Very old corny, need to order poppet.

Most of my cornies are Challenger V & VI's. And I have found places to order these poppets.

But one of my kegs looks to be older than the rest. It says it is a Challenger but not what type. Is this a "Type C?"

The kegs itself is slightly different as well. It is a standard ball lock but the posts seem taller somehow. The dip tube does not bend and the keg drains from one side of the bottom instead of in the middle like standard kegs. And where the posts screw on is at least twice as large as the other kegs i have.

The label reads:

"Firestone Steel Products Co.
Spartanburg, S.C.
712765
Max. Cap. 5 Gal.
Challenger"

Then there is a really old looking NSF stamp.

This lid is slightly different as well. It is slightly less oval like than other kegs.

The lid reads:

"NDSA-VS-01"

If someone could point me in the direction of a poppet that would be great.

It just occurred to me that i could test the other Challenger V poppets (from my other kegs) in this keg to see if they fit.

would this work?

Firestone - Long Leg poppet

Williams Brewing has pictures and descriptions on their web page, have you looked there?

alohanole said:

would this work?

Firestone - Long Leg poppet

Click to expand...

That sounds like it from the description. The keg does have plastic inserts, i forgot to mention that.

They seem to have long legs. Thanks guys.

You have what is referred to as a racetrack keg. It is an original firestone. Be very careful with the plastic dip tubes. They are no longer available.

As mentioned, look at the Williams website.

Also FWIW, the o-rings for the tubes look different but you can stack regular o-rings and they seal fine. The standard lid o-rings will fit just fine as well.

MikeInCtown said:

You have what is referred to as a racetrack keg. It is an original firestone. Be very careful with the plastic dip tubes. They are no longer available.

As mentioned, look at the Williams website.

Also FWIW, the o-rings for the tubes look different but you can stack regular o-rings and they seal fine. The standard lid o-rings will fit just fine as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the o rings. Someone must have replaced the plastic dip tube with a metal one at some point. it was in there real good though.

I was looking for a plastic gas in tube to replace a warped/bent one. (stainless ones from B3 didn't work)

thanks!

Kiltlifter just forgot the "s".
William's Brewing, Home Brewing Supplies, Winemaking Supplies, and Home Coffee Roasting. @ Williams Brewing

I just ordered some post from Williams for an old Firestone and they don't work, so they're going back. Let me know if you find a place that has the parts for this keg. I'm having the worst time finding parts and pieces. I tried ordering posts by matching up w/ pictures w/ no success. The poppits have feet that look like Williams' A.E.B. poppits. I ordered the AEB posts and no dice. The thread on these kegs seem really large, requiring a 13/16" and 7/8" socket for removal. Any help would be great, Thanks alot

After picking the best two of four and doing the chalkboard paint thing, I took the two apart to clean them up and replace the o-rings and low and behold, it looks like I have one of these old kegs.

Other than the lid (racetrack oval) the posts look the same from the outside, and the same 22mm wrench works on this keg as it does my others. In addition to the larger internal thread on the liquid side, I've noticed that the dip tube is a bit larger than the dip tube in my other kegs (and like the others, not bent). Everything appears to be normal on the gas side - metal dip tube, o-ring, etc.

In my case it looks like everything is in pretty good shape, so maybe simply stacking two o-rings on the liquid side will work.

I ordered some keg posts from:

Poppet Valve Type C Challenger, John Wood 85, and older Firestone Challenger kegs :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

they should be here this week. i will let you know if they are correct.

I ordered this poppet:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=8251

they sent this one:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4545

I am upset right now. so i am going to have a beer then call them.

Okay, not that anyone cares, they claim they have sent me the right one. We will see. I know a few people have ordered these poppets from different places and also got the wrong ones.

So what was the verdict on the poppets you were sent? Looking at the pictures, the differences seem rather apparent.

FYI: I don't know if you've seen this page, but it has some nice pictures showing the differences between poppets, posts, etc.
BallKegClean

MikeInCtown said:

Also FWIW, the o-rings for the tubes look different but you can stack regular o-rings and they seal fine. The standard lid o-rings will fit just fine as well.

Click to expand...

I figured out that one of my kegs is a Firestone Challenger VI. It has the nylon gas tube and the o-rings appear to have square shoulders (I think that's the term). So would these require stacked o-rings? (two per tube)? Are all the other o-rings the same?
Thanks!

Chris

JerD said:

I just ordered some post from Williams for an old Firestone and they don't work, so they're going back. Let me know if you find a place that has the parts for this keg. I'm having the worst time finding parts and pieces. I tried ordering posts by matching up w/ pictures w/ no success. The poppits have feet that look like Williams' A.E.B. poppits. I ordered the AEB posts and no dice. The thread on these kegs seem really large, requiring a 13/16" and 7/8" socket for removal. Any help would be great, Thanks alot

Click to expand...

