Counter Pressure Filler Use




SANITIZATION

1.  Mix one gallon of your favorite sanitizer in a keg.  Close the keg
	and pressurize to 20 psi.
2.   Remove CO2 hose from bottle filler.
3.  Remove filler assembly from stand assembly by releasing hitch pin
	to make sanitizing easier.
4.   Insert bottle filler in a clean empty  bottle.
5.   Open needle valve and open both ball valves.
6.  Pointing gas ball valve in a safe direction, attach liquid QD to
	keg of sanitizer.
7.   Let liquid squirt out of gas ball valve for a couple of seconds
	and then close it. 
8.   Hold filler firmly down into the bottle and wait until overflow
	tube squirts sanitizer for a 
     couple of seconds.
9.   Remove liquid QD from keg.
10.  Allow assembly to sit full of sanitizer and still in the bottle
	until sanitization is complete. 
11.  Dump and rinse bottle with hot water.
12.  Either provide a keg with pressurized hot water, or use an
	adapter to attach the liquid QD 
     to a hot water source.
13.  Rinse filler with hot water with all valves open, allowing water
	to squirt out of gas ball 
     valve.
14.  Close gas ball valve and continue rinsing until water squirts out
	of overflow valve. 
15.  Dump water from bottle.
16.  Attach CO2 input hose to filler and purge hoses and filler of water.
17.  If you want to cool the filler down before using, insert it in a
	clean plastic bag and put in 
     the freezer until cold. 



BOTTLE FILLING

1.   Re-attach filler assembly to stand using hitch pin as in assembly
	instructions above. 
2.   Attach to CO2 source.
3.   With both ball valves closed, attach liquid QD to keg, turn on
	gas pressure at regulator to 
     match pressure in the keg and attach gas QD to keg.  
4.   Obtain a 1 quart flat bottomed plastic container to catch drips.
	Position the drip container 
     directly under the filler and use liquid ball valve to release a
	small amount of beer into the 
     drip container while holding it up close to the filler.
5.   Set the container back down under the filler and make sure the
	overflow tube end is in the 
     drip container.
6.   Adjust the height of the platform until only a small amount of
	travel on the lever is 
     necessary to firmly seat the rubber stopper into the neck of the bottle.
7.   Swing the platform out of the way to ether side.
8.   Slip a bottle over the filler and seat gently onto the rubber stopper.
9.   Swing the platform back into place and press down on the lever to
	gently  but firmly hold 
     the stopper in place.
10.  Make sure overflow valve is partially open at this point.
11.  Fill a bottle.
     a.   Open gas valve partway and allow bottle to purge of air for
	several seconds (this 
          will cause gas to flow out of open overflow).
     b.   Close overflow valve and open gas valve completely to
	pressurize bottle to full 
          pressure.  You will feel gas flow stop when vibration of flow stops.
     c.   Close gas valve completely.
     d.   Open liquid valve completely.  No flow should happen, but
	liquid in hose may back 
          up towards keg several inches.
     e.   Crack open overflow valve very slightly until liquid begins
	to flow.  When bottom 
          of filler tube is immersed in liquid, the overflow valve
	can be opened a little more. 
     f.   When liquid level reaches the top of the bottle, turn off
	overflow valve and liquid 
          valve.
     g.   Release pressure in bottle very slowly by cracking open
	overflow valve.  There will 
          generally be some bubbles overflowing as this occurs, but
	the slower the pressure 
          is released, the less likely this is to occur.
     h.   Swing the platform out of the way, remove the bottle and cap
	immediately. 
     i.   Since your overflow valve is already open from venting,
	leave it that way, and you 
          will be ready for the next cycle of purging the next bottle.


HINTS

Leave the Stainless Steel tube of the bottle filler as long as
possible for the shortest bottle you intend to fill.  It has been left
slightly longer than necessary so you may have to cut it off for very
short bottles.  To extend the length of the filler for taller bottles,
use a length of vinyl tubing, the thinner wall is better because it
will steal less volume from the filled bottle.

Do not be impatient.  Filling at to fast a rate will cause foaming.
Releasing pressure too swiftly after filling will cause foaming.
There will always be some foaming when releasing pressure, but this
can be kept to a minimum by going slowly.

Remember that the bottle filler and vinyl extension do take up volume,
and some liquid is lost to foaming when pressure is released, so the
level of liquid you see before releasing pressure is not the level of
the finished bottle.  Be sure to account for this.  It is generally
wise to fill the bottle completely up to the bottom of the rubber
stopper.

Once the liquid level has come up to the bottom of the filler, the
fill rate can be increased.  However, when getting close to the to of
the bottle, slow down.  Filling at a fast rate and then closing the to
overflow valve quickly tends to cause excessive foaming.

Clean filler assembly with hot water by running it through the
assembly as in the sanitization step above.  Purge water with CO2
after cleaning.