poppet valves

Good to hear about these, I have one keg that has a poppet I need to bend the legs just right every time I use it cause it always gets off when I tighten the post on it. I guess I will add a couple of these to my shopping list when I go buy grains for this weekends brewathon tomorrow over lunch.

Ace_Club said:

Yep, just ordered some last night. Also, I was looking around at getting more cornies, but due to the ball-lock shortage, there aren't many reasonably priced options.

However, I did notice that cornykeg.com offers converted pin locks for ~26 each. These are old pin locks that have new ball-lock SS conversion posts on them. The posts all come with the universal poppets. I think I may be picking some of these up in the near future...

Click to expand...

The converted kegs are nice for the price, but like Catt22 said eariler, the lack of a relief valve was a problem for me. Also, because they are sized the same as the pin lock, the are about an inch wider than a ball lock keg. The size may not be a problem for you. I know for me, it would have still worked, but the extra inch or two would have made things tight in my freezer.

Once I figured in shipping for 4 kegs, I ended up going with a 4 pack of 'real' ball lock kegs from Sabco (brew-magic.com) for about $15 more than the 4 pack from cornykeg.com. The kegs I got were also very well reconditioned and in great shape (no stickers, no dents, well cleaned inside and out, new O rings, etc).

Catt22 said:

You can still buy brand new ones, so someone must still be manufacturing corny kegs somewhere.

Click to expand...

I recall those new 2 1/2 or 3 gallon as well 5 gallon Corny's available as repops from Chinka. They are proud of them by their asking prices also.

I rather have them made in Japan so I can locate them in my dark basement, just look for the low green glow call it a energy saving thing.
You'll never see a incandescent lamp that can produce light for 5,000 trouble free years.

Catt22 said:

The think I don't like about the converted pin lock kegs is the pressure relief valve in the lid. They have no pull ring like the ball locks do. Major PIA IMO. I think if they came up with a retrofit of some kind they could sell a lot more of those kegs.

Click to expand...

They make a conversion one. It's a two piece. I just converted 2 of mine.
I took a dremel with a cut off wheel and cut off the housing that sticks up. Took a sanding wheel and made that smooth with a small bit off a ridge left. Touched up the hole with a 3/4 drill bit. And screwed the new pull ring relief valve together in the lid.
Very cool design. Very easy conversion. I think it was like a $10 piece of hardware.

Those universal poppets are nice and a great idea, but at $4 a piece ($8 for each keg) it would cost me almost as much as I paid for the damn kegs! I sure am glad I bought 30 kegs when I could get them for $10-$15 a pop! I think I will just keep doing what I have been doing.... picking through the drawer of veteran poppets my LHBS sells for about a quarter each....

sleepystevenson said:

Those universal poppets are nice and a great idea, but at $4 a piece ($8 for each keg) it would cost me almost as much as I paid for the damn kegs! I sure am glad I bought 30 kegs when I could get them for $10-$15 a pop! I think I will just keep doing what I have been doing.... picking through the drawer of veteran poppets my LHBS sells for about a quarter each....

Click to expand...

It is the last one you will ever buy. O-rings are dirt cheap at .04 each.
And they come completely apart for thorough cleaning and sanitizing.
But at 30 kegs I can feel your pain. $240 is steep to convert everything.

I do really like the fact that they are easier to clean, better springs, and replaceable o-rings. But $240 is exactly what I just paid for (7) 55 pound bags of grain delivered for our group grain buy!

Got mine the other day but they don't seem to fit my pin lock posts. The poppet fits ok but the large end of the spring is too big to go all the way up to make contact with it.

ThomInSC said:

Got mine the other day but they don't seem to fit my pin lock posts. The poppet fits ok but the large end of the spring is too big to go all the way up to make contact with it.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have the spring upside down. The small end of the cone shaped spring goes into the post first. The flanged metal piece sits on top of the narrow end of the coil spring.

