Sealing a Corny Keg without using CO2...

Hey guys. I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to seal a corny keg without using a CO2 tank and regulator? I've tried carbing a keg before using priming sugar. However, this being my first time kegging, after 2 weeks I discovered that the beer was not carbonated at all. So I had to succumb to letting my friend force carb my keg. I believe this happened because the lid didn't seal properly... I've heard of boiling the O-ring in order to soften it up and provide a better seal as well as using keg lube on the O-ring. Do you think the combination of these will be enough to seal the keg this time? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

add priming sugar. pressurize the keg to 20- 30 psi to set the seals. pull the relief valve until near all the gas escapes... leave a little to keep the seal.

Thanks for your help. I understand that after adding priming sugar solution and siphoning, you need to pressurize the keg to set the seals (what I did wrong last time). However, I do not have a CO2 tank and regulator. Is there a way to seal the keg without using a CO2 tank?

I pull up on the pressure relief valve and suck real hard on the valve for a few seconds and then close it back up.

I just ran into the same problem myself and am interested in the answer. I brewed up a 10G batch, force carbed a keg, and sugar primed the other. Like you, the primed one was flat after 2+ weeks, so I hooked it to my CO2.

I've got to ask, what do you do with a keg without CO2? At the very least, I suppose you could buy a CO2 cartridge, just to seal it, carb it by sugar for three weeks, then use that 16gram cartridge to push the beer out.

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Categories.bok?category=*Homebrew+Kegerator+Kits:Portable+Keg+Kits

Doc Robinson said:

I pull up on the pressure relief valve and suck real hard on the valve for a few seconds and then close it back up.

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Suck on the valve? Wouldn't that create a vacuum in the keg, making it less likely to seal?

I have the Genuine Innovations portable CO2 charger and I used that to dispense the beer. Do you think it would work to attach that to the keg and press on the trigger in order to dispense CO2 from the 16 gram cartridge and effectively sealing the keg?

JesseRYC said:

I have the Genuine Innovations portable CO2 charger and I used that to dispense the beer. Do you think it would work to attach that to the keg and press on the trigger in order to dispense CO2 from the 16 gram cartridge and effectively sealing the keg?

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That's what I used on 2 kegs before I got my regulator and co2 bottle. Worked great!

So it is possible to seal a keg using a portable CO2 charger? Should I just connect the charger to the in - port (while having nothing connected to the out - port) and start pressing the trigger? Would this release CO2 out of the cartridge into the keg of beer?

masonsjax said:

Suck on the valve? Wouldn't that create a vacuum in the keg, making it less likely to seal?

Click to expand...

Blow...suck...my wife gets those mixed up too.

Lube the o-ring well and put the lid on. When you pull that handle down to seal the lid it should require some effort to do so. If not the feet on it may be worn away. Put something between the feet and the keg to create a stronger pull on the lid. If you exert enough force on that lid/seal it should do the job until your beer starts producing CO2 from the priming. Make sure your poppets & pressure relief valve are not leaking.

Purging out the Oxygen with the small CO2 charger is something you should do as well or bring the keg to your friend for a quick blast of CO2.

Keg Lube on the o-ring, insert the lid, then pull up on the relief valve ring to seat. Flip the lever. Works most of the time.

I've had some success with heating the o-ring by submerging it in near-boiling water for a couple of minutes prior to seating. Although I suspect that as the o-ring cools and contracts the likely hood of the seal being broken is pretty high, which has led to some un-carbed brews in the past...

Just shoot a little bit of CO2 in there with your portable charger, and you should hear the lid seal - I seem to hear a bit of noise as if the lid is lifting up and settling into place. Give it a go with that.

Ya I think I may try to seal it with the portable charger as well as use lube on the o-ring. Hopefully that'll work out. Thanx for the help guys!

The portable co2 charger will get up plenty of gas to set the seals. Hold a new cartridge full tilt will give almost 10 psi is my guess...

So can I leave the portable charger on the in - port while the keg carbs for 1 to 2 weeks? Is this safe? Or will more carbonation from the priming sugar inside the keg cause the portable charger to become a safety hazard during carbing? Sorry if some of these ?s are redundant or common, but im a newb to kegging. Thanks for all your help!

Those portable chargers only give gas when you hit the trigger, so you can leave it on the keg, or take it off, it doesn't matter.

i wouldnt bother leaving it on the keg.
you can see the adapter i made out of a bicycle tire stem (same as at ADAP). pic is in my profile.

Ok but the reason I was asking was because I just kegged it and when I pulled the trigger not all of the gas came out (as I expected). BUT as I took the charger off CO2 blasted out all over the place and consequently I dont think the lid sealed? Should I try it again and this time leave the charger on the in-port to keep the lid sealed until im ready to drink it? Im just worried that the carbonation taking place by the priming sugar will cause the charger to become a safety hazard.

Do you mean you unscrewed the charger from the quick disconnect, or took it off the corny keg? You should be able to take it off the keg, but leave it attached to the quick disconnect (that gray thing that you attach to the keg) without any problems. If you unscrewed it from the quick disconnect, you likely just dumped your CO2 everywhere and the cartridge is now empty.

If you're worried about it being a safety hazard, then leave it off the keg. But it the CO2 is coming out of the keg from the "IN" post, then your poppet valve is stuck open, you might need to clean and/or replace that. Not sure how, I'm sure there's a link on here.

no safety hazard. the kegs are rated to like 100 psi... and they have relief valve that will pop before then.

re fit the lid on the keg.. try to seal it again with the charger... should work so long as the keg is in good shape.

Ok I pressed the lever on the charger until it stopped injecting CO2. The lid feels like it has a good tight seal. So after I let the priming sugar carbonate for 1-2 weeks can I just chill it add a picnic tap on the out-port and use the rest of the CO2 in the cartridge to dispense my first couple of pints? (until the CO2 runs out and I need to put a new cartridge in the charger). Thanks for all of your help guys. I really appreciate it.

You'll probably have to wait more like 2-3 weeks to get carbed, but yes, once it's primed, you're good to go. The first pint might be full of yeast, don't worry, the next pint will be more or less clear.

Ok awesome. I was just worried about leaving the portable charger on the keg thats why I took it off and CO2 blasted everywhere. Im just gonna leave it on there this time while it carbs. Then ill let it chill in the fridge and add a picnic tap! Hopefully everything turns out good! Thanks for all of your help guys, it was extremely helpful!