Kegs arrived - what's that smell

Hello all -

My kegging system from www.ebrew.com arrived today and, so far, I'm very pleased. 3 questions:

They came sealed with a few PSI, and when I released it to open it up I got a blast of air that smelled very sweet - if I had to guess, I'd say it was old pepsi syrup. Upon inspection - the inside of the keg itself is immaculate. Not a speck of anything inside, dip and gas tubes are clean, etc. I haven't replaced the orings yet - I have to get some brew fermented first.

1) Should I be worried about this smell? Should I just clean it again, replace the orings and know that after a few batches the only thing I'll smell is beer?

2) The regulator has got a on/off valve on it. I purchased a check valve with my kit - where does this get installed?

3) The beverage dip tube is REALLY long in 2 of the 3 kegs. Should I cut an inch or so off?

Thanks for your help.

Andy

1. You need to do something to get rid of the smell otherwise it will taste you first few beers (you'd be surprised how much) i would clean it with sodium percarbonate/oxyclean product these are great for shifting the smells in cornys. Just a few tablespoons in say half a gallon of boiling water will foam up well, swish it around (be careful) and this should help to remove the smells.

PS i never bothered to change the O rings and never tasted anything from them, i wouldn't bother changing them unless they look worn or are becoming brittle.

2. don't know.

3. I have some that are shortened and some that are reach to the bottom, TBH i never notice much difference after a pint or so they are all clear.

enjoy kegging

Does it smell like 7-Up? Mine were the same. Sparkling clean with the 7-Up odor. There was a thread awhile back about this. It is the remaining cleaner or sanitizer, I can't recall which. I still disassembled mine and re-sanitized with Iodophor. No funny taste or other problems.

raceskier said:

Does it smell like 7-Up? Mine were the same. Sparkling clean with the 7-Up odor. There was a thread awhile back about this. It is the remaining cleaner or sanitizer, I can't recall which. I still disassembled mine and re-sanitized with Iodophor. No funny taste or other problems.

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I'm not sure what it is... could be 7-Up but the first thing I thought was pepsi. I cleaned one with the OxyClean/Warm/Cold water sequence and changed the orings and it smells 100% better...

Hopefully, I'm good to go!

We'll see with the first batch!

Andy

Dude, don't even hesitate--buy o-ring kits and change every single one. You'll have to take the kegs apart--that will be a good opportunity to really clean those parts really well.

This is just one thing you can't take a chance with.

post a pic of what your check valve looks like. that will give us a better idea of what you have, so we can give a better recommendation.

also, check everything for leaks now. i mean everything. the regulator to tank connection, the regulator itself, the valves, the tubing, the check valve, the poppets, the lid, the pressure relief valve, etc.

i have heard of way too many people saying that they just kegged their beer, but beer is spraying around, or they just emptied their entire co2 tank, or beer was backed into the regulator, etc. these things should never happen. everyone should check for leaks before they use the kegs. if you don't, you are just asking for problems.

gnef said:

post a pic of what your check valve looks like. that will give us a better idea of what you have, so we can give a better recommendation.

also, check everything for leaks now. i mean everything. the regulator to tank connection, the regulator itself, the valves, the tubing, the check valve, the poppets, the lid, the pressure relief valve, etc.

i have heard of way too many people saying that they just kegged their beer, but beer is spraying around, or they just emptied their entire co2 tank, or beer was backed into the regulator, etc. these things should never happen. everyone should check for leaks before they use the kegs. if you don't, you are just asking for problems.

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This is the check valve I got (link to William's brewing):
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BRASS_CHECK_VALVE_P112C117.cfm

I'm getting my tank filled tonight and will do a thorough check tonight. I plan on hitting it with about 25 psi and turning it upside down in water or spraying it with a soapy solution around the fittings.

Like I said, I replaced the ORings on one of the kegs last night and cleaned it really thoroughly and the smell is gone.

Finally - when you pressurize a keg, you can disconnect and reconnect beverage and gas lines without issue, correct?

Andy

delboy said:

PS i never bothered to change the O rings and never tasted anything from them, i wouldn't bother changing them unless they look worn or are becoming brittle.
enjoy kegging

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In hindsight this is bad advice, i got mine from a highly reputable source that reconditions them to a high standard, ie all checked and and faulty bits replaced.

I don't know were you got yours or what condition they are in so lisen to Dudes advice on this one.

