troubleshooting post / QD on keg with beer in it!

[rustabust]

Hello,

I have a keg of force carbed homebrew which I cannot seem to dispense. This is the first time I have used this keg and it appeared to work when I tested it beforehand. Anyhow the quick disconnect does not seem to fit on the keg post all the way, does not stay locked all the way down. I have tried multiple disconnects. Its almost like the post is angled improperly. When I went to hook up the dispense line, I got a small slow stream of beer - no good. Before I carbonated it, I had dry hopped in that keg so I took the keg post completely off (with the beer in there!) and replaced it, and checked the dip tube for hop debris - nothing there. The keg is not losing pressure but I just cant get any beer out of it!

I'm running out of ideas. I do have a spare keg - I've seen some people do keg to keg transfers but that won't work since my beer out line is effed. My last resort would be to siphon the beer out of there, trying to avoid that as it seems like a foam disaster.

Any ideas on what is wrong with the keg and/or how to save my beer so I can troubleshoot the keg later?

I should mention that I am fairly new to kegging but have put up three kegs in my new kegerator no problem so far, replacing parts here and there.

Thanks

 

[afro_lou]

I'd guess that you may have some hop debris in your beer out poppet. If you can, take the post off again, and pop that little spring thing out and check for gunk there.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

If you completely disassembled the keg, you likely have the gas and beverage posts swapped.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Before I carbonated it, I had dry hopped in that keg[...]

If the hops are still in the keg, Occam's Razor says the Out path is plugging somewhere. Maybe there's an inch of hop mush that you keep sticking the Out dip tube in...

Cheers!

 

[RyGuy77]

Try revealing the pressure off the keg then attaching the QD. I find mine is sometimes a lot tougher when the gas is on and pressure is built up.

 

[rippajak]

In addition to the things already suggested, I've had this issue caused by a poppet and spring that did not properly fit the post. The spring essentially produced too much tension for the QD to push down the poppet.
I would:
1) Make sure you haven't swapped the posts around. Your gas in post should have small notches cut into the base of it. If they are switched, depressurize your keg and swap them back.
2) If your posts are oriented correctly, disassemble your liquid out post (again, bleeding off pressure first) and check it for hop debris. If it is clogged, rinse it out, resanitize, and reassemble.
3) If your out post seems clear, try replacing the spring and poppet. Universal poppet sets are only a few dollars.
Last resort, carefully siphon into another keg. Preferably one that you've tested with water first. Good luck.

 

[rustabust]

Hi guys, thanks for the responses. I did a little more troubleshooting tonight...disassembled the post and dip tube and again there was no debris in there. I double checked, the post is indeed a liquid post. And I even tried three different spare posts that I have laying around. With each, the disconnect fits awkwardly and barely anything is coming out - mostly just slow stream of foam.

I tried digging a long spoon down in the recess where the dip tube picks up from but could not sense or retrieve any hop debris from there either. The dry hop bag was only in the keg for 5 days or so and it was suspended so it doesnt seem like this could be the issue although I cannot disprove it...

My only thought is that maybe the dip tube is wacked and somehow making the post fit uncomfortably...? I dont really have a spare that fits that I could try...

Still scratching my head....appreciate the help!

I will brainstorm for a couple more days but if no better ideas I will proof another keg and just siphon the beer over.

 

[rippajak]

Have you tried a different liquid QD? Or disassembled the one that you're working with? That could be the faulty part.
Could be the dip tube, too, if it's far enough out of spec that the post is compressing the poppet spring too tightly. When you took everything apart, did the o-rings show any signs of damage or deformation?

 

[Brewski_59]

Since you say that with each post you tried the QD fits awkwardly I wonder if there is some damage to the disconnect?. Have you inspected the inside of that? Do you have another to try in its place?

 

[rustabust]

FIXED! I think day_trippr was closest in his analysis. After trying multiple QDs and multiple posts, and no spare keg (something else got kegged in the meantime), I had no choice but to siphon the beer into a bucket to take a look. Lo and behold, there was a nice mound of sludge in the recess where the dip tube sits (updatehoto attached). Cleaned out the keg and re-racked it - a foamy, oxygen exposed adventure for my beer but at least I can drink it now and keep my rotation going.

BTW, what was that sludge? day_trippr you suggest hop material but I only dry hopped for maybe 4 days. Could it have also been yeast sediment that settled, is that unheard of? It was pouring fine at very first but after a couple weeks it slowed up, I presume as the hop/yeast stuff settled.

Anyway thanks all for the help and suggestions! Will dry hop in secondary from now on and probably try to sneak in a quick cold crash too before I go to keg next time.

Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

Your beer may be battle scarred but you won the war

I can't imagine yeast alone causing that kind of havoc - what's in reach of the dip tube usually gets sucked up readily and life goes on without a lot of drama.
So, again going with the most likely scenario, there was enough hop debris in the mix to resist being sucked up. I'm thinking matrix, but I've been drinking.

I was at a BBQ hosted by one of the more notable HBTers where someone brought a fresh corny that had been keg-hopped with loose pellets.
What an epic C-F that was

fwiw, I exclusively use pellets in the BK and fermentor, cold-crash before kegging, then keg-hop exclusively with whole leaf.
Clear beer, never any drama...

Cheers!