Possible Corny Problems?

I have a new corny keg that's holding pressure but won't flow! This is my first kegging experience. Any possible solutions?

describe "won't flow"... do you mean when you open the tap nothing comes out? or does gas come out but no beer?
did you check and make sure all the parts were in place?

When I open the tap nothing comes out period. I've wiggled and jiggled the connection and tried to make sure everything was air tight. Still nothing.

what i would check:

is the gas on and set to enough pressure? (i know, but i've done it)
is there a pin in the liquid out disconnect? (i have lost it when cleaning)
clog in the post?
clog in the dip tube?

Liquid dip tube bottomed out on bottom of keg?

Pressure's good.

If the plastic piece that pushes into the post is the pin then it's still there.

How would I test for a clog in the post or the diptube?

The dip tube is very close to the bottom but I don't think it is touching. I can push it a little to either side and it isn't dragging.

This seems to be a recurring problem.

If you've got pin lock kegs...do you have one of these?

Pin Lock Ratchet Socket :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

It's a really good idea whenever you're adding a keg to your inventory to take it apart, clean it, replace all the o-rings, reassemble, sanitize...and then you won't be wondering why beer won't pass. I recommend looking down each and every dip tube.

Oh yeah...when you reassemble, it's good to keep things standard. The way I have mine is Short Tube to 2-pin valve, and Long Tube to 3-pin valve. The disconnects have a threaded top...Grey - Gas - Skirt with 2 pin catch... Black - Beer - Skirt with 3 pin catch.

If you're trying to trouble shoot what you've got now...I'd start in the middle and work forward or back as required.

First...with everything disconnected from your keg...

1) If you depress the center of the Valve with a screwdriver...on the Valve with the 2-pin connection... Does GAS escape forcefully?

If YES.... Skip Steps 2) - 5) and go to Step 6)

If NO.... Continue with Step 2)

2) You're not getting gas into the Keg... Check that your regulator is set for 12-14PSI

3) Check to make sure the valve on the bottom of your regulator is OPEN allowing the 12-14 PSI to enter the gas hose

4) At the end...push your finger into the bottom of the disconnect...push up on the little button... GAS should come rushing out. If it doesn't...you're disconnect is fowled up and needs to be taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled (never had that happen before)

5) Connect your Gas to the KEG...does your regulator make a humming noise as gas rushes in? When it stops...your keg is pressurized...you've hopefully solved the gas problem and can dispense beer now.

END HERE IF BEER IS FLOWING NOW...Otherwise continue with step 6).

6) If you had gas rush out...then your problem must be on the liquid side. With the keg pressurized...place and old hand towel over the liquid (3-pin) connector...and push down on the poppet in the center with a screwdriver. If the towel rapidly gets soaked with beer...your dip tube is good... Take apart your Liquid Disconnect, clean, reassemble...hook it back up and try again. If it still doesn't work...try cleaning the faucet.

7) If the towel didn't get wet...you've got a blockage in your liquid dip tube. Depressurized the keg by pressing down on the gas valve poppet, or pulling the ring on the relief valve...use a wrench to remove the valve from the post. List the dip tube out...clean it all up...make sure you see light through the dip tube...replace o-rings, reassemble...repressurize the keg...and try to dispense beer again. Hopefully that works.


I don't know what else to say. They are pretty straight forward systems. That's NOT to say I haven't screwed up before. HECK...a couple of nights ago...I was hooking up my jockey box...and I kept running the pressure up on the regulator to increase the flow. DUH...I never turned the shutoff/check vavle on the bottom of the regulator ON. It's easy to get drawn into the rush to sample that golden nectar...and totally let the mechanics side of the house fall apart.

Thanks for all the info. It's going to be a couple of days before I can perform these tests but when I get to it I'll let you know how it goes.

a

To Bethjohn:

I can't say much about WHAT isn't right but yeah, something isn't right. When you have pressure in a keg (whether it is full or not) pressing the tap handle will cause something to try and get out. It sounds like you may have a clog in one of your posts.

Do you have a pressure relief valve on your keg? If you do I would pull it to see if any gas is getting in. If any gas rushes out then your gas post is fine and your beer post is probably clogged, if not then your gas post is probably clogged.

To answer your question about the beer line and tap... The line will remain empty until you engage the tap.