We purchased the ABE Watchdog with our Lincan 35 canning line.
This is an impressive and simple device. It monitors the output pressure of the beer in the line to the canner/bottler, and adds just enough pressure to the headspace to keep the pressure at the setpoint determined by the user.
Why does this matter? We've been bottling direct out of a ferm or bright for years without one of these, so what dif can it make?
Consider the 110 bbl ferm we're canning from right now. It's ~15 feet tall, so there is a 1/2 bar--over 7psi--difference in head pressure between a full ferm and the dregs. By just adding 15 psi of CO2 pressure to the headspace of the ferm, as we've been doing, we will start with an actual output pressure of a little over 22 psi, and by the end of the run it will be 15 psi. No wonder we have trouble with foaming when bottling!
I think this would also be an excellent addition to a serving tank set-up for draught beer lines. Keeping a uniform line pressure is essential for getting good balance and good pours.
As for how it works, it's very simple and I could easily build one myself. It uses a simple temp. controller with a 25 mv pressure transducer instead of a temp probe. the transducer mounts in a 1 1/2" diaphragm TC flange T'd off the beer line. The controller outputs to a solenoid valve to maintain the air pressure, with a reg. set to the max. pressure for the vessel for safety reasons.
This is an impressive and simple device. It monitors the output pressure of the beer in the line to the canner/bottler, and adds just enough pressure to the headspace to keep the pressure at the setpoint determined by the user.
Why does this matter? We've been bottling direct out of a ferm or bright for years without one of these, so what dif can it make?
Consider the 110 bbl ferm we're canning from right now. It's ~15 feet tall, so there is a 1/2 bar--over 7psi--difference in head pressure between a full ferm and the dregs. By just adding 15 psi of CO2 pressure to the headspace of the ferm, as we've been doing, we will start with an actual output pressure of a little over 22 psi, and by the end of the run it will be 15 psi. No wonder we have trouble with foaming when bottling!
I think this would also be an excellent addition to a serving tank set-up for draught beer lines. Keeping a uniform line pressure is essential for getting good balance and good pours.
As for how it works, it's very simple and I could easily build one myself. It uses a simple temp. controller with a 25 mv pressure transducer instead of a temp probe. the transducer mounts in a 1 1/2" diaphragm TC flange T'd off the beer line. The controller outputs to a solenoid valve to maintain the air pressure, with a reg. set to the max. pressure for the vessel for safety reasons.
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