Removing posts of ball-lock

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.

Naked_Eskimo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
346
Reaction score
1
Location
USA
What size socket wrench do I need to remove the posts of a ball-lock corny keg?

I know it has to be deep..just not sure on the size, and if size varies between brands?
 
I use a 22mm wrench for almost all of my Ball Lock posts. I do have a couple Firestone Ball lock cornys that I think have a slightly different size but I haven't taken one of those apart in a while so I'm unsure of the exact size.
 
Or if you don't have a metric set laying around you can use a 7/8'' wrench, BTW if you have star fittings on your cornie the box end works great. Or if your using a socket it has to be a 12 point for the star fitting.
 
7/8" deep socket 12 point. got mine at Lowes for $8. I've also heard 11/16" is a common size too.
 
I think mine are 7/8", 12 point socket. Got one at ACE for $6 I think. MUST be a deepwell socket!
 
I picked up one of those 7/8" "ratchet" boxed end wrenches. Works GREAT.

rwrenchindiv.jpg
 
Open /box combination end wrenches work for me. I use cheap ones I found at garage sales or flea markets, I don't remember where. I think they are stamped India, which means they were made back before China cornered the market on imitation tools.
 
While we're on the topic of removing the posts...correct me if I'm wrong, but the gas in is differentiated from the liquid out by some form of grooves or notches on the post? Where are those grooves. I see some on the corners of the post...but not sure if those are the marking, or just some grooves done by the previous owner who was trying to take the post off with an inappropriate tool?

Besides the posts, the poppets and o-rings are identical..correct?
 
I'm having some major issues with the fittings on both my ball-lock kegs that I just received from kegconnection.com. I was hoping I could see if anyone could help out with what's going on. After the advice of this thread, I just bought a 7/8" 12 point deep socket wrench to remove the post. On one of the two kegs I have, it has the star shape fitting seen below in red. I was able to loosen and then unscrew this one with the wrench. The other side of the keg (beer out) looks as if the wrench will fit on it, but I cannot for the life of me get it unscrewed. I've tried it with a buddy together, and this little bastard will not unscrew. This may be a dumb question, but shouldn't the same socket wrench unscrew both the in and the out part of the keg? Can anyone help me out with this situation to ensure that I am using the correct tool to unscrew this? The pictures below show the socket wrench I'm using as well as the gas in post that I'm able to unscrew (red) and the beer out (black) that I cannot unscrew.

Thanks for your help!

IMG109.jpg


IMG108.jpg


IMG110.jpg
 
Yep, they should both be the same size.

Is it just too tight? If that's the case, you may need to "force" it.

I've had some that were tighter than a mofo the first time and had to use a hammer to whack the wrench to get 'em loose. I make sure when I put them back on not to get too carried away with over-tightening.
 
While we're on the topic of removing the posts...correct me if I'm wrong, but the gas in is differentiated from the liquid out by some form of grooves or notches on the post? Where are those grooves. I see some on the corners of the post...but not sure if those are the marking, or just some grooves done by the previous owner who was trying to take the post off with an inappropriate tool?

If you look at these two pictures (from kegconnection.com) you can see the notches on the gas posts on the left.

NEWcorneliuspostsPAIR.jpg


firestonePAIRposts.jpg


Besides the posts, the poppets and o-rings are identical..correct?

For ball locks, yes, the O-rings are the same size. Not sure about pin locks as I've never used them, but at the least it seems that they are not the same size as used on ball lock posts...

Cheers!
 
[...]Can anyone help me out with this situation to ensure that I am using the correct tool to unscrew this?[...]

A 12-point 7/8" socket or box wrench is the correct tool, so you're good there. You just ran into a post that some knucklehead torqued the cr@p out of. The suggestion to whack the end of your wrench is a good one and your best bet.

If you don't have a extra pair of hands available, lay the keg down and sit on it, grip it with your thighs, rotate it to give you the best shot at the wrench handle, and give the wrench a good smack. You'll get it loose eventually ;)

Cheers - and good luck!
 
Thank you all for the replies. It did turn out that whoever tightened the one post, went a little out of control. I poured near boiling water on it, and then used some more force and this finally did the trick.
 
Definitely recommend the Craftsman ratcheting wrenches. I used a deep socket and still had trouble removing some posts (meaning some corny keg types)...it's like the socket doesn't sit well on the posts of some kegs. My craftsman wrench works on everything and it's easier to use IMO...plus, it's dedicated for cornies so I can keep it close to my kegs and leave the socket set in its case. One is offset and the other is not...choose one:

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-11-16-x-7-8-in-wrench-ratcheting-box/p-00942165000P?prdNo=1
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-11-16-x-7-8-in-wrench-offset-ratchet/p-00943365000P?prdNo=2
 
And when using a hammer as a "helper", the dead-blow type works pretty well.

+1 on that, and a dirt-cheap deadblow can be had from Harbor Freight. So simple even they can't screw it up.

(admittedly, I do have a HF bandsaw, jointer, and lathe that all perform admirably after a little tweaking, since all they're all clones of Jet tools made in Taiwan).
 
+1 on the Craftsman 11/16" x 7/8" box end ratchet wrench. Thing works like a charm and was a bit over $13 after tax. Thanks for whoever initially discovered that this thing would work on all ball lock posts. Saved a headache and $$$!
 
Back
Top