Corny Keg Leak

I wanted to ask how to fix my leak, before I go out and buy parts that I do not need.
My keg ONLY leaks when there is 5 lbs of pressure. It leaks around the main opening. I have it apart now, beer is gone I looked at the seal and it looks fine. I do not see any tears, cuts or depressions in the seal itself. I then ran my finger around the rim where the seal will sit, feeling for a burr or something, but I found nothing. Like I said earlier, every thing is fine, as long as I keep the pressure higher than 5 lbs, but I am worried that the pressure might not hold the next time I need it to and so now is a great time to fix it.

Thank you in advance.

A couple of my cornies don't quite seal right. I usually have to put it under pressure and just move the lid around until it stops. I've only had one that will not seal, it's now my CIP keg.

Have you tried reversing the orientation of the lid? That sometimes helps.

Many times, cornies have a hard time sealing at low pressure. My technique for troublesome lids (after trying the lid reversal trick) is to hit them with 20-30 psi, then back it off to serving pressure. I've never had a persistent problem.

Yuri_Rage said:

Have you tried reversing the orientation of the lid? That sometimes helps.

Many times, cornies have a hard time sealing at low pressure. My technique for troublesome lids (after trying the lid reversal trick) is to hit them with 20-30 psi, then back it off to serving pressure. I've never had a persistent problem.

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That's what I do also. I force carb my beer by putting 30 psi on it for 2 days, then dropping the pressure to maintenance (13-15 psi).

No leaks, and I have finished beer in 4-5 days (although I usually let it rest for 2 weeks or so if it's "normal" gravity.)

This was my first time using the keg. I will be ready to use it again in 2 weeks. I will let you all know how it goes.

Thank you all for such a fast response.

get some keg lube. My LHBS sells a little can of it for 5 bucks. The plastic "can" is about the size of a 50 cent piece and 1/2 inch thick. It is a life time supply of lube for me and I currently have 10 kegs. it doesn't take much to condition all your orings and seals. I regoop all the seals about every other cleaning


its a lifesaver.

I purchase my cornies from a beverage supply place that reconditions them. I once recieved a keg that would not seal under 15 psi or lower. The guy at the supply place told me that it could be the o-ring for the lid. Since they are soda kegs, when they recondition them, they use standard replacement o-rings that expect 35+ psi. However, he said they used to carry softer o-rings that would allow the lid to seal under less pressure.

I purchased replacement o-rings from B3, and they do have more give than the ones the beverage supply place uses. Not sure if that will help your situation, but for a couple bucks, I probably doesn't hurt to try.

Rhino

If the keg leaks out the main opening, I pull up on the cap while pressurizing it right after racking a new beer; usually it will seal properly after being under pressure for a bit. If the O'ring doesn't seal at that time, replace it.

Gotta be a record-setting post right there!

fwiw, one could do worse than stick dimes under the lid bail feet before clamping down a recalcitrant lid...

Cheers!