I'm a keg moron, please help

Ok, so i am brand new to brewing. this is my second batch. I understood that bottling was time consuming so i invested in kegging equipment right away. My Hefeweissen just finished in primary and i am trying to keg it. I bought three used kegs from sabco. They were shipped pressurized. Sabco says that they replace all seals and internal parts. I take this to mean that they are fully reconditioned.

So now that my beer is in the keg i cannot get the lid to seal. It leaks less at higher pressures. I assumed the pressure would seal it but i cant imagine it needing more than 20 psi. I tried to 'bubble' co2 through the beer out to help carbonize it. now the beer out ball lock sprays beer when i put pressure to the gas in side. the little thing that pushes down on the ball lock doesnt seem to be stuck down or any thing like that, i tried pushing it down and moving it araound with something pointy.

Help!! what am i doing wrong? How did they ship it pressurized and now i cant get beer to stay in it?

thanks

Take the gas off of it and turn the lid 180 degrees. MAYBE it'll work. I can't be sure, but it's worth a try.

I'm just getting into kegging myself but I think you made a serious error by not testing the system with plain water first. It's a bad time to find out you need new poppets or new O-rings when the beer is in there. You take apart the posts and sanitize them inside and out right? Does the lid O-ring seem flattened? Some of my used kegs had decently round orings while some were flat like a pancake. Almost all of them were pressurized when i got them but only a few held it again after opening until I replaced the rubber.

Be real patient . lower the clamp as you wiggle the lid to seat it.
Swish the ring in boiling water to soften then dunk in slipperu sterilizer (one step) and wiggle it into place and try the 180
bust it with a higher pressure and dont mess with the pressure release til you see It leak
Often you cant tell that you moved it, as you wiggle, but the leaking will stop
You msy not want any pressure at all , just tip it over and play with it till it stops dripping then charge it.
or leave it in there to clarify for a couple of days then bottle it
all is not lost

when you got the kegs, were they pressurized?

Those lids are finicky, especially on used kegs... just keep messing with them and you'll get it. I spray them with keg lube (food grade silicon spray) just to help...

I second(third?) the rotating the lid suggestion. I've got 6 kegs and sometimes it takes some finangling to get them to seat right. Keg lub helps as that assists in making a seal. Another thing, did you take all the lids off to check the kegs and maybe mixed them up? I have small stickers which I use to number the kegs and lids to make sure the right ones get put back on. Sabco is very respectable, if they say they were refurbed, chances are good they were done right.

I can also chime in that keg lube (or vaseline) helps quite a bit. Apply lube, center lid, wiggle, and then give it a shot of gas (I use about 30 PSI or so for a quick seal and some force carbonation.)

From the sound of your post, you put the gas ball lock connector on the beer post? I know mine don't fit very well when they're not on the right post, they can stick. Also, this won't help you carbonate any if the container is not holding pressure. If it looks like the poppit on the beer side is jammed down, try applying a little pressure to it with a small screw driver. If that doesn't work, take the post out and remove the poppit, then reseat it. (careful not to bend the feet)

You're sure the gas is leaking from the lid as well? Sometimes it leaks from the post seals or the poppits or the relief valve also. Try a dishsoap test if you're not certain.