can you fix a leaky keg?

bought two corny kegs off of ebay. the guy had 100% feedback. They didn't hold pressure. one leaked at the lid, the other at the poppet valve. Let the guy know, he sent me two new ones no charge. Cool, right? Both the new ones leaked at the lid. Let him know, waiting to hear back. Tried new o-rings they still leak. Switched out a valve on one and it's ok. So I have three that leak at the lid. I tested by filling with CO2 and spraying soapy water on the lid and valves. Has anyone dealt with this, and was able to fix it?

what kind of pressure are you using on them?

You might try hitting them with a high pressure blast, like 30-40 psi to see if you can seat the lid

Just a thought

How do the lids look as well as the area where the lids fit to the keg. If they are warped or damaged they won't hold a seal.
I agree with hitting them with a little bit higher pressure as well. Sometimes that will seal them.

First, are you putting any lube on the Orings? Also try pulling up on the bale while you wiggle/twist the lid a little, then set it. All my kegs leaked until I did that.

thanks for the suggestions. i haven't tried any keg lube. two of them leak pretty bad. the lip of the kegs look warped. I can see the o-ring when it's closed.

shot this earlier and sent to him. I might be able to get the last one to go with your suggestions. I'll give it a shot tomorrow. thanks.

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n83/LBbrew/?action=view&current=MOV00748.flv

I got two keg lids that leak, both from the release valve. Wierd thing is it's not the valve but the metal hole on the underside of the lid that isn't quite round. Almost like someone jammed something in there so the rubber gasket doesn't sit evenly. Sharpie marked bad. Sucks to have two perfectly good kegs and two bad tops (got 5 other kegs though).

Send them to me. I'll find a way to fix them and fill them with beer. You can come to my house and have one or two.

Ok - seriously...
If they're leaking at the poppets, replace the poppets. If they're leaking at the o-rings, replace those. If they appear bent/warped, you're probably not going to fix them easily.

well, i couldn't wait till tomorrow. i shot em with 40psi, wiggled the lids, and no go. co2 just comes out really fast. arrgh. i'll see what the guy says. he's only sold them to 10 people. they all gave give pos feedback. I emailed some of them to see if theirs held pressure, only one guy got back to me so far. He hasn't tested his yet, said he'll try tomorrow and let me know.

At least I got one good keg out of four.

Let us know when to drop the hammer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29652

iv'e bought 6 kegs off of a guy on ebay..he doesn't clean them or anything when i get them all i do is pull up on the pop off valve and if it's gassed and smells like pepsi it tells me 2 things .it's been used for pepsi and it doesn't leak..then i order o ring kits and clean them up and all of mine have been perfect...use a good food grade lube..and when you get it full of beer i pressureize mine at 60 psi then shake the crap out of it then let it gas up to 60 again...put it the keggerator and go from there and i have never had a leak yet...

I'd try some lube before you give up hope. It helps the O-ring tweak itself into position. Use vasoline in the short run just to check. Also, it's very possible you mixed up the lids. Mark the mating pairs with tape/numbers and then try swapping them around. I know it sounds impossible, but I've had lids that just don't seal to one or two kegs. Switch em around and they seal. Weird. Also try spinning the lid 180 degrees.

revrand65 said:

all i do is pull up on the pop off valve and if it's gassed

..then i order o ring kits and clean them up and all of mine have been perfect...

Click to expand...

mine had no gas when they arrived. And i ordered two new o-rings sets from b3 before they arrived, and they didn't help.

I'll give the lube and swapping lids around a try later today though. thanks for the suggestions.

I just bought two pin-locks from a guy off of craigslist for $20. He got them from a buddy that worked for Coke and never got around to using them for beer. They seem pretty clean on the inside but since I have yet to buy a CO2 tank and the rest of the gear I won't know if they hold pressure until then. I also noticed that there is not a pressure release valve on either of the lids....is this normal?

I'll probably totally disassemble them this weekend and give them both a good cleaning and inspection. Hopefully all I'll have to do is replace the O-rings. I noticed that while they are both about the same diameter, one is about an inch shorter than the other. There aren't even volume markings so I'm not sure how much they actually hold. I kind of thought that was odd.

desertBrew said:

Sucks to have two perfectly good kegs and two bad tops (got 5 other kegs though).

Click to expand...

You can get new lids, but they are a bit pricey - $25-30. I know that Williams Brewing and Morebeer carry them. Might be cheaper to find more used kegs though!

New lids can be cheaper than that-- discountbrewer.com has them for $15 last I checked.

well.......he's a good guy afterall. He's gonna refund my money, and let me keep the ones he sent for parts. He said they must have shipped from the wrong stock. The opening flanges are clearly warped outward on these. So all is well i guess. just gotta find me a good one real quick like for my hefe that's bubblin away

Now that you have free kegs, I'd spend a little time with a block of wood and a hammer trying to tweek the lip of the lid in the spot it's leaking.

Bobby_M said:

Now that you have free kegs, I'd spend a little time with a block of wood and a hammer trying to tweek the lip of the lid in the spot it's leaking.

Click to expand...

I will. would a flat tip punch do more damage than good here?? I might be able to give more precise shots with a punch. I'll see how it goes. I'll try to persuade it with the block of wood first.

thanks for all the suggestions.

Just thinking out loud. Maybe find a bigger, fatter o-ring at McMaster?

I have a keg with a pin hole leak on the bottom, under the black rubber. Luckily a few months back I noticed the leak before the keggerator/floor filled with beer.

Wondering whats the easiest/cheapest way to patch that?

Dennys Fine Consumptibles said:

I have a keg with a pin hole leak on the bottom, under the black rubber. Luckily a few months back I noticed the leak before the keggerator/floor filled with beer.

Wondering whats the easiest/cheapest way to patch that?

Click to expand...

Cut your dip tube about three inches and fill er with 2 &1/2 inches of quick-crete.

:cross: :cross:

Sorry Denny. Feeling a little ornery today. Not sure of a good solution.

lol. Hmm.. If I knew someone that could weld SS, I'd buy another brewery keg and weld the corny on top. Yes the whole corny... That way it would be a 20g keg! Though... a, uh.. tad tall.

Dennys Fine Consumptibles said:

lol. Hmm.. If I knew someone that could weld SS, I'd buy another brewery keg and weld the corny on top. Yes the whole corny... That way it would be a 20g keg! Though... a, uh.. tad tall.

Click to expand...

Or you could just weld the lid part so you'd have a 15g keg you could actually fit in the fridge & access the inside for cleaning....