Ale Pail Leaks

Ok so I have this model Ale Pail.

Here

My spigot has been leaking around the outside and I'm about to throw this thing away.

I've only used it one time and I took the spigot apart for cleaning and ever since I put it back on it has had problems. The rubber gasket is on the inside so that's not the problem. I have also tried all variations of tightness.

Does anybody know a solution to this that I can't think of? If not has anybody tried to plug up the drilled hole in the bucket before?

Try a larger washer with the same size inner circumference as the present washer.

If you can't find one then you may have to cut it yourself.

I guess that's what it will come to.

I was just hoping this thing would work the way it came.

Mine does...have you tried turning the washer around?

Mine had two gaskets, one on the inside and one on the outside. do you have both?

Mine didn't come with two

I just plugged the hole with one of my rubber carboy stoppers and it works perfectly. Still not satisfied though.

Should have had 2 gaskets

Add a second gasket for a few cents and you'll be leak free.

Check the threads on the spigot. First batch had the problem at bottling. Tightening made it worse.

Turns out the spigot cracked along the threads. Inherent weakness because of the thinness.

starrfish said:

Should have had 2 gaskets

Add a second gasket for a few cents and you'll be leak free.

Click to expand...

Actually this model only comes with one. It's the drum tap not the bottling spigot. Northern Brewer recommends putting it on the outside. An HBT member told me to put it on the inside. Maybe I overtightened and ruined it.

Mountainbeers said:

I just plugged the hole with one of my rubber carboy stoppers and it works perfectly. Still not satisfied though.

Click to expand...

Where'd you get a stopper for a rubber carboy?

Where'd you get a rubber carboy?

I just sealed the leak around my spigot with some silicone caulk and the pail works great now.

ldgenius2000 said:

I just sealed the leak around my spigot with some silicone caulk and the pail works great now.

Click to expand...

Do you do that every time you clean it or do you not take the spigot apart anymore?

GET A NEW SPIGOT! may be asking for trouble there...

I don't take the spigot out really I just flush the whole thing with sanitizer

I might just get a new spigot.

I'd just get more of those rubber carboys and use them for fermenting.

If you noticed, there was probably a blob of lube on there as well. I a small dab of keg lube gets put on whenever I need to use my old bottling bucket for small batches or Mead or Apfelwein that gets bottled.

I'd add another washer, and you may also try plumber's tape on the threads.

cheers

~r~

As another op pointed out... you are best off with two washers.

However... I believe the washer is supposed to (counter-intuitively) be put on the outside... not the inside.

I have not trusted spigots for over a decade on buckets.
If I am forced to use my OLD one, it is broken down and soaked in bleach mix for a few days, rinsed, soaked again, sanitized, I would nuke it if I could get a permission and materials.
OK, so hopefully I made my dislike of cheap plastic spigots somewhat clear. Too many rough edges, hard to really clean, I would rather rack with a clean cane and tubing.
But I'm set in my ways.

I'd say the longest my beer is in a bottling bucket is 30 minutes...a quick rinse after bottling usually doesn't allow any time for bactieria to start its dirty deed...

Do you guys not clean as you go or do you let your equipment sit around dirty overnight or for days?

I clean as I go. When I'm done brewing I only have a pot, paddle, hydrometer, test tube, thermometer, nylon net (for grains), and a glass to wash. That's it.

My spigots have not been taken apart for at least 5 years. They look as good as if I just put them on new.

+1 on putting the rubber washer on the outside. And don't over tighten. If I crank mine down, it actually forces the rubber out of the gap and the whole thing leaks. Just barely snug seems best.

JVD_X said:

As another op pointed out... you are best off with two washers.

However... I believe the washer is supposed to (counter-intuitively) be put on the outside... not the inside.

Click to expand...

Put it on the outside.

The spigots I get from my local lhbs don't have threads long enough to put two gaskets on. However hard I tried, I could never get it to seal reliably putting it on the inside.

However, it seals perfectly every single time if the gasket is on the outside. So, try the gasket on the outside. Pay close attention. You just want it snug. If the gasket starts twisting or expanding or just looking different, you went too far.

Edit: I have that EXACT spigot, and the thing will not seal with the gasket on the inside. Put the gasket on the outside and you will be fine.

homebrewer_99 said:

I'd say the longest my beer is in a bottling bucket is 30 minutes...a quick rinse after bottling usually doesn't allow any time for bactieria to start its dirty deed...

Do you guys not clean as you go or do you let your equipment sit around dirty overnight or for days?

I clean as I go. When I'm done brewing I only have a pot, paddle, hydrometer, test tube, thermometer, nylon net (for grains), and a glass to wash. That's it.

My spigots have not been taken apart for at least 5 years. They look as good as if I just put them on new.

Click to expand...

His spigot is on his fermenter. If I secondary, I use a fermenter that has a spigot, and I just plumb into a sanitary secondary when I pitch the yeast, and then a week or two later, I just turn the spigot to go to secondary...otherwise I tend to get lazy and not go to secondary and back up my pipeline.

I'd just get more of those rubber carboys and use them for fermenting.

Click to expand...

Smart ass.

If you noticed, there was probably a blob of lube on there as well. I a small dab of keg lube gets put on whenever I need to use my old bottling bucket for small batches or Mead or Apfelwein that gets bottled.

Click to expand...

Noted.

However... I believe the washer is supposed to (counter-intuitively) be put on the outside... not the inside.

Click to expand...

Yea I tried it every way possible.

Mountainbeers said:

Yea I tried it every way possible.

Click to expand...

Huh. It took me a little while with that particular spigot, but I'm getting mine to seal 100% of the time now.

Gasket on the outside, and I snug up using the nut and leave myself about a quarter turn off on the spigot, and do the last quarter-turn of tightening by tightening the spigot. If I start to see the gasket deform at all, I back off a little and re-adjust. I usually have to retry a couple of times to get it to be the right snugness with the spigot facing straight down.

Is it possible that the hole in the bucket is not deburred?

I would try this item from mcmaster-carr: 99604A125... actually you might need to find the 1" size.

JVD_X said:

Is it possible that the hole in the bucket is not deburred?

I would try this item from mcmaster-carr: 99604A125... actually you might need to find the 1" size.

Click to expand...

Yea, if you have lots of plastic pieces sticking out, the seal will probably suck.

On mine, I just ran a knife at a sharp angle on the outside hole edge. It's not totally deburred, but I got most of it.

kaiser423 said:

Yea, if you have lots of plastic pieces sticking out, the seal will probably suck.

On mine, I just ran a knife at a sharp angle on the outside hole edge. It's not totally deburred, but I got most of it.

Click to expand...

I'll try this out!

So deburring it seems to have worked. Thanks for the help!

homebrewer_99 said:

I'd say the longest my beer is in a bottling bucket is 30 minutes...a quick rinse after bottling usually doesn't allow any time for bactieria to start its dirty deed...

Do you guys not clean as you go or do you let your equipment sit around dirty overnight or for days?

I clean as I go. When I'm done brewing I only have a pot, paddle, hydrometer, test tube, thermometer, nylon net (for grains), and a glass to wash. That's it.

My spigots have not been taken apart for at least 5 years. They look as good as if I just put them on new.

Click to expand...

My only issue with this is that I'm still low on equipment so I sometimes use this bucket as a primary.