Nitrogen / beer-gas regulator (CGA-580 inlet, 5/16" barb out)
Where CGA-580 inlet, 5/16" barb out is used, its real dimensions, and how to connect it to other keg fittings.
Published dimensions
- Designation
- CGA-580 inlet, 5/16" barb out
- Size / thread
- CGA-580 (0.965"-14 NGO RH) cylinder inlet; 5/16" barb or 1/4" MFL gas outlet
- Fitting form
- single-stage gas regulator, nitrogen side
- Seals on
- washer in the CGA-580 nut on the tank; barb under a worm clamp or flare on its face at the outlet
- Rating / role
- dual-gauge nitrogen / argon / beer-gas regulator, typically 0 to 50 psi working pressure
Used on: pushing nitro stout and cask-style ales on beer-gas, and long draw lines that would over-carbonate on straight CO2.
A nitrogen regulator carries a CGA-580 inlet, not the CGA-320 of a CO2 regulator, so the two are not interchangeable at the tank. The outlet is usually a 5/16 gas barb, sometimes a 1/4 MFL flare, so it connects to gas line exactly like a CO2 regulator once past the inlet. The gas mix, not the fitting, is what makes it a nitro setup.
Flare fittings seal on the 45 degree flare face and must never be taped. Push-in fittings seal on an O-ring against the tube wall and need the tube cut square. Barbs seal under a worm clamp. Getting the sealing method right matters more than the thread label, because most homebrew leaks are a taped flare or an unclamped barb.
Connect this fitting
Sources: MoreBeer / Taprite dual-gauge nitrogen (beer-gas / argon) regulator: CGA-580 inlet, 5/16 barb outlet ยท HowdyBrewer dual-gauge nitrogen / argon regulator (CGA-580 cylinder inlet)