I must have the wrong job I just dont have all the money you do,to waste on new o-rings if they arnt worn out.... why replace them?
No I am not kidding! Why replace them, the rubber seals are a non moving part there is no friction on them other then the little bit from unhooking the gas ion & beer out. If they are not frayed or worn they DO NOT need replaced, Maybe U like spending money for things that are not needed but there are people out here that DONT have that little extra to replace non needed parts. AND I have not had any bad batches from it either...

stout55 - are you kidding? if you need one set of replacement gaskets, it is at most 5 dollars. if you need multiple, enough for 12 lids and 100 posts and dip tubes, is around 20-30 shipped. how much does one batch of beer cost you? a single bad gasket can potentially ruin an entire batch. in the small cost of rubber, it is most definitely worth your while to 'save up' that 5 bucks to be able to change the gaskets

pitspale - that will attach to your regulator, or a valve from your regulator, preferably. there is a ball check valve integrated into that pipethread -> flared connector. you will need to use barbed flare swivel fittings for your hoses. i definitely recommend this, and hopefully the QD's you have are also flared, not barbed. as long as there are no leaks, you should be able to connect and disconnect the gas or liquid QD without problems.

edit - pitsplae - you will also need to use washers for the flared metal to metal connections, like from that check valve to a hose. the QD's have one integrated, so you don't need one there.

The kegs I have were disgusting when I got them (they were as-is kegs), they still had brown sticky soda syrup in them and were covered in dirt. That and the O-rings were so old that they had turned color and cracked open. Those definitely needed a cleaning!

Even refurbished kegs I'd rinse out well. You don't know what they used to clean them with.

stout55 said:

I must have the wrong job I just dont have all the money you do,to waste on new o-rings if they arnt worn out.... why replace them?
No I am not kidding! Why replace them, the rubber seals are a non moving part there is no friction on them other then the little bit from unhooking the gas ion & beer out. If they are not frayed or worn they DO NOT need replaced, Maybe U like spending money for things that are not needed but there are people out here that DONT have that little extra to replace non needed parts. AND I have not had any bad batches from it either...

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Then you have been extremely lucky up to this point.

A $2.95 insurance to change the o-rings is more than worth a wasted 4 hours and $30 dollars of ingredients. To each his own I guess.

Oh, and BTW, rubber is permeable, and WILL pick up flavors of whatever was in that keg before you decided to put beer in it.

I am constantly flabberghasted at people who will risk $40 worth of ingredients, plus hours of their efforts, to save $3 on a part or a fermenter or whatever that will be used over many, many batches. I just don't get it.

I replaced all the O-rings in every keg that I got. My first keg had definately been used for soda. It smelled like 7-Up. Dude and Bird have it right. Don't risk a brew on a couple dollars of rubber.

Connecting & disconnecting should work with a minimum loss of pressure/beer. That's what the poppet valves are for.

Looks like that check valve would screw into the regulator. If you have to choose between using the shutoff valve and the check valve, I'd recommend the check valve.

Mine wreaked of soda when I got them. I cleaned out EVERYTHING and bought several sets of replacement rings. At $3.00 a pop, it's totally worth it. Look, I've invested hundreds in my kegging system - CO2, fridge, valves, corneys, distributor, lines, regulator. No way am I cutting corners are parts that come in direct contact with the stuff this gear is supposed to preserve.

Maybe you do have the wrong job.

What's that smell!!??

SOMETHING DIED!!!!

The landlord said it was coming from outside!

Mine stunk like that when I got them, really clean, but had that soda pop smell. I cleaned em with hot water and pbw, replaced the o-rings - no more smell. It's pretty easy to get rid of.

i just got my FIRST cornies and they were cleaned but the smell kinda reminds me of wintermint gum.anybody have this prob?

csp said:

i just got my FIRST cornies and they were cleaned but the smell kinda reminds me of wintermint gum.anybody have this prob?

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I can see that. I cleaned them with hot water and oxyclean, then hot water, then cold water. I replaced all the o-rings and removed the dip tubes to make sure the solution went into those as well.

No more smell.

Mine smelled the same, cleaned with oxyclean and replaced the o-rings and all gone. The o-rings that came with the kegs smelled of pepsi- I tried boiling them to get rid of the smell- no luck. I kept them as back-ups for awhile but just tossed them a couple of days ago when I opened the box they were in and it smelled of pepsi.