Can't get keg lid off, yes newbie

I'm a newbie to kegging, so bear with me (and I already searched for a similar thread to no avail).

Just got my pin lock corny kegs with no pressure relief valves on the lid. The lid won't come off! Not sure what's going on here, I tried gently taping the lid down but it wouldn't budge.

Help!?

Carefully depress the gas in poppet valve to relieve the pressure in the keg first.

If it's under pressure, use a nail or something similar to press either the beer out or gas in post in a bit to relieve the pressure. After you do that get a chunk of 2x4 and a hammer. Put the 2x4 on the keg lid and whack it with the hammer

Try using a screwdriver to push in the poppet valve of the gas connector to release pressure.

Press the center pin on the gas connector with a screwdriver to release the pressure. You can identify the gas connector in a few different ways. First, if your keg has rubber handles, there is often a marking of some kind on the gas in side. A dent or a raised dot of some kind is often there. The other way to identify the gas connector is on the facets of the connector where the wrench would go. They have little notches in the corners of the faces (it sort of looks like two really thin nuts stacked on top of each other) while the liquid connector does not. Just look where you would put the wrench and you'll see what I mean.

The reason I say to push the gas side in is just in case there is some product still in the keg. You don't want to push the liquid side and have it come shooting out.

If the lid still won't push in, you're going to have to work at it. DO NOT pry or bang on the lid. You will likely bend it and then it will never seal properly for you. What I did was to push down hard with the rubber handle of hammer, working around the lid so as not to stress any one area too much. It took a long time and a lot of work, but in the end I managed to keep from damaging the keg. You can also use a piece of wood or some other non-metallic item that won't damage the top. The more surface area you can have between what you are pushing down with and the lid, the less likely you are to dent the top.

*edit* I guess I don't type fast enough. Sorry to repeat what others have said.

Thanks I got it off!!!! Sorry for the ridiculously basic question, just wanted to get it right.

Am I screwed with no pressure relief valves on my lid? Thanks again, I know only what I've read online about kegging, you guys are a wealth of knowledge!!

I didn't realize you could get a keg without a pressure release valve...how common is this?
And how big a deal is it? Its a nice feature, but we're never pushing the pressures that high so is it necessary?

malkore said:

I didn't realize you could get a keg without a pressure release valve...how common is this?
And how big a deal is it? Its a nice feature, but we're never pushing the pressures that high so is it necessary?

Click to expand...

It's a useful thing to have to bleed off pressure. When it's empty or if you've overcarbed your beer for example. Bit more of a pain to always have to stick something in the poppet valve.

About half of my 13 kegs have no manual relief valve and it hasn't been an issue at all.

I think it's more important just for convenience. Those kegs are rated to something like 100 psi, so I doubt you'd ever need it for safety reasons.