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

[Ted Briggs]

Psi is pressure- you need to size your compressor and delivery system by volume, usually CFM, cubic feet / minute. You should also have a filtration system for this air.

[beerguy1]

No idea how much CFM you will need but you might want to consider a surge tank to take the stress of that compressor

[TGTimm]

A contractor's compressor will get you by for a while--and may provide enough air if you use extra storage (surge tanks)--but eventually you'll be shelling out the $s for a real compressor. A 5 hp with at least 80 reservoir will handle everything a moderate sized brewery demands.

If your contractor's compressor is an oiless, forget it. These are toys.

You'll also need an oil/water separator, pre-filter, air dryer (preferably refrigerated), and micro-filter. Well filtered air can replace CO2 in many cases, saving some $s.