Poor equipment frustration!!

Why is it that so much equipment never works properly from the outset??

Buy a corny, lid doesn't fit. Get new lid, gas-in poppet never seats correctly (unless permanently connected). Build kegerator, connect taps, all works.... oh no, wait a minute, beer leaking through the thread (as in the top) of the liquid-out disconnect inside the fridge, beer leaks everywhere. I mean, come on man! Give me a break!!

Rant over!

Deep breath.
Count to 10.
I bought 6 Cornies. 5 of them leak in one place or another.
It happens.
RDWHAHB.

It's soooooooooooooooooo frustrating.

I can't believe I now have to use sealant tape (PTFE) on a valve!!! It's ridiculous!!! They cost enough, why can't they make them properly??

Ah well. Yet another DIY fix for tomorrow it is!!!

You are experiencing the reason I quit selling used kegs. It reached the point where over 20% of what I was bringing in was junk or cosmetically so ugly that I was afraid to sell them.

Your should EXPECT issues when buying used kegs, even those sold as "refurbished"!!! The average used corny keg is over 30 years old and any amount of short term tests can't find all of the leakers, particularly the intermittent ones, that's why we gave up.

You could try replacing ALL of the orings. Including the ones on the dip tubes.

This. I bought a couple 100pk's of the dip + post tube O-Rings from McMaster (and also a 10pk of lid o-rings) -- so if I ever have the slightest DOUBT about the condition of one of my kegs, I proactively replace all of the O-Rings before I refill it.
(Sometimes I cheat, and just give the Lid O-Ring a soak in bleach, unless it is starting to look flattened.)

If you have no patience for equipment "issues", this might be a tough hobby for you. (Trust me, this is COMING from a guy who is cheap as all heck - but has very little patience for equipment issues! I swear up a storm every time I have to do anything with my beer. It's the beer itself that keeps me coming back!!! If this hobby didn't result in a fridge full of homebrew, I would have quit a long a$$ time ago!)

I know what you mean Thargrav, they do always come with some issue, but it was the leaky brand new quick-disconnect that really took the biscuit! That's new and should be fine. I never realised the kegs could be that old though, explains a lot.

Anyway, it was just a bit of frustration let out after a few relaxing homebrews, haha! Glad I'm not the only one banging his head on a hall sometimes!

*wall

As a mechanic in a former life I can tell you that compressed gas will find any weakness in any system it is in. The best approach to this issue unfortunately is to assume that every connection is a potential leak and taking steps to prevent it proactively. That means limiting connections and getting rid of some ghee whizz stuff and using PTFE on every fitting and new o=rings on everything all the time. I keep a collection of fittings and o-rings in stash just in case I encounter a new leak when I am attempting to use the gear. It is super frustrating, but once you have a level of control you can maintain or improve your situation incrementally. Anywhere you have an o-ring connection you have a huge potential for a leak, lube and care are the best approaches to reducing this, but 100% elimination is never going to be long lasting due to the human element when assembling the gear and the wear and tear already on the gear. Patience and attention to the small details will help, but unfortunately this is part and parcel to using compressed gas in any application. No telling how many AC systems I have refilled and retested over the years, it happens...
Bob

Also - Pick up a tube of clear Food Grade Lube - I got mine at a restaurant supply store for $3 for a giant industrial tube, way cheaper than the special 'keg lube' from the homebrew store. Mine says "McGlaughlin Oil Co." on it.

We used this stuff at the Dairy Queen that I worked at in high school -- all of the o-rings in the ice cream machines as well as the Misty slush machine were treated with the lube to keep leaks from popping up.

I put a thin coat on every O-ring on every keg I rebuild. Both dips, both posts, and the lid all get a coat of it. Then - any time I have a weak post spring causing gas leaks, I'll put some on the QD and some on the post, then I'll pop it on and off a few times to work the lube into the post seat surface. It's a life saver.