How to Pressurize a Keg with a Paintball CO2 Tank

So, we're headed south for the May Two-Four weekend. Along the way we hope to fill up a keg at one of the brew pubs that we'll pass - and, if we have a keg, we need something to push that beer. A Paintball CO2 tanks seems like the best way to do this and still be practical in the beer fridge (vs. a smaller CO2 pressure system anyway). There are a number of different ways to do this, various adapters are available to do the same thing - however, HomeDepot is just down the street, so it seems easier than ordering something online.

Instructions for the fabrication of our Paintball CO2 system for pressurizing kegs are as follows:

Bill of Materials:

1 - 20oz CO2 Tanks
1 - Paintball Universal Fill Adapter
1 - 1/8" MIP x 1-1/2" Brass Pipe Nipple, HomeDepot
1 - 1/4" MIP x 1/8" FIP Pipe Adapter, HomeDepot
1 - CO2 Regulator (IMPORTANT: with right hand thread for gas in)
1 - 1/4" MIP Plug, HomeDepot (if you only want to use one gauge)
AR - Teflon Plumbing Tape, from the tool box

Putting this thing together is a simple as it gets. Use teflon tape on all of the connections. We didn't want the second gauge (tank pressure) to be in the way - mostly to improve portability and stability of the the whole thing system.

 

An important note about regulators. Some regulators will work with this setup, some (likely most) will not. For this setup to work you need a regulator with a free right hand thread on the input side. The lower cost regulator on the left, works. The higher end Tap-Rite regulator on the right doesn't work as the input thread is left hand. Just be careful, finding the appropriate threads for your components is sometimes tricky business.