Dented Corny Keg with a tiny hole

I have a corny keg that I just picked up from my LHBS for $35. They do a AS IS sale on all their cornies so I guess you get what you pay for. They don't clean them, change o-rings, or any of that.

Anyway, I got one last week and just got around to cleaning it and all of my other kegs. When applying a little pressure to the keg I noticed there is a leak right in the side of it where there is a dent and I'm wondering if this might be repairable?

Would some sort of solder work to seal the hole? Will it hold up?

If not, are cornies worth anything as scrap? I can always pick up another, but after this I'm considering going elsewhere than my LHBS and paying a little more for the peace of mind at some of the other places that test theirs before selling.

The pressure release valve in the lid also leaks slightly, and I'm not sure if an o-ring will solve this issue? Is there any way to take these apart?


Here are some pics if they might be helpful:

This is the dent


A Close up (you cant even really see the hole)



This is the pressure release valve (yes, I'm aware that it's OPEN here)


The underside (where I suspect I can change out an o-ring or something?)



Thanks in advance!

Not sure about the leak in the side but the pressure relief valve is usually rebuildable. Just need to order correct style replacement.

Maybe you could find a local welding shop or buddy with a TIG welder to throw a spot weld over the current weld. It may not end up pretty, but if done properly, should fix the problem.

scrap it for SS weight. ANY fix on that leak will cost more than another keg.

Just go to HomeDepot and buy this Stay-Brite Solder Kit. You can easily fix the hole in the keg.

You might want to check out this thread Soldering Stainless Steel for some great "how to" info.

Thanks!

I'll give the soldering kit a shot and see how that does. I will report back on the results after I get it done!

A #36 o-ring will fit in the pressure release valve. That's what I've been using. Remove it from the top, remove the old o-ring (may have to slice it off) and install a #36.

MC

Find a new LHBS. As-Is without at least rinse and a pressure test is not a good deal. I have not found a home brew shop yet that did not sell their kegs cleaned and pressure tested. They may not have new O rings or a rebuild kit but they were at least pressurized. Personally I would be pissed at the shop and would have felt ripped off.

I agree. At least ask your local shop to trade it out. As Is, is one thing, but for $35 it should just need new seals...or even a lid, but not have holes in it.

THIS...is what "AS IS" should cost:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/planter-corny-keg.html

I had a corny keg with a pin hole leak near the base that I fixed with JB Weld epoxy.

It held pressure, and I used it without any issues for years before trading it off when I switched to ball lock kegs.

I would certainly recommend trying JB-Weld before paying someone a bunch to weld it.

MidTNJasonF said:

Find a new LHBS. As-Is without at least rinse and a pressure test is not a good deal. I have not found a home brew shop yet that did not sell their kegs cleaned and pressure tested. They may not have new O rings or a rebuild kit but they were at least pressurized. Personally I would be pissed at the shop and would have felt ripped off.

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Strongly disagree. Feel ripped off all you want. There was a massive creased dent in the side and it's clearly visible. Buying that one was a very obvious roll of the dice. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. If you want a guarantee, guess what, you're going to have to pay extra for it.

"Washed" and pressurized cornys are $65 at my nearest LHBS and $60 at the one 30 minutes further away. $50 per is a good price for a dirty one on my local CraigsList. My last CraigsList one even had a bad pressure relief valve, which cost my another $8 to replace. I replied immediately and arrived at his house within a hour, the whole time his phone was going off with calls and emails about them. I just got lucky that I was the 1st person to call (within 11 minutes of posting).

I picked up the last 4 kegs from Chi Company's inventory and the only store in Sacramento that would sell kegs for $45 plus tax has been out of stock at that price for months. PepsiCo has liquidated all but a very small number of kegs. Expect used prices to continue to climb until they start coming into line with AHB's new keg prices.

OP, have you considered using this as a fermenter? You can easily retrofit an airlock in the place of the relief valve and solder up that seam. It doesn't even need to be a great repair because it wouldn't need to hold even 1 PSI.

If you want to replace the pressure relief, just twist it counter-clockwise with an adjustable wrench on the grey plastic portion. Make sure the replacement is also a grey one, not a black one. The o-ring on pressure relief valves is permanent, AFAIK.

It looks like it is leaking on the original weld because of the the crease.
It would take seconds for a pro welder to fill that hole for you.

thadius856 said:

Strongly disagree. Feel ripped off all you want. There was a massive creased dent in the side and it's clearly visible. Buying that one was a very obvious roll of the dice. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. If you want a guarantee, guess what, you're going to have to pay extra for it.

"Washed" and pressurized cornys are $65 at my nearest LHBS and $60 at the one 30 minutes further away. $50 per is a good price for a dirty one on my local CraigsList. My last CraigsList one even had a bad pressure relief valve, which cost my another $8 to replace. I replied immediately and arrived at his house within a hour, the whole time his phone was going off with calls and emails about them. I just got lucky that I was the 1st person to call (within 11 minutes of posting).

