A word of warning when kegging - from a learning newb

[BradTheGeek]

Went to rack a stout from tertiary to keg tonight. Keg had been pressure tested, cleaned, sanitized etc.

What I neglected to to was check the o-rings on the pin lock stems.

Racked the beer. Added pressure. Attached line with picnic tap for testing.
Boom, steady flood of beer down the side of the keg.

I also only had dip tube size o-rings. :smack:

Since my LHBS typically only has ball-lock gear and waiting for an online order was not an option, I was very lucky to have an unused keg in the shed that had good seals and held pressure (so far).

Unfortunately, re-racking also exposed my beer to more possible contaminants and oxygen even tough I purge my kegs.

Let this be a lesson. Test everything! and if a $2 part can save the day, have some on hand!

 

[microbusbrewery]

Just an FYI, pin-lock and ball-lock use the same size o-rings on the posts...at least the ones I have are the same. I have mostly ball-lock, but I have four 3 gallon pin-locks that I use for experiments. You also could have just pulled the o-rings from the good keg and put them on the bad keg, but I'm guessing you panicked a bit when you saw your beer running down the side of your keg. I have to ask, why did you do a tertiary? Unless you're racking onto fruit or something similar, there's usually not even a reason to rack to secondary, and not racking will reduce your chances of oxidation and infection.

 

[BradTheGeek]

Given the age of the o-rings, I did not want to risk stretching the ones on the new keg in pulling them off. Then I would have been in the same boat. Never having worked with ball lock before I did not know they used the same size. Thanks!

As to the tertiary, it was because of the way I brewed this beer. In secondary I added Jack Daniels barrel chips and maple syrup. This kicked off a rather vigorous secondary fermentation, as expected (it also drove off much of the wood flavor).

Tertiary was to settle out some of the secondary yeast and do a bit more aging with the chips.

First beer I have done with a tertiary. I kegged it with a little more maple syrup, which will condition in keg, but I poured a sample last night, and I am very pleased with the result.

Thanks for the input and help.

 

[kombat]

Just to clarify - the keg didn't start leaking until you attached the serving line? Are you sure the leak was from the post O-ring, and not with disconnect fitting? I would think if you had a bad O-ring in the post, it would leak even without a serving line attached.

 

[Hello]

^ I was just going to mention what @kombat has mentioned. A bad o-ring inside the post (as I've read it) has caused a leak for me without even connecting a line. I call that a poppit o-ring. A bad o-ring on the post, so outside, could cause the leak only if the liquid line was attached. At least I think that's how it could work.

I've also had a small leak due to a poppit being offset. That's only noticed when the keg gets hit with CO2.

And yes, I do believe ball lock and pin lock can use the same o-rings unless it's some kind of weird keg. I have a racetrack keg that I use different lid o-rings on than I do all other kegs.

 

[brettwasbtd]

I have also put the plastic depressor in the pin lock liquide quick disconnect upside down, couldn't make the connection...beer everywhere

 

[brettwasbtd]

And yes, I do believe ball lock and pin lock can use the same o-rings unless it's some kind of weird keg. I have a racetrack keg that I use different lid o-rings on than I do all other kegs.

They work, however, there are some better sizes o rings that provide a more secure fit. I have had leaked cause by using ball lock sized o rings

 

[BradTheGeek]

It was the outside o-ring. Not the poppet or the serving line. The same serving line worked fine on the other keg. I went to the LHBS yesterday and stocked up on o-rings. Piles of $0.50 insurance.

 

[kombat]

It was the outside o-ring. Not the poppet or the serving line.

A-ha! Called it!

Glad you got it worked out, hopefully you didn't lose too much beer in the meantime. Welcome to kegging!

Pro tip: Keg lube is your friend.

 

[d3track]

They work, however, there are some better sizes o rings that provide a more secure fit. I have had leaked cause by using ball lock sized o rings

Yeah, I think it's a #10 o-ring, I found out the hard way they are just slightly different...

 

[day_trippr]

[...]And yes, I do believe ball lock and pin lock can use the same o-rings unless it's some kind of weird keg[...]

That's a common misperception - even many home brew suppliers sell o-rings meant for ball lock posts for pin lock applications. As the latter need to be thicker than the former, that doesn't always work well...

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=376_1_163&products_id=3286

Cheers!

 

[BradTheGeek]

I picked up some, but the o-rings my LHBS has just say keg post. Thy do not specify and since all their other gear is for pin-lock I guess that is hat these are.

I picked up these kegs at a yard sale, with fridge, taps etc. They had not been used for a couple years. I pressure tested them, but have not reconditioned any other parts. I have one with a poppet leak, and one around the lid. I just need to recondition the two not in service, then rotate out and do good maintenance on them as they rotate.

Kombat, I am a fan of keg lube and was using it. even added more.
It was a slow leak, caught early so all told maybe half a pint.

The event this beer was made for had been postponed till spring so I am currently enjoying a glass. Cheers!