What You Need to Know About Draft Beer Regulators

Dispensing a consistently carbonated head on your beers means keeping proper, substantial pressure flowing through your air hoses. Without controlled pressure the gas released from your tank will be entirely too strong, making it difficult to dispense beer. This is where the regulator comes in. The basic primary CO2 regulator can have a single gauge that simply measures the dispensing pressure, or a double gauge regulator that will let you know how much pressure is going to the keg and how much gas is left in the tank.

Tapping Guinness requires Nitrogen and a different regulator. You can either use a Nitrogen Regulator or a CO2 regulator with a Nitrogen Tank Adapter.

To tap multiple kegs, a distribution bar is required like the CO2 Distribution Manifold, which can hold up to nine outlets. This bar will distribute pressure evenly throughout the various beers. If each keg requires a different pressure, you’ll simply need a secondary regulator. Equipped with individual pressure gauges, we offer secondary regulators that can run up to five kegs off one gas tank.

To keep pressure maintained at the correct level, you must make sure you find the right PSI (pounds per sq. in.). For CO2 tanks, the pressure should rest between 10-15 PSI and for Nitrogen tanks, it should be around 30-40 PSI. Also, don't forget to keep your air tank upright. Otherwise, you could damage your regulator and temporarily halt your draft system.

We know the selection for draft beer regulators can be confusing, so we’re here to help. Check out our handy troubleshooting guide if you’re not sure what parts you need for your kegerator or home dispensing system. Bar owners and installers should check out our commercial draft systems installation page, where we will help you plan, design, and install every bit of your bar’s multi-tap beer dispensing system.