Keg Lube

Is there anything I can use instead of Keg Lube? I've got everything ready to go and realized I forgot to order keg lube. It takes about 3 days to get an order in and being this is thursday, it will now be monday or tuesday before I could get any. I wanted to start kegging today. Anyone have any suggestions. By the way, this is my first post. I've been reading and everything I've learned about kegging I got from here. Thanks for all the help.

vaselene (sp?) we use technical peterlium at work which is just an industrial grade vaseline for our O rings. we also use, oil, hydraulic fluid and jet fuel to soften the O rings LOL

My first suggestion would be to, quite simply, not use any lube on the o-rings, and just use keg lube whenever you can get your hands on some. I didn't have keg lube for the first few kegs I filled and it didn't cause any major issues - and I've only been moderately proactive in applying it since then.

blefferd, if you are putting oil, hydraulic fluid, and jet fuel on your o-rings, it doesn't sound like you are working with food. I've never heard anyone say whether or not vaseline is actually safe for beer o-rings, but I wouldn't use it unless I was sure.

I'd be afraid of any petroleum-based lubricant (like Vasoline) eating away the rubber.

Don't laugh (OK, laugh, it's funny) but if I were in a desperate bind - keg is filled, but gas is leaking without the o-rings being lubed - I'd probably go with some plain KY Jelly. It won't hurt the rubber (huh, huh), and it's not going to kill you if you consume a little.

the_bird said:

Don't laugh (OK, laugh, it's funny) but if I were in a desperate bind - keg is filled, but gas is leaking without the o-rings being lubed - I'd probably go with some plain KY Jelly. It won't hurt the rubber (huh, huh), and it's not going to kill you if you consume a little.

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You wouldn't use the KY warming lube to keep the o-rings soft and flexible?

I have yet to buy any keg lube (one of these days). Occasionally I will not get a perfect seal. When this happens, I crank the pressure up to 40 or 50 lbs and wiggle the lid with the clasp if necessary. The extra pressure gets every thing seated and then I have no problems at serving pressure.
Cheers,
Jeremy

Silicone spray? (avalable at most hardware stores).
Pool supply store nearby?-Oring lubricant.

Vaseline should probably work (I'll check when I get home, but I thought that Keg Lube was also a petrolium distilate-I thought I read that on the label).

Anyways, none of the above is "food grade", but the small quantity you'll use should be OK (and also not impart off flavors).

I swear my tube of keg lube basically says that it's petroleum jelly.

the_bird said:

plain KY Jelly

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I was going to suggest that as well.

the_bird said:

...I'd go with some plain KY Jelly...it's not going to kill you if you consume a little.

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And...er...uh...how much have you consumed there ma friend?

Go to your drug store or grocery store and buy a bottle of mineral oil. It is the predominant ingredient in keg lube.

BierMuncher said:

And...er...uh...how much have you consumed there ma friend?

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Pregnancy, my friend. Wife would get frisky (love those pregnancy hormones... love 'em) but her body wouldn't always respond physically.

I tell you what, tastes HORRID!

the_bird said:

Pregnancy...and so on...

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TMI my friend, TMI.

On this forum? There's no such thing as TMI!

blefferd, if you are putting oil, hydraulic fluid, and jet fuel on your o-rings, it doesn't sound like you are working with food. I've never heard anyone say whether or not vaseline is actually safe for beer o-rings, but I wouldn't use it unless I was sure.

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LOL im an aircraft mechanic i was just using that as a refrence for how we softened up Orings so they seal correctly

Keg lube looks like peterolum jelly to me just cleaner than the stuff at the store, i would be suprised if it wasnt, its just food grade (cleaner) compared to normal peterolum. the "PET" (technical peterolum) we use at work is just industrial grade peterolum jelly, its very thick and sticky, its actually kinda "stiff" at room temp. compared to the stuff you get at the store and its a dark yellow.

i would use peterolum jelly for my kegs LOL i have a tube of KEG lube, i dont think i said it would probably work in a bind for this guy untill he could get some and used in small ammounts, mainly for the tank lid

wild said:

Generic keg lube is usually one of two things, silicone compound (grease/lubricant), or petrol gel. The differences between silicone compound and petrol gel are the price, and some of the properties. The price of petrol gel is about 6 times less than the price of silicone compound. Petrol gel also can inhibit head retention.

Some suggested replacements have been Vaseline, and KY Jelly. Vaseline can be used, but it does not have the properties of being tasteless and odorless. KY Jelly is water soluble, and could become dissolved in the beer. It also dries over time, and would not be a good choice.

I'm currently using Petrol Gel. On the Petro Gel label is says that it is U.S.P. Mineral Oil along with other USP ingredients. See Petro Gel. They even offer a free sample on the site. Be careful, I have seen mention of it causing a flat head but haven't had a problem yet.

Wild

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He said head retention. he he he he (Beavis laugh).

Go to any hardware store and get some silicone faucet lube. It is used for lubricating washers in faucets. Obviously food grade. Actually I think it is EXACTLY the same stuff as keg lube, just in a different package and cheaper and more readily available.

Me wonders what the OP decided to do.

Think I scared him away?

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I used petroleum jelly this time but I have ordered some keg lube. I was too shy to buy ky...lol

I use silicon spray. It's cheap.

Bird, please never talk about using KY Jelly on your O-ring. I may be impotent for a month after that visual.

Cheesefood said:

...I may be impotent for a month after that visual...

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Buy a new suit. If you're going to be impotent, you need to look impotent.

Cheesefood said:

I use silicon spray. It's cheap.

Bird, please never talk about using KY Jelly on your O-ring. I may be impotent for a month after that visual.

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Isn't "Pam" basically a silicon spray? I don't have any at the moment so I can't check the label. But, I think I've heard before that it's silicon.

kornbread said:

Isn't "Pam" basically a silicon spray?

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Pam Anderson? yeah, she's basically silicon.