Challenger VI posts and poppets - Fitting issue

I just got 2 used 5 gal Challenger VI kegs. I wanted to change out the poppets on the gas and liquid side, as well as the dip tube for the gas side because they are currently old plastic ones that look kinda crummy. I purchased poppets specifically for the Challenger VI. I messed up on the dip tubes and will have to order to appropriate ones. But I am very confused as to why the poppets do not seem to work.

The kegs are definitely Challenger VI kegs. The gas and liquid threads are different, which makes sense according to online tables. I even tried one of my corny keg posts to see if it fit on the Challenger keg, and it doesn't, which also makes sense.

The poppets are not as tall as the ones that were originally part of the keg. They do not seem to go far enough into the post. Here are some photos.


Photo 1: From left to right: Challenger VI gas post, Challenger VI liquid post, and for comparison Cornelius keg post.


Photo 2: Top: Original Challenger VI poppet. Bottom: "Challenger VI" poppet that I purchased online


Photo 3: Poppet of my Cornelius keg (for comparison)


Photo 4: Fit of original poppet in Challenger post


Photo 5: Fit of new, purchased poppet for Challenger posts


Photo 6: Original dip tube for gas side of Challenger VI keg for assurance that it is indeed a Challenger VI keg (also I know that there are two types, flanged and non-flanged, so maybe this will help people identify the keg if it is a sub-style of Challenger VI).


As you can see, the new poppets are different than the original ones and they do not seem to create an ideal seal. I would appreciate any thoughts that you have as to why I am having this problem, if it is indeed a problem at all. For reference, I purchased these poppets:

www.ebay.com/itm/130403988978

It's mainly a matter of if it will hold pressure or not. Use some keg lube on the rubber part of the poppet and pressure the keg. Spray some star san around each poppet and look for bubbles.

This is the reason I've gone to universal poppets in all of my kegs. One of my kegs is just like yours. I drilled out the gas side to accept a stainless dip tube and went with universal poppets across the board. I had to trim the spring on some of them.

Clearly the profile of the "button" atop the new post is lower than the original, but as long as it finds its way through the hole in the post with enough spring force to seal, you're good to go. And keg lube is always a good thing for rubber gaskets.

fwiw, I just added three more Challenger VI kegs to my fleet in the last week. One of them had a replacement gas tube (stainless steel) but the others are oem plastic that look like yours, as are the ones in my other Challengers, and work just fine...

Cheers!

Mordhaus said:

It's mainly a matter of if it will hold pressure or not. Use some keg lube on the rubber part of the poppet and pressure the keg. Spray some star san around each poppet and look for bubbles.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. I will see if it holds the pressure before looking for a replacement.

Mordhaus said:

This is the reason I've gone to universal poppets in all of my kegs. One of my kegs is just like yours. I drilled out the gas side to accept a stainless dip tube and went with universal poppets across the board. I had to trim the spring on some of them.

Click to expand...

Have you done this drilling on multiple kegs? I am wondering what the success rate is, i.e. is there a good chance I will mess up my keg doing this? I have read about this, but am afraid to try it.

fwiw, you can obtain replacement plastic dip tubes and not muck around with boring out your kegs.

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=376_1_3_79&products_id=1070

I don't see a practical advantage of replacing a functional plastic gas tube with stainless.
I cut all of my gas tubes down to 1/2" total length anyway, so as long as the flange is intact/not distorted I'm fine with plastic...

Cheers!

hlmbrwng said:

Have you done this drilling on multiple kegs? I am wondering what the success rate is, i.e. is there a good chance I will mess up my keg doing this? I have read about this, but am afraid to try it.

Click to expand...

I've only done it on one. It's awkward, but not difficult. Stainless isn't very forgiving so you'll need a very good drill bit, lubrication, proper drill speed and a good grip on everything as you go. Then you get to deburr the under side of the hole you made and clean up the mess. I'm a sucker for a good challenge, but if I had to do it again, I would just stick with new plastic dip tube.

Mordhaus said:

I'm a sucker for a good challenge, but if I had to do it again, I would just stick with new plastic dip tube.

Click to expand...

Ordered some plastic dip tubes! Thanks everyone for the advise/suggestions.

Some Barkeepers friend will definitely clean up those posts a bit as well.