How about this one?

POPPET VALVE -FIRESTONE @ Williams Brewing

The feet look a lot like the AEB. From the description, the A.E.B. poppets are mainly for Italian-made cornies. OF course, that would be my other keg...
Seems that Williams has all varieties of poppets.

they are still in the mail. i should get them soon i think. i will keep you updated.

I got them today and they look right to me. I have yet to put them in but they look right so far.

I'm still looking for the plastic gas-in tube for an old Firestone...I emailed/checked on-line catalogs from the links provided, but nothing so far.

any other ideas?

Thanks!

coyote said:

I'm still looking for the plastic gas-in tube for an old Firestone...I emailed/checked on-line catalogs from the links provided, but nothing so far.

any other ideas?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

sorry no. I let mine set in bleach water for awhile and the cleaned up okay.

there's a warp in the top lip of the gas-in tube in this one...would like to replace it.

I ended up with one of these things with a recent purchase. The poppets on mine look to be in good shape, but the little plastic inserts are in terrible shape. Has anyone found a source for those? Do they need to be in good shape, or do they just need to support the feet of the poppets?

I can't seem to get the plastic gas in tube out either, and I'm a little squeamish to try forcing it. The last thing I need is to break that thing. I may just try to sanitize it in place.

EDIT: Nevermind on the plastic insert. It looks like Williams Brewing has those stocked. Hoozah!

bottle-o-jeff, I just went through the Williams site. I don't see the plastic dip tube there? Can you locate on the site and send along a link?

Sorry, wasn't talking about the plastic dip tube. I was talking about these little guys.

Nylon inserts

Sorry

If you look at the gas tubes on Williams, they say that the original nylon ones are no longer manufactured (someone else said that earlier in this thread).

Williams Brewing said:

For many Cornelius Ball and Pin-Lock Kegs, three and five gallon. Also fits Spartanberg Challenger VI ball-lock kegs, three and five gallon.

Note: These do not fit some older Firestone Challenger VI and earlier kegs that originally came with tapered nylon gas dip tubes. These tubes are no longer manufactured.

Click to expand...

coyote said:

there's a warp in the top lip of the gas-in tube in this one...would like to replace it.

Click to expand...

All of my Firestone kegs (but one) have plastic gas-side dip tubes, and the lips are warped. Even the replacement ones I have are used and are also warped. However, I just use O-rings sized for them and they seal fine with the post cranked down tight.

I was able to get my gas tube out by using a pair of needle nose pliers. Grabbed one wall of the tube so as not to squish it, and firmly yet gently worked it until it just came out. Disclaimer: YMMV
I wonder if new tubes couldn't be made with some copper tubing and a flaring tool. I guess if you had the equipment you could make one of stainless; do they make stainless tubing in the right diameter? I have read that the hole can be drilled out to accept a standard gas tube, though I couldn't vouch for that.

Chris

ChrisS68 said:

I was able to get my gas tube out by using a pair of needle nose pliers. Grabbed one wall of the tube so as not to squish it, and firmly yet gently worked it until it just came out. Disclaimer: YMMV
I wonder if new tubes couldn't be made with some copper tubing and a flaring tool. I guess if you had the equipment you could make one of stainless; do they make stainless tubing in the right diameter? I have read that the hole can be drilled out to accept a standard gas tube, though I couldn't vouch for that.

Chris

Click to expand...

Heres a link to my post on a different thread on this:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/old-firestone-update-97576/#post1093670

Bottle-O-Jeff or others - can you confirm that the nylon inserts from Williams fit and work well? I read on another post that the ones they ordered from another site did not fit = were too big.

Also from the FAQ - has anyone here tried this yet?

madewithchicken,
Did you ever find the correct poppets? If so, where, which ones? I have Firestone Model F kegs and don't want to order multiple times and return, sounds frustrating to me.

Try chicompany. They will either be long leg or short leg firestone poppets. You can match them up by the picture. I actually used the universal poppets instead on my firestone.

Yea, I stumbled upon CHI Company last week, I think I will order from them. They have slightly better prices and shipping than the Homebrew suppliers.

Also there are two different style posts that use the plastic spacers. Some posts take the plastic spacers without issue, the other type need about 3/16-1/4" cut off the bottom of the spacer since they don't manufature the short spacer anymore. You acutually can remove the plastic dip tube all together. The plastic spacer is what actually does the sealing, unlike other kegs that need the dip tube/o ring combo to seal.