I picked up the last 4 kegs from Chi Company's inventory and the only store in Sacramento that would sell kegs for $45 plus tax has been out of stock at that price for months. PepsiCo has liquidated all but a very small number of kegs. Expect used prices to continue to climb until they start coming into line with AHB's new keg prices.

Click to expand...

You are paying too much for kegs, simple as that.

I have purchased pressure tested ball locks in the low $30 range within the last 6 months. My LHBS no longer stocks ball locks but I could buy a pin lock cleaned and pressure tested for $40 6 days a week from them. Not a chance in hell I would pay $65 for a used keg when brand new kegs are selling for right around $100, less if you catch a sale.

I recently purchased two pressurized and clean ball locks from a local seller for $40 each.

Most of my stock of ball locks were purchased pressurized but dirty for $20~$25 a piece but I will admit that was a couple years ago when they were more plentiful.

tonybaloni said:

It looks like it is leaking on the original weld because of the the crease. It would take seconds for a pro welder to fill that hole for you.

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Totally agree on both counts. For someone with a TIG rig and some SS filler it would take longer to heat up the rig than close that void.

And a six pack could go a long way

Cheers!

I agree that it is kind of ridiculous that the LHBS doesn't at least see if they will hold pressure before selling them. I'm also surprised that you ended up with pinhole leak- I have some DENTED cornies but no holes, I guess you were just a little unlucky that the dent is right over that weld.

I'd probably try to swap it at the store- show that it has a HOLE in it and you aren't just some dummy that doesn't know how to seat the lid. If that doesn't work...I'd try to fix the hole, mostly just for funsies. I kinda like the fermenter idea too...

(Edit, and yes I know what as-is means. I also think that most reasonable people don't want to alienate their costumer base.)

Man...where the hell are you guys getting kegs for $30 - $40? I can't even find "as is" kegs for that price. My LHBS is $54 (tested and cleaned with new seals) and on Craigslist they've become wise to what prices are here in Atlanta. If you can even FIND 5 gallon cornys on CL...they are $50. And yes...pretty much "as is" if you buy from a guy in a walmart parking lot.

Pickled_Pepper said:

Man...where the hell are you guys getting kegs for $30 - $40? I can't even find "as is" kegs for that price. My LHBS is $54 (tested and cleaned with new seals) and on Craigslist they've become wise to what prices are here in Atlanta. If you can even FIND 5 gallon cornys on CL...they are $50. And yes...pretty much "as is" if you buy from a guy in a walmart parking lot.

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The middle of the country gets kegs in the $30-40 range. The coasts gets kegs in the $50-60 range.

Doesn't matter what you tell somebody who lives in Middle America, they think you're dumb for buying them at the prices available to you. Buy online? Shipping brings it right back up to the same price range. I see kegs CraigsList listings appear and then disappear within hours at $60 firm. Why should they bother selling for less when demand so far outstrips supply?

Back OT...

OP, if you decide you want to ship that keg out to CA for $40, I'll PayPal the cash over immediately as a fermentation keg. And any others you can get your hands on. Somehow I get the feeling you won't take me up on the offer, though.

Well, I was able to get some silver solder and cover up that hole. Simple fix and I put it under 30 PSI to test it at about 6:30pm. Sprayed it with star san and no bubbles were escaping the patch. I checked the pressure on it again this morning and It was still holding at 30psi.

Thanks for the suggestions!

And really, I don't think that $35 for a corny keg is bad. I've purchased 12 of them from my LHBS and this is the first one I've had issues with holding pressure. I've looked all over (online, and locally) and I can't justify paying $50 plus for a keg. If I'm out a $35 dollar keg over the course of 12, I'm still saving $145 versus the $50 kegs if I need to simply purchase a replacement.

Luckily, this was a fix that only cost me about $15.

Fiziks said:

Well, I was able to get some silver solder and cover up that hole. Simple fix and I put it under 30 PSI to test it at about 6:30pm. Sprayed it with star san and no bubbles were escaping the patch. I checked the pressure on it again this morning and It was still holding at 30psi.

Thanks for the suggestions!

...

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That is great. I'm glad that you took the suggestion & got it done. Harris Stay-Brite solder & flux is awsome stuff for working with SS, copper and brass.

P-J

Pickled_Pepper said:

I agree. At least ask your local shop to trade it out. As Is, is one thing, but for $35 it should just need new seals...or even a lid, but not have holes in it.

THIS...is what "AS IS" should cost:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/planter-corny-keg.html

Click to expand...

I would have taken it back and traded it too. NO reason they should sell you a keg with a hole in it and then not exchange for a good one. If not, find a new place to buy your supplies because they have some sketchy morals there.