Is there something wrong with this keg?

I racked a batch to this keg last week and hooked it up to pressure. Tonight I went to pull from it, and nothing came out. So to took the beer line and hooked it up to my other keg and it pulled just fine. I took the co2 line from this keg and connected it to the other keg and it pulled just fine. I ended up racking the carbonated beer form one keg to another (because I don't know how to to a keg to keg transfer - anyone with steps on this?) and the beer is coming out just fine.

I think the problem is with the dip tube. I noticed it when I received the keg, but I thought "Well, this is from a homebrew store that sells a lot of kegs, so it must be ok even though it looks wrong to me.".

Here's what the dip tube looks like:



As you can see, it appears as though it's inverted. Would this have completely stopped the flow to the tap? If so, what can I do to fix it? I pulled the keg QD off to try and get the dip tube out to invert it back, but when I did, this is what I saw:



How the heck do I get this thing out to get at the dip tube?

If it matters, this keg was made by Firestone, not Cornelius.

It sounds like maybe the dip tube is clogged or pinched off. Can you hold it up to the light and look through it?

You can't just reach into the keg and push up on the dip tube to get it out?

I can't imagine how the shape of the tube would matter in the least, as long as it's not plugged up or shoved onto the very bottom of the keg so that there's zero clearance. Doesn't look like there's a kink in there.

Is there a problem maybe with either the liquid post or disconnect? Seems more likely to me that your problem is getting that connection, rather than an issue with the tube.

Hard to tell, but my failing eyes tell me that it looks like the dip tube in pic 1 is pushing against the bottom of the keg. Can you rotate the dip tube so that it follows the curve of the wall? That just doesn't look natural at all. What you're seeing, after removing the post, is the top flange of the dip tube, presumedly with an o-ring beneath it, between its bottom side and the edge of the keg inlet. Try getting under that o-ring with your fingernails and prying up a little. Should pop right up....

Sorry for your keg trouble!!!!! I'm sending you good kegarma!

If you can get your hand into the keg, grab the tube and wiggle it until you can push it up. (If your hands are over a Size 8, bribe a kid). I can't tell if that's a puddle of beer at the bottom around the tube or a wad of yeast. If the latter, that might be the problem.

Some tubes are keyed so they only go in one way. Don't try forcing it into a new position.

Thanks everyone. I'll see if I can get that dip tube out tonight. Hopefully it's just clogged up.

the tube is in backwards. there is a small ridge on the outside of the tube near the top that is suppossed to go into a matching groove in the keg. since it was installed backwards it is probably jammed and will be difficult to remove. I would check the condition of the seal below the tube also. CLEAN THAT KEG! The residue in the keg points to a clogged tube since the inside of the tube diameter would close quickly with that amount of crud in it.

beerthirty said:

CLEAN THAT KEG! The residue in the keg points to a clogged tube since the inside of the tube diameter would close quickly with that amount of crud in it.

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This was the first time the keg had been used, it was cleaned thoroughly before it was used. I couldn't get anything out of it so I racked the beer to another keg, then snapped the pictures - that's why there is crud on the sides.

Dang, that's a lot of sediment on the sides. How early do you keg?

EdWort said:

Dang, that's a lot of sediment on the sides. How early do you keg?

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It actually sat in primary for 10 days, then secondary for 2 weeks before I dryhopped it with 1 oz of pellets. Then it sat for another week before I kegged it. Then it sat another week in the keg waiting for an open tap. I didn't wrap anything around the auto siphon to contain the pellets that this beer was dryhopped, so that's probably the source of most of the sediment.

Almost everything is at least 5-8 weeks along before I get it in the Sanyo and hooked up to pressure.

When you cleaned it were you able to push the cleaning solution out of it? If so - think about what's changed since then.

blacklab said:

When you cleaned it were you able to push the cleaning solution out of it? If so - think about what's changed since then.

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This was the first time I used it since I received it. The vendor cleans them in pbw and tests pressure. When I get them I put sanitizer in them, give them a good shake and start using them.

I typically have a keg sitting around with a couple of gallons of sanitizer in it that I hook up to clean lines, etc.

This was the first time I had ever hooked this particular keg up to pressure.

I'll see if I can get the dip tube off tonight and get it cleaned. I'm guessing that's the culprit.

I just finished cutting open 2 sankes(both wheat beers from the smell of it) that looked like that. It took a little elbow with a green scrubby but they did clean up nice with just water. Back to topic, check that diptube for a locator ridge for correct placement and push a diptube brush through the diptube. those hop pellets might have clogged the tube. I would also remove the poppits from the posts since there is less flow space through there than in the tube.