I have a "party" pump tap. I want to convert this to use on a DIY kegerator. Can this be done? After taking the tap apart it looks pretty basic: CO2 in one side, beer out the other. I am specifically interested in what the threading is on this tap where the pump connects.
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1some pictures may help– mdmaCommented May 31, 2013 at 22:57
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2done. was waiting until I had enough reputation– tir38Commented Jun 2, 2013 at 1:25
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5 Answers
I just went and worked on this the past weekend (11/14/2015). This allows me to run the output from my corny keg through my standard kegerator. The thread you need for the "beer end" is a 7/8-14, which is also know as 5/8"bsp. Ask the hardware store for this and they will look at you very strange....It ends up being the thread for a flare fitting (i think it is actually 3/4", but i took the female fitting in and verified. You will then need to cut off the protrusion that makes it flare and grind flat so you can add washer. I have not finshed yet and can send photos, but this was the closest and cheapest i could come up with (All in less than $10). I then converted brass 3/4f lare to 1/2 brass pipe, and then brass pipe to 3/3" hose fitting. text me at 262-424-7600 for photos. ANDY
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2I would not recommend leaving your phone number (on any website), but it's your call.– PhilippeCommented Nov 16, 2015 at 22:31
Looks like a Sankey keg coupler which is the standard coupler for commercial beer kegs. Sankey kegs have a single port which both lets gas in and beer out. Hooking it up to a CO2 tank and a tap is no problem -- it's just a matter of getting the right connectors and hoses. However, if you're planning on serving homebrew, you might have problems.
Most homebrewers use soda kegs (often referred to as "Cornerlius kegs", though there are many other brands) which have two separate valves for beverage (out) and CO2 (in). Importantly, they also have a large opening at the top which is very handy for filling and cleaning the keg. Sankey kegs just have the single port and no opening. So, there's no simple way to clean or fill the keg without specialized equipment. If you Google "sankey homebrew", you'll see how others have dealt with the difficulties of using these kegs for homebrew.
If, one the other hand, you're planning on serving commercial beer from you kegorator, then the Sankey connector is exactly what you need.
answered Jun 2, 2013 at 1:46
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I got all of that about the end that connects to the keg. I'm interested about how to hook this up to the CO2 and beer spigot. I updated my picture to show the threading I'm talking about. The 'beer out' is a simple NPT threading. Do you know anything about the 'CO2 in' threading?– tir38Commented Jun 2, 2013 at 19:56
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Oh. I should have read the question more closely. Party pumps are built differently from the normal Sankey connector for draught beer. A few people have tried what you're doing. This poster seems to have made it work, by screwing a barb to male pipe thread adapter into the gas side of the pump. He doesn't say what size the adapter is, but Googling "party pump piston thread count" makes me think it's 3/4". Good luck. Commented Jun 3, 2013 at 2:53
I'm trying to do the exact same thing with a party pump and am stuck exactly where you are. It doesn't seem to fit any standard pipe thread sizes. The thread count seems slightly tighter than pipe thread (more threads per inch) and the diameter of the male thread is exactly 3/4". If anyone out there knows other thread standards besides Pipe threads that might work, where we could set an adaptor to a barb for a hose, that's what's needed.
Other than that, I'm thinking that a 3/8 male NPT fits pretty snug, and just dumping solder around the outside to hold it in there. Even Dumping JB weld around the threads and pushing in the pipe thread would probably hold under the 10-15psi that it will be holding. That's what I'm going to do if I can't figure out the actual threads. McMaster.com has all the fittings in stainless and tubing also. Would love to hear what you end up doing
Update: just found this http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/keg-pump-parts-pid-HP-700.html Looks like 3/4"-18 Threads. Now just have to find an adaptor to a barbed fitting
Short answer: yes it can be done. All you need to do is hook up the gas and beer out, which is pretty simple. For the gas you'll just need to hook it up to your regulator directly or to a CO2 manifold. For the beer out something as simple as a cobra head and a short length of tubing works. Obviously, you can go fancier and hook it up to a tower or something similar if you like.
I have a 4 tap system at home, but a 5 line out manifold for CO2. The first 4 are used for the 4 taps. On the 5th I put in sankey coupler, similar to what is pictured. I've used this to pump beer from commercial kegs into the home brew corny kegs (5 gallon soda kegs). This allows me to serve commercial beer without having to take all the corny kegs out of kegerator to make room for the large commercial keg. The biggest downside is that this is a bit of a pain to do. Additionally, a commercial keg is 15.5 gallons which means you have a bit more than 3 corny kegs.
I wonder if it's worth the trouble. $30 will buy you a no-foolin' Sankey coupler that should last you the rest of your beermaking (and beer-drinking) life. The proper fittings, and seals if needed, are cheap and readily available.
If you use more than one style of keg (I have Sankeys and Cornelius), you might also consider spending another $30 or so to convert the bare bones Sankey coupler to accept ball-lock in & out fittings. Seems like a good idea to have all the connectors the same style. I'd post a link to the site if I knew it was OK.
Side note to Kyle: If you end up using solder, I hope you'll use the lead-free kind. JB Weld might be equally toxic, since epoxy is a known mutagen. The metal filler may likewise be suspect. Just a caution.
