AllHoppedUp

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I bought some used kegs and took them apart to start cleaning them. The poppets were different (see pic). The one on the left with the skinnier rubber part was in the outlet, and the one on the right was in the gas inlet.

The new poppets I bought to replace these all look like the the one on the right. Anyone know if it matters? Thanks!

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scottland

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All my poppets look like the one on the right. I'd say give them a test. Install them, hit the keg with 30psi, then unhook the handle for the lid. Check back in a few days, and if the lid is still sealed, you know the keg held pressure.

Walker

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I have 5 kegs, and probably 3 or 4 different types of poppets.

The two you posted look 100% compatible, it's just that the one on the left has less plastic/rubber than the one on the right. Some of mine have crazy long "tripods" on the bottom of them, and some have longer shafts.

The next time I decide to replace some, I am going to stock up on these little boogers and standardize my crap:

http://www.cornykeg.com/catalog.asp?prodid=711370&showprevnext=1

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shortyjacobs

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Amen to this. I never tracked which poppet went with which keg when I first took all mine apart. I have 13 kegs now with mix and matched poppets, and I'm far too lazy to take em all apart again and try to figure out who goes where. For the most part, the QDs are just a bit tougher to get on, as the poppets don't depress as much as they are supposed to. On one, I have a slight leak around the poppet on the gas in post, which I just ignore because it doesn't matter when there's a QD connected.

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SixFoFalcon

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Thank you for the post on the universal poppets! I went absolutely ape**** last night trying to make 2 of my kegs work. I'm a bit overstocked on beer at the moment, so I'm having to use the last few empty kegs that have sat in the corner of the basement for years (never really figured I'd have more than 8 kegs of beer at any given time, so they haven't been maintained at all.)

I had bought some new poppets last year from Midwest, and some from Northern Brewer the year before, and I went to install them and that's when the frustrations started. Two of them completely fell apart (I think these were the ones from Midwest, but I'm not sure) because the crimp that keeps the shaft from popping out of the retainer was not... uhh... crimped enough. The other ones didn't fit properly--they would bind up when depressed in the post, and therefore they wouldn't spring back and seat properly. In amidst the shuffling of kegs I also found out that one of my gas-ins that I just overhauled last month with a new poppet is now leaking.

If anyone has feedback attesting to the quality of the universal poppets please let me know! I take it they just use the top of the diptube as the seat for the spring? Seems like they'd be a lot easier to clean and sanitize that way.

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Walker

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Yeah, I'm interested in feedback, too. I literally just stumbled across these the a few days ago. My impression is that they work just like you said, and yeah... MUCH easier to clean.

More importantly.... they won't f*cking break like a standard one. Those tripod break and bend and become dicsonnected from the posts on a normal poppet, and they end up in the trash after that.

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gleytch

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I'm using one on the gas side of one of my kegs. It works fine, but the springs are really strong and it is difficult to get the QD to push on. Have to really push hard. The first time I tried to put the QD on, I thought I had done something wrong and disassembled/reassembled the post to make sure something wasn't stuck.

chefmike

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kegconnection has them as well. I would love to hear feedback, but I may be the one giving it, as I may pull the trigger. I always have kegs leaking somewhere...

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lschiavo

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I wonder if "universal" includes the "racetrack" lid kegs? I got a deal on six of them but the poppets are needing attention. Anyone tried?

lschiavo

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Racetrack anybody?