quicker way to carbonate kegs

[Gymrat]

I just got a new auto siphon. It used a half inch hose. The thing is huge. It did make transferring beer MUCH faster. However the hose didn't fit quite tight enough onto the auto siphon so the first time I used it I transferred a lot of air along with the beer. To get the air back out of my beer, once it was kegged, I put the "in" post on the "out" post spot. I used about 2 or 3 pounds to blow CO2 directly into my beer which I felt would displace the oxygen. It bubbled like an air stone for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then I disconnected it and put the posts in the proper spot. After that I put 25lbs of pressure on the keg to check for leaks then depressurized it, which should have purged the oxygen out of the air space. From there I put 15lbs of pressure on the keg and set it aside to await it's spot in the kegorator. That was a few weeks ago, Friday I had friends over and we emptied my APA so I put this keg in to chill. Saturday I tapped it and the carbonation was a little week but definitely drinkable. Now I am using this process on all of the beers I keg.

By the way, I fixed the air in the auto siphon problem with a small hose clamp. And I lived happily ever after.

[Kealia]

I bought an adaptor from my LHBS a while back that connects to the OUT post. It is a QD connector with a barb fitting meant to push CO2 in through that post, down through the dip tube and then up through the beer. I connected it once and it seemed to have a leak so I've never used it again. It was something that the owner of the LHBS created himself and maybe it wasn't put together just right - or maybe I didn't use it right. I dunno.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I've been doing this myself for some time now on my ball lock corny kegs. I found that the grey gas connectors fit, and seal tight, on the beer out post although the push lock ring won't snap tight. Before filling the keg I purge it with Co2 through the beer out connector while the lid is off, since Co2 is heavier than room air it will stay inside the keg even with the lid off. I use a 4 foot length of vinyl tubing from the fermentor spigot to the bottom of the keg to fill it with beer. Then at 25%, 50% and 75% full I add a little more Co2 and watch as it bubbles up through the beer. Cold crashing the fermentor at 36F before filling the keg also lets me have fully carbonated beer in about 7-10 days.

[Dawg LB Steve]

If I have to get to it quicker than the normal set and forget method, I have a piece of gas tubing with a quick disconnect, all of my CO2 tanks have qd's to move seemlessly from one place or operation to another, and put a black liquid ball lock connector on the other end of the gas hose. No worries about it popping off or leaking.