I had the small end of the spring inside the post but the larger end still won't go deeper enough to get the poppet to seal. Apparently these are the old firestone kegs where the post thread is only 9/16". I have some standard poppets coming from BMW but will hang on to these in case I get more kegs.

ThomInSC said:

I had the small end of the spring inside the post but the larger end still won't go deeper enough to get the poppet to seal. Apparently these are the old firestone kegs where the post thread is only 9/16". I have some standard poppets coming from BMW but will hang on to these in case I get more kegs.

Click to expand...

I had a couple of those. I actually stretched the spring a little and they seal fine now. The spring is not as stiff since they are stretched a little, but they still seal fine. I confirmed with a couple suppliers that this was OK to do before I did it and they said that is what they do too.

Got these poppets a while ago, and I recently kegged with them for the first time.

I'll just confirm what has pretty much been covered here already: The springs are tighter and provide an even better seal than the original parts. I like that the silicone rings make direct contact to create the seal...I think I forgot to put lube on mine and they're still doing fine.

Best thing since canned food!

Yep. I bought 3 sets to use in case of emergencies with my existing ball locks. I'll use the current poppets until they fail.

I also got some converted pin locks from cornykeg.com. They all come with the new universal poppets!

nate456789 said:

I had a couple of those. I actually stretched the spring a little and they seal fine now. The spring is not as stiff since they are stretched a little, but they still seal fine. I confirmed with a couple suppliers that this was OK to do before I did it and they said that is what they do too.

Click to expand...

Awesome tip. Thanks. I got my new universals last night, installed one, couldn't get a seal, stretched the spring, and voilà! Here's to hoping this is a good long-term solution.

glockentalk said:

Awesome tip. Thanks. I got my new universals last night, installed one, couldn't get a seal, stretched the spring, and voilà! Here's to hoping this is a good long-term solution.

Click to expand...

Couple months later of keg use - Connecting and unconnecting, and storing kegs without being connected to taps - and none of my kegs have any problems with the universal poppets. They work great.

I just bought 8 to keep on hand. I have over 100 kegs, and in the past, I've tried to keep every single type of poppet on hand. I hope to only have to keep this universal poppet on hand from now on. From the sound of it, they seem to work quite well, just have to make sure they seal on certain kegs.

I definitely like that they have replaceable o-rings, so that I don't have to worry about buying more and more to replace ones I've already replaced.

I bought 8 as well and plan to eventually changer over all 18 of my kegs to the universal poppets. IMO, they work even better than the OEM poppets.

FYI, I recently bought 4 of the extra thick keg lid O-rings from William's Brewing. I had two kegs that would not always maintain a good seal at lower serving pressures. I tried all the usual tricks like bending the clamp legs etc without success. The fatter O-rings fixed the problem. The other two I bought are extras in case I have any future lid sealing problems. I also purchased 2 of the aftermarket pressure relief valves designed to replace the "dome" type valves that are no longer available anywhere. I have not installed these yet, but they look to be very well made and I don't anticipate having any problems with them.

I had bought 8 a few months ago, and just got 6 more. With the first hint of hiss, or leaking, I replace one. They're great, seal really well, and are easy to deal with.

I ordered several sets of the universal poppets.

Can anyone confirm that the #008 silicone orings are working well?

Thanks a bunch!

Catt22 said:

The O-rings appear to be #008 size. McMaster-Carr has them in a silicone version at $4.68/100 +shipping. That should be about a lifetime supply:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#silicone-o-rings/=bczdid

Click to expand...

Haven't had to replace those yet.

724b said:

I ordered several sets of the universal poppets.

Can anyone confirm that the #008 silicone orings are working well?

Thanks a bunch!

Click to expand...

Yes that size will work with them. I ordered from Mcmaster the same day I ordered my first batch of these poppets.
They are not quite as fat as the original ones but they do fit over the shank of the poppet and seal.

That's great. Thank you!

I ordered several sets of these and installed them on a keg that had been leaking. They seemed to fit and the leak was fixed. Yay!

They are so tight that it's diffcult to put a quick disconnect on. In fact, I broke a qd trying to get it on.

