Paintball Regulator Beer Dispenser

I play for the scenario paintball team Pub Crawling http://www.pubcrawling.org . We have more than 20 members on the team and with a name like Pub Crawling we drink a lot of malted beverages after our games. We travel all over the United States to play paintball and have traveled to Scotland and England for events. In order to keep up our supply of bevarages and meet the demands of the team several members have begun home brewing beer. The nature of our travel schedule also requires that we have a mobile system that is able to utilize available resources wherever the game may be. Because we are a scenario paintball team it makes sense to use as many paintball related parts as possible.

To dispense beer from a keg you need a constant pressure of roughly 12psi. This pressure is far below what most inline regulators can go to so a secondary regulator is needed.

Tools:
Two Adjustable wrenches
Teflon Tape (more of a supply but whatever, use thread sealant of your choice)

Parts:
Planet Eclipse Inline High Pressure Reg (free part)
Planet Eclipse OOPS (free part)
ASA adapter (free part)
Generic Air Compressor regulator ($14.99)
1/8" NPT Close nipple ($0.75)
1/8" NPT x 1" Nipple ($1.10)
2x 1/4"x1/8" NPT Bushings ($2.02ea)
1/8" NPT to hose barb (free because I used a male quick disconnect)
Worm Hose clamp ($0.15
Co2 distribution hose ($0.11/foot I also use this for beer dispensing)
Paintball Co2 Tank (free)

Total Cost:  $21.03 not including co2 distribution hose

Co2 pressure can range between 650-1200psi.  Here is the attached On/Off valve, 1/8" NPT x1" Nipple, Primary High Pressure Regulator, ASA and close nipple.  Remember to turn the primary reg down to about 100psi as the Secondary reg has a maximum operating pressure of 150psi.  Beer is dispensed at about 12psi and the Planet Eclipse High Pressure Regulator is a high flow reg which should have no problems feeding this.

Here is the Secondary Regulator.  This is simply an air compressor regulator with an internal bleed off for lowering the pressure when needed.  It is rated between 0-150psi max.    Because Co2 has such a high pressure the primary regulator has to drop the pressure down to a useable psi, otherwise this secondary regulator would blow all of the seals.  Take note that there is a gas in and a gas out side and they are both 1/4" NPT, hence the need for the 1/4"x1/8" NPT bushings.  Also the "Hose Barb" fitting I am using is a paintball quick disconnect fitting.

Here is the completed regulator assembly.  The use of the hard piped nipples instead of classic braided co2 line used in paintball means the entire assembly will stay rigid when installed on a co2 tank.  Instead of using the 1/8" NPT nipples you could use braided line.  I personally like the rigid nature of this assembly and the cost of the nipples is minor even though I had plenty of braided line at my disposal.

Here is the Gas Line held on to the "Hose Barb" quick disconnect fitting I used.  There are many different hose barbs available for your co2 line.  You could in theory use a 1/4" to Hose Barb fitting and do away with one bushing completely.  This is just what I had on hand or could find locally and easily.  Whatever size you use here is not critical so long as it does not leak.

Here is the completed assembly with a co2 tank.  After a long day of paintball, either a tournament paintball or 26hr scenario paintball game you are now ready for a nice cold beer.  Usage is simple:

1.  Attach tank to regulator and hose to keg co2 in port.
2.  Back off secondary regulator so that pressure is essentially off.
3.  Turn on OOPS valve to pressurize system.
4.  Slowly increase pressure of the secondary regulator until you are at your desired serving pressure.
5.  Drink beer and enjoy.

From your Friends at Pub Crawling  http://www.pubcrawling.org