Be careful with cocktail kegs!

[TTfireman]

Here is a little story of warning for you guys.
So I altered one of my corney kegs to serve margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. I put a liquid dip tube in place of the gas in tube, which forces the gas (beer gas in this case) in from the bottom. This keeps the cocktail from settling, as the gas coming in stirs it up. It was a great idea (not mine) and worked perfectly.
After that keg kicked, I made a cider and kegged it in the same keg without switching the tube back. I thought it would just carbonate sooner.
Fast forward a few weeks, and I open the kegerator to look at something unrelated and notice that my gas line from my primary regulator to my secondary regulator is full of beer!
Basically my CO2 tank ran out. Which isn’t normally a big issue, but since that “cocktail keg” has a long dip tube on the gas in, it allowed the pressurized beer to follow the path of least resistance. This path was, of course, through both regulators and into my CO2 tank!
I am fortunate in that I have a local gas shop that will wash, dry, and refill my tank. I then had to totally disassemble my regulators, soak everything in PBW, rinse, dry, and reassemble. It’s all working again, but it was a PAIN!
I just thought I would share this so someone else doesn’t make the mistake I did.
Cheers

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Suggest you get some backflow preventers in you lines to prevent future reoccurrence. That's one of the reasons the gas line is so short. unless you fill the keg to the top there's zero chance of suck back ( and still get the backflow preventers)

 

[TTfireman]

Yeah, I am going to get some backflow preventers. I don’t want to go through that again. I used to use sanke kegs, and the couplers come with backflow preventers, so it didn’t occur to me that ball lock kegs don’t have them.

 

[crazyjake19]

Yeah, I am going to get some backflow preventers. I don’t want to go through that again. I used to use sanke kegs, and the couplers come with backflow preventers, so it didn’t occur to me that ball lock kegs don’t have them.

You can get ball lock disconnects with built-in check valves that would keep any liquid from getting into the gas line at all. Or 1/4" flared check valves if you use MFL ball lock disconnects.

Another thought for a cocktail keg might be to use a "carbonation lid" with an additional ball lock post and gas line attached to a carbonation stone at the bottom of the keg. I do something similar for my seltzer keg and nitro coffee keg, but I just attached the tubing to the stone, and slipped the other end over the Gas In dip tube. It carbonates from the bottom really well, but without a check valve I'm not sure if liquid could get back in the line through the stone.