Also, I'm wondering if these are so tight that they are decreasing flow rate. I did a keg to keg transfer and it went really slowly.

Then I drew some beer from the keg with universal poppets on it and little more than a trickle comes out.

Anyone else experience this? Maybe this keg is not compabtible with these?

Thanks!

Well, after refitting several of my kegs with the new poppets, and stopping every leak, I am having flow problems with one, as Z24B describes... I first thought it was a frozen line, and swapped it. The second QD and line worked better, and as I checked the QDs, there was a small difference between the inner plunger resistance between the two. That means to me that a QD with a weaker spring wouldn't put enough pressure on the new universal poppet to open it enough.
so what are the options?
- find all my QDs that work better, make sure they have the stronger spring etc, and use them on the kegs with the new poppets.
- maybe compress the spring on the new poppet some, just enough but not too much to eliminate its value in the first place
- use traditional/older poppets on the beer side, and the new ones on the gas post as long as they don't leak (most of my keg leaks in the past were on the gas side anyways....)

any other thoughts??

Looks like I'm going to need to get some of these just to keep on hand.

I bought 10 of them from http://bvrgelements.com/keg_accessories_keg_parts.html for $2.50 each

I have noticed is that it is a PITA to get the disconnects on with them. the center part of the poppet sticks out and is not flush with the post

I wonder if you could trim part of the spring off to loosen things up a bit.

So far, I have these on two kegs. One is super, super tight, the other one is perfect.

I did a flow test recently on one of my kegs filled with carbonated water. Three clear plastic cups were filled for 10 seconds with a universal poppet, and three were filled with the one-piece poppet. The same keg was used, the pressure was the same (~4psi), the liquid in the keg (CO2 water) was the same, the tap (10 ft 5/16" line) was the same.

The results....

Twice as much CO2 water in the cups served with the one-piece poppet. It was also better carbonated.

My thoughts...

The universal poppet is nice because the o-rings can be replaced for pennies. However, the poppet seems to be creating a restriction which is causing CO2 to come out of solution, and results in a less carbonated beverage. The poppets are very difficult to depress, making it hard to install quick disconnects.

The one-piece poppet has a small depression which helps center the pin in the quick disconnect. They are more expensive, and cannot be repaired if the gasket is damaged. The flow is better and it does a better job maintaining carbonation. Quick disconnects are easy to install.

Just my $0.02, but unless someone comes out with a better universal poppet, I will be sticking with the one-piece type.

My flow rate also decreased after I installed the universal poppets.

My kegs came with the universal poppets. I am having problems with the springs on the liquid side acting like screws and "screwing" down around the outside of the dip tube flange. This deforms the flange on the dip tube, tears up the o-ring and worst of all, my beer leaks out of the connector and onto the basement floor. Does anyone know how I can stop the spring from "screwing" out around the liquid side dip tube? And can I hammer the flange flat again or do I need to buy a new dip tube?

found this on an ebay list:

Ever wonder what the correct poppet to use in your keg is? With so many to choose from and you can not even be sure you have the original post on the keg it gets confusing. Universal poppets work on almost every Ball and Pin lock keg unless you have something very obscure:

-AEB
-Kegco
-O.B.Keg
-Cornelius
-Spartanburg
-Firestone
-John Wood

This poppet comes with a slightly longer spring then most Universal brand poppets. This is to allow you to replace inside posts with nylon inserts and remove the insert for good in most cases. In some installations there will be too much tension on the spring to put your disconnect on, if this happens cut off one coil from the bottom and try again. Repeat as needed

The tip to cut a coil off is great.. I've thought about doing this.

I wonder what "replace inside posts with nylon inserts and remove the insert for good in most cases" means?

