Force carbonation revealed leak in keg. What now?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

sa1126

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
137
Reaction score
3
I woke up and my keg was making a hissing sound. I have another keg I can transfer the brew too but it sat overnight around 30psi. I think my CO2 tank is losing pressure. Should I just move it over.

Dang "refurbished" kegs :(
 
Whenever I bought a reconditioned keg, I always removed the posts and lid, cleaned the keg and the o-rings, applied keg lube and reassembled. Not that I don't trust the "reconditioning", but it doesn't take much effort, and I have never had one leak, so why mess with a good thing. Luckily I have around 12 corny kegs, so no need to buy any at this time. I do have a few sets of replacement rings and poppets in my spare brewing hardware box....just in case....
 
If I siphon to my other keg will I have to restart the carbonation process?
 
Really? That's a very strange place for it to be leaking. Is it dented there or something? Did you spray some starsan on there to see if it was bubbling?

If it is from there I don't think it can be fixed and you will have to transfer it.
 
Really? That's a very strange place for it to be leaking. Is it dented there or something? Did you spray some starsan on there to see if it was bubbling?

If it is from there I don't think it can be fixed and you will have to transfer it.

And I would contact the vendor asap. I bet dollar to donuts they'd replace that keg without hesitation. But make sure you've got it right..spray it down with the starsan solution. The bubbles are unmistakable.
 
I would be surprised if it was leaking there.

Where did you buy the keg?
Did it come pressurized?

If it didnt come holding pressure I would do the following



Some of my kegs are trickier than other to seat the lid. Perhaps you didnt do that properly.

FYI, hissing is preferable to not knowing where the leak is coming from, theoretically this should be an easy fix, unless it truly is coming from where you said it is.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Really? That's a very strange place for it to be leaking. Is it dented there or something? Did you spray some starsan on there to see if it was bubbling?

If it is from there I don't think it can be fixed and you will have to transfer it.

I'm gonna go home and fill up the spray bottle with soapy water and see if I can't find out where the leak is. I shall report back with more info this evening.
 
cool, starsan works fine though if you have it. oh and no you don't need to restart the carbonation process. You don't need to siphon actually you can do a transfer. You will need 2 ball lock out fittings on the same hose. Attach one to the out tube on the full keg and the other to the out tube on the empty one. Then open the release valve on the top of the empty keg so it stays open and the beer will start transfering. Just detach the ball lock when you are done because it will start shooting in co2 and will make it foam.

It's best to do this at a fairly low psi (under 5). Also might be helpful to purge the gas from the full keg so it doesn't go too quickly and to purge the empty one to prevent oxidation.
 
Well there were no obvious leaks around the seat of the lid. I turned off the pressure and the fizzing sound stopped. My co2 tank lost most of its juice over night.

I depressureized the keg, got the tank refilled and started over. I carb'd 24 hours ago so I think if I kill the pressure in the morning it will be okay. I reckon the breach was from the blow off valve.
 
Hmm yeah that is kind of weird. I could have been from the release valve. It's also possible that it's a leaky line/connection point or one of your ball lock fittings (ball lock right?). I would try messing with those before you blow all of another tank...
 
Hmm yeah that is kind of weird. I could have been from the release valve. It's also possible that it's a leaky line/connection point or one of your ball lock fittings (ball lock right?). I would try messing with those before you blow all of another tank...

Yeah it was pretty weird. I left it connected all night and the gas didn't budge. I disconnected it this morning hoping it will be carbonated okay by tomorrow. I just want some draft homebrew already! :rockin:
 
Yeah it was pretty weird. I left it connected all night and the gas didn't budge.

Not sure what you mean by that?
 
Yeah it was pretty weird. I left it connected all night and the gas didn't budge.

Not sure what you mean by that?

There were no signs of any leak.

The beer is definitely carbonated. I hooked up the liquid line and bam, beer everywhere. The hose was not completely tightened:eek:

I tightened it up and got it up and running and poured my first draft beer after I used the shop vac to clean up the mess. That was the hardest earned beer ever!
 
Back
Top