Brewery Compressor Help

[Luke7e]

Hey everyone...purchased a used single head keg filler and it requires air source pressure of .6 to .8 MPA which I figured to be about 115 psi. My question is this... Can I use a simple contractors compressor ( I have a small porter cable that can do 150psi) or is there a specialized unit that I need to purchase? Will only be using it for keg filling and maybe uni-tank purging.

Luke Sevigney
Theory Brewing Company
Wells, Maine

[dick murton]

Three thoughts -

One is that the air needs to be oil and other taint free if it is being used to purge the keg at any time - so there is no risk of contamination of the beer.

Two is that if you are using the air to purge kegs, the tank needs to be big enough to allow the large volume of air used when purging the keg (during the wash cycles) such that the tank air pressure does not drop below the minimum spec for purging the keg. I had terrible problems commissioning a single head keg washer because of this.

And finally, it sounds as though the main reason for the pressure is for auto valve control, which commonly require about 6 bar (90 + psi). If this is all it is being used for, then the amount of air used at each valve change is normally very small and it should cope. The instructions should say what airflow is required at this pressure, and then you can compare the capability of your compressor to it. If the air is only being used for auto valve control, then being oil free etc. is not a problem, but you may need an air drier / moisture trap in the system to prevent the valves sticking longer term. Control valves normally don't like water.