JSomps6 said:

found this on an ebay list:

Ever wonder what the correct poppet to use in your keg is? With so many to choose from and you can not even be sure you have the original post on the keg it gets confusing. Universal poppets work on almost every Ball and Pin lock keg unless you have something very obscure:

-AEB
-Kegco
-O.B.Keg
-Cornelius
-Spartanburg
-Firestone
-John Wood

This poppet comes with a slightly longer spring then most Universal brand poppets. This is to allow you to replace inside posts with nylon inserts and remove the insert for good in most cases. In some installations there will be too much tension on the spring to put your disconnect on, if this happens cut off one coil from the bottom and try again. Repeat as needed

Click to expand...

A lot of my kegs have a white plastic or "nylon" insert that sits underneath the poppet. So when you put it together you put the poppet into the post, then put the insert in, then attempt to screw the post on the keg. They come in different sizes for different kegs and overall are a major PITA.

Probably late to the party here, however.... I have replaced many types with the universal poppet, including that one. And they have worked great.

Count me in the "Not A Fan" group wrt to universal poppets.

I have exactly one of them, and it's in the post on my DIY Line Cleaner. Twice now the poppet o-ring has come off the metal poppet piece and either wedged itself in the post hole or slid over to the side inside the post, in both cases requiring removal of the post to retrieve the o-ring and put it back in place.

No way will I use one of these on an actual keg...

Cheers!

JSomps6 said:

found this on an ebay list:

Ever wonder what the correct poppet to use in your keg is? With so many to choose from and you can not even be sure you have the original post on the keg it gets confusing. Universal poppets work on almost every Ball and Pin lock keg unless you have something very obscure:

-AEB
-Kegco
-O.B.Keg
-Cornelius
-Spartanburg
-Firestone
-John Wood

This poppet comes with a slightly longer spring then most Universal brand poppets. This is to allow you to replace inside posts with nylon inserts and remove the insert for good in most cases. In some installations there will be too much tension on the spring to put your disconnect on, if this happens cut off one coil from the bottom and try again. Repeat as needed

Click to expand...

That is one of our free shipping to the states Ebay ads:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Universal-po...ultDomain_0&hash=item337200834e#ht_574wt_1135

The spring is so long because we wanted people with the nylon inserts (you know if you have one) to be able to use these. The side effect is it will cause tension in some cases and make the connect hard to put on. Cutting the spring is a better solution if needed then not having it universal at all.

day_trippr said:

Count me in the "Not A Fan" group wrt to universal poppets.

I have exactly one of them, and it's in the post on my DIY Line Cleaner. Twice now the poppet o-ring has come off the metal poppet piece and either wedged itself in the post hole or slid over to the side inside the post, in both cases requiring removal of the post to retrieve the o-ring and put it back in place.

No way will I use one of these on an actual keg...

Cheers!

Click to expand...

That is because the common universal poppet sold at most places as shown on the left in the picture below has a design flaw with that steep angle allowing the o-ring to be lifted when snagged and removed.



The model we carry on the right has a cut out to retain the ring. I believe it is just us at www.ontariobeerkegs.com and the always helpful Jason at adventuresinhomebrewing.org in Michigan that carry the better design to date. Now that I made this public in a few months everyone well.

OntarioBeerKegs said:

[...]
That is because the common universal poppet sold at most places as shown on the left in the picture below has a design flaw with that steep angle allowing the o-ring to be lifted when snagged and removed.

The model we carry on the right has a cut out to retain the ring. I believe it is just us at www.ontariobeerkegs.com and the always helpful Jason at adventuresinhomebrewing.org in Michigan that carry the better design to date. Now that I made this public in a few months everyone well.

Click to expand...

Ok, I had to see for myself, and you're absolutely correct: I have the model on the left in your picture. Ironically it was a ***** to pry the ring off by hand, but there was that tapered milling clear as day.

I guess that gives me hope that when the supply of original poppets dries up some day there will be a viable solution...

Cheers! And thanks for the heads up!

It's all good Day trippr. We have sold thousands of our poppets with no reported issues. If someone does have an issue with our poppet or any any other product call 1 855 KEG BEER and select 1 for technical support. We listen to customer feedback and it makes our next generation product even better. As the poppet design shows.