Trying to make the jump to kegging

I just found someone selling some ball lock kegs for $25 a piece. I thought this might be a good time to get into kegging as I have been brewing a bit more lately and I'm getting tired of bottling. He said that they are 15 yrs old and he never used them so they have been sitting in storage. The cheapest I've seen at the two LHBS is $40, which I know is kind of expensive and if it's just a matter of seals they aren't expensive to replace. I'm just kind of wondering what some of you with actual experience with kegging would do. I plan on making a final decision after inspecting them, but would like some input. Thanks

they will more then likely need new seals.. seal kit is only 8 bucks. if hes not going to get rid of them instantly buy 1 and see how it goes. if theres no probs buy them all. good investment

That's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks for the reply.

around here 55$ + tax just became the new standard price for corny's for 25$ is they are in good shape, is a great deal.. at least in my parts

Yeah I just paid $50 or more for a couple reconditioned ones online after I got tired of watching craigslist, sounds like a great deal to me. Still waiting for mine to come!

You can buy a set of o-rings for $5-10, as Greenbasterd mentioned, or check out the sticky in the "equipment" section with links to buy them in bulk on McMaster. You can spend $30-40 and have enough seals to last you a lifetime! Enjoy kegging, I can't wait to get into it.

Here: LHBS sells them for $62. Another person in town for $50.

Sounds like a good deal. If you have a C02 (or know someone who will let your borrow one) you could bring it with you to see if they seal

I just bought 3 at my LHBS for $50+tax each. 25 is a steal these days.

My dad has a co2 tank that he uses for work. would i need the keg connection end and how would I go about checking them? This is all new to me.

Just make sure the rim is not bent anywhere and I think thats a good deal.

mrkrausen said:

My dad has a co2 tank that he uses for work. would i need the keg connection end and how would I go about checking them? This is all new to me.

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Check out YouTube on beginning kegging. Northern has some good videos that covers all those basic questions.

mrkrausen said:

My dad has a co2 tank that he uses for work. would i need the keg connection end and how would I go about checking them? This is all new to me.

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Yeah, I didnt think about that. You'd have to get a ball-lock connector to hook up to the keg. I would probably bring a spray bottle with water and a bit of liquid soap mixed in too.

When you get there you would just hook your CO2 tank up, increase the pressure to about 30 or so, and then check for leaks. You can use the spray to spray along the lid to check for leaks as well (you'll see the CO2 bubbling the soap).

Buy them. You will not be sorry. I keep one around that does not hold pressure for cleaning my lines with the ball lock connectors. The seals are easy to replace. Just look at the tops and see if they are malformed from abuse.

you can test with a regular old air compressor just need to macgyver a ball-lock valve to it somehow..

Well...I did it! I got down there and the gentleman said that he had purchased the kegs ~15 yrs ago and that he never got to use them so they just sat at his shop collecting dust. I didn't take any pics like I had planned to, but they looked just as you would expect. They had cobwebs, dust and etc. all over them from years of sitting. I just visually inspected them inside and out and they seemed to be in good shape. One of them even hissed when i pulled the release valve. I jus

So I took a leap of faith and bought all of them for $20 a piece. The guy was really nice and after talking for a little while he showed some interest in trying some of my beer so we agreed to meet up when my next batch was ready for consumption. I'm really excited. Usually when I find a deal like this on CL I'm either in que in case someone doesn't show, or they just sold the item. Anyway, here are some pics of my haul. This is just after a rinsing with the hose. There's still some more cleaning to be done and all the seals look good save one. :cross:

Looks like a great score can't beat $20 kegs

Yeah that's no leap of faith, it's a killer deal.

Even if the seals look good, it's cheap insurance to replace them all. Especially after 15 years of sitting collecting dust. That's just me though....great score man!

I just bought 3 cornies from a friend that was getting out of the homebrew hobby. He sold them to for $15 each and I know all the seals are good because he just took them off of gas. That was just the motivation I needed to move into kegging!

Congrats on the upgrade Barnstormer. I've been holding off waiting for a deal like this too. Brewnoob1 you're right. I prefer to not take chances with cleanliness and sanitation with home brewing so I should just go ahead and get new seals. They are pretty cheap anyway.

mrkrausen said:

Congrats on the upgrade Barnstormer. I've been holding off waiting for a deal like this too. Brewnoob1 you're right. I prefer to not take chances with cleanliness and sanitation with home brewing so I should just go ahead and get new seals. They are pretty cheap anyway.

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Here is where I got mine. Cheapest I could find.

http://www.brewersdiscount.net/index2.ivnu

Hey Crisputer, how were they to deal with? Would you recommend/ buy from them again? I'm asking because it looks like they have good prices and am considering buying quite a few things from them.

Yeah, that sounds like a good deal if the lids and rims are not bent. Clean, sterilize and replace all o rings, you'll never go back to bottling once you've jumped to kegging. Gonna force carb my Hurricane Pale Ale today!!! Quick note get some star San in some water in a spray bottle and check for any leaks at all connections or you'll run thru co2 quickly! Enjoy kegging!!!