be mostly full of beer when under pressure, but, still, having a hard plastic vessel rupture in my hand while vigorously shaking it doesn't sound like my idea of fun.

                        Time for a plug for Zahm and Nagel--we bought a new pressure gauge for ours when we ordered our second unit. The gauge worked fine for about a month, then the needle started sticking between 10 and 15 psi. I called Z&N yesterday to ask about our new tester, and mentioned the problem with the new gauge. The guy on the phone not only volunteered to send a new one, gratis, but told be to take the face-plate off the old one, rinse it in warm water, blow it out with air, and lightly lube it with a light oil. It now works just fine, but it'll be nice to have spare.

                        Once again, the gauges on a CO2 tester need to be tested and calibrated regularly--I do ours weekly. The Z&N brand gauge is calibratable, which most gauges are not. The thermometers, if liquid-in-glass, need only be tested and calibrated once. Note any variation from your NIST-certified thermometer for correction--if it's very far off at all, replace it. Dial-type thermos will need to be calibrated frequently.

                        If your gauges are off, you are not getting anything useful. The first time I tested the pressure gauge on ours, it was incredibly far off--reading 10 psi when my reference gauge read 24 psi! Not surprisingly, after replacing the gauge with a tested-true gauge, our beer foaming problems when bottling nearly disappeared. The gauge had apparently gone out of spec so slowly that our "Bio-Zahms" drifted out of calibration with it, and no one in the brewery noticed the problem.
                        Timm Turrentine

                        Brewerywright,
                        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                        Enterprise. Oregon.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          With the rise in nitrogenating beers, just a word of caution about any pressure-temperature type CO2 meter:

                          With nitrogenated beers, the pressure the meter would measure is total pressure, ie. the partial pressure of CO2 PLUS the partial pressure of N2. Using this to calculate or read-off a chart will give an apparent CO2 figure that is higher than true.

                          As a guide, at 0 deg C/32 deg F, 2.5 v/v CO2 has approximately the same partial pressure as 40ppm of N2. So, if you had a nitro-stout with these levels, a pressure-temperature CO2 meter would tell you that you had a CO2 level of around 5 v/v.

                          On a carbonated-only beer, they're fine - but not when N2 is also present.

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                          • #14
                            Calibration method

                            I realize this is a stupid question, but I have to ask anyway: what is the preferred method for testing/calibrating the pressure gauge on the taprite co2 tester?

                            Thanks for the help!

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                            • #15
                              Hey, for what it's worth I bought a Zahm back in January and was told shipping in 8-9 weeks from payment. It arrived in Western Canada closer to 4 weeks later.
                              ______________
                              Fred Orndorff
                              Rumpus Beer Co.
                              Revelstoke, BC

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