What is this

I recently ordered a reconditioned keg kit from Ontario Beer Kegs and it showed up looking like this:





Any ideas about what this is? I know they are used, but I guess I just expected them to arrive clean at least.

looks like expanding spray insulation overflow that they scraped mostly away.

Looks like dried up glue to re-glue the tops.

MC

Ok, thanks guys. I guess I was just overly excited about receiving the kit and was a bit disappointed when I opened the box. I just figured they would have cleaned them up a bit...

What exactly does the reconditioning process consist of? Is it basically just changing the valves and gaskets?

Scrape up some of that tan colored stuff and see if it'll dissolve in warm water.

It may be glue, but it doesn't look what you'd expect glue to look like if it oozed out between the rubber and keg.

What that looks like to me would be the result of a breach in the top of the keg, under the top rubber. Ie: dried syrup...

Cheers!

It did dissolve in water. What exactly would a breach mean for the keg?

The rep emailed me back and said that he thought it was insulation and not to worry since it won't come in contact with the beer.

"Insulation"? Jeeze...

I wouldn't expect glue to readily dissolve in warm water, hence I would suspect what you're looking at isn't glue. If that's the case, given what these kegs were used for one might expect that stuff is syrup. And if syrup was bubbling out through all the openings in the top rubber, it had to be coming from under it. And if that's true, there had to be a breach in the keg metal. Which is likely still there, plugged up with dried syrup.

Or the above could be wrong, they used glue that does easily dissolve in warm water, and they somehow managed to get the glue to spray up in random spots on the posts (which would have had to have been removed to re-glue the rubber)...

Cheers!

Gross. More like DE-conditioned. Amiright?

Note to self: No kegs from Ontario Beer Kegs.

ImNoExpert said:

Gross. More like DE-conditioned. Amiright?

Note to self: No kegs from Ontario Beer Kegs.

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Who cares what the outside looks like? If the inside is clean that's all that matters. Reconditioning consits of replacing all the rubber gaskets and making sure it does not leak. It's up to you to clean the outside and inside to what you deem as clean. It looks like he even installed new universal poppets in the keg, which is more than most do so who cares about the looks if you got a decent keg with new parts.

What does it taste like?

Apply pressure to +30psi and test it under water for an extended period of time. The water will melt away that crud and allow any hole under the rubber to leak.

Not what I would describe as reconditioned, but if the insides are clean and it holds pressure just clean off that gunk and good to go.

JRems said:

Who cares what the outside looks like? If the inside is clean that's all that matters. Reconditioning consits of replacing all the rubber gaskets and making sure it does not leak. It's up to you to clean the outside and inside to what you deem as clean. It looks like he even installed new universal poppets in the keg, which is more than most do so who cares about the looks if you got a decent keg with new parts.

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I hear what you're saying and agree to a point, but if I'm buying a reconditioned keg I expect it not to have crusty stuff on top that can scrape off and fall into my beer when I fill it.

JRems said:

Who cares what the outside looks like? If the inside is clean that's all that matters. Reconditioning consits of replacing all the rubber gaskets and making sure it does not leak. It's up to you to clean the outside and inside to what you deem as clean. It looks like he even installed new universal poppets in the keg, which is more than most do so who cares about the looks if you got a decent keg with new parts.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I am over the fact that it was dirty and realize I might have had high expectations there. At this point I am really just worried about a breach like day trippr suggested.