Help W/ CO2 Transfer between Kegs

Can anyone help me figure out what's going on with our CO2 transfer?

We've recently starting fermenting our hoppy beers in our sanke kegs and trying to CO2 transfer like a commercial brewer would, so that we avoid oxygen pickup.
Needless to say we haven't had any success.

Here's what we're doing:
Attach hose on coupler to CO2 tank
Attach beer out line of coupler to hose running to other coupler with check valve removed (beer "in" port).
engage couplers, turn on CO2
Nothing happens

Now, before I hook the hose up to the other coupler on the receiving keg, I will purge off some yeast from the bottom of the fermenter keg. When I do, there are no problems. It flows straight out into the bucket I collect the yeast in.

but when I attach that hose to the coupler, nothing happens.

This has happened a couple times now, and we've given up and decided to rack over manually with the plastic cane, and just deal with the oxygen pickup.

I've attached pics so maybe someone can point out what I'm doing wrong?
(couplers unengaged here in the pics)





Is this just something dumb I'm missing?

 

You need to release the pressure and allow it to vent as you push the beer.

Also I'm not sure why you're transferring into the receiving keg through the gas in port. I would transfer from beer out to beer out.

 

Right, you want to go beer out to beer out and vent the receiving keg so things will flow.

 

Tried it a couple different ways thinking that may have been what I was missing. Didn't have much luck, but I'll try it again this afternoon.
Also, when I try to vent the pressure it vents actual beer all over the garage...

I'm thinking the hop bag may be clogging the bottom of the spear? Or the SS fitting we used to weigh it down tore the bag and there's just too much hop junk?

 

I do this same thing only my receiving sanke is being filled from a carboy.

On your receiving keg, you have the line attached to the gas in. That's why when you vent it vents beer. What you want to do is to attach it to the top (normally beer out) so that you're filling down the spear and from bottom up. Instead of venting, what I do is actually reverse the check valve in the gas in (the one that you currently have the line attached to). By reversing the check valve my theory is that it should be hard for oxygen to go in while I'm setting up, and once beer starts to flow it vents out the check valve.

Let me see if I can grab a picture for you.

 

Here's the pic of my coupler that goes on the receiving keg. Check valve removed from the beer line, and reversed on the gas line.

 

So I'm doing it w the beer out line on top.
The beer just isn't moving from the fermenter keg to receiving keg. At all.

 

Doesn't look like the couplers are actually engaged in the picts. Handle UP is dis-engaged. Handle DOWN is engaged. if you are removing ALL the 1 way valves i.e "beer" ball check valve AND the gas valve once you engage the coupler you are OPEN to atmosphere through the spear on the keg and the keg coupler. I transfer like this often. I actually transfer from carboy to keg in this fashion as well using C02. From keg to Keg you have to make sure both kegs have ZERO pressure Connect Beer OUT to beer OUT. Remove the ball check valves from ONLY the keg you are going into, Remove the gas check valve from ONLY the Keg you are going into. Connect both couplers and engage (lower handles). Then set PSI on Regulator at ZERO. turn on gas connected to keg transferring from and start to turn up PSI on regulator till beers starts to move.

Remember ALL GUTS in the coupler on the keg you are transferring into HAS to be removed. If you are still having issues, remove the pressure relief valve on the coupler attached to the keg you are transferring into.

Good luck..

Cheers
Jay

 

I just posted the pics to show what the setup was. Obviously the couplers were engaged when trying to transfer (handles down).

I tried again beer out to beer out w check valve removed from receiving coupler. Nothing.

I even tried taking the spear out of the fermenter keg, and using the racking cane to rack to the receiving coupler (engaged - handle lowered).
I wasn't able to get beer flowing, because when I tried to pump the racking tube to get it going, there was too much resistance to push it.
I couldnt even get it halfway down.

Seems like it'd be a pressure issue - but I bled off the release valve until nothing hissed anymore

I ended up just taking out both spears and racking the beer wide open to O2.

Why isn't this working???

Why wasn't I even able to go from the racking cane to the coupler?

 

Jaybird, you mention something about "ball check valves".
What are those? The little plastic ball that's in the beer out line on the top of the coupler?

I only knew of these rubber check valves: https://www.kegworks.com/replacement-rubber-check-valve-for-us-sankey-coupler

This may be a "DUH" moment, but I'm new to fermenting in the kegs.
Is this what I'm missing here?

 

The plastic ball is a check valve. You need to pull it out.

 

You can also reverse the rubber check valve on the gas side so that you don't need to bleed it as it's filled.

 

Yeah its that little plastic ball in the coupler BEER OUT port. There will be a retainer ring or a plastic ball retainer in there. Just pull it out with some needle nose pliers and the ball will fall out.

its the little 3 prong plastic part in this picture

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Kegging_Equipment_Sankey_Tap_Rebuild_Kit.html

Cheers
Jay

 

Thanks guys. Kinda a "duh" moment. We didn't have the plastic ball out of the receiving coupler. Took it out and it works fine