Ball lock disconnect connection procedures? Best practices?

[pantherburn]

Hello,

I have been home brewing for several years and am finally making the jump to kegging. Although I am quite familiar with Sanke type draft systems due to long ago employment with an Anheuser Busch distributor, I am a complete neophyte when it comes to using ball lock kegs. I am rehabbing an old rusty beverage-air two tower direct draw box with three taps. It will have the ability to tap a sanke or ball lock keg by using 1/4" MFL connectors. I am running all new lines, parts, etc...

Anyway, as I have never "tapped" a ball lock keg I had a few questions and hopefully can get some best practices info.

1. When you are physically connecting the disconnects to the posts, do you pull up on the collar on the disconnect that allows the ball bearings to retract while attaching to the post or do you just push them on?

2. Does it make any difference if you attach the liquid or gas disconnect first?

3. Will you get sprayed when hooking up the liquid side if the keg has pressure?

4. Any other questions I should have asked or best practices?

Thanks for your help!

 

[day_trippr]

1. Yes, it's easiest that way.
2. As long as the keg was holding pressure, it doesn't matter.
3. Never happened to me in over a decade. Don't think it could.
4. Probably a ton. Like getting to know our favorite carbonation table and the only beer line length calculator worth using.
And investing in a little tub of keg lube.

That'd be a good start...

Cheers!

 

[pantherburn]

Thanks day_trippr!

I've bookmarked both of those links.

Re: #3, when I was working with A-B and using sanke taps only, many rookies got beer showers trying to tap a keg with the handle or wings down on the tap!

Thanks again!

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

4. get some check valves for the gas side. You never want to experience the horror of dialing down your pressure on a burst carbed keg without purging it first.

 

[brokebucket]

Pay attention to this picture: See the grooves in the flats? That is the GAS side, the other is the LIQUID side. You can mix them up....and you will have a nightmare of a time getting the liquid connector off your gas post if you do. Ask me how I know...

Also, food grade lube comes in handy.

 

[mongoose33]

1. When you are physically connecting the disconnects to the posts, do you pull up on the collar on the disconnect that allows the ball bearings to retract while attaching to the post or do you just push them on?

I'm not really sure how you can connect it without pulling up on the collar--the whole point of the collar is to force the ball bearings to protrude enough to keep the disconnect on the post. If you could attach it without pulling up on the collar, it could also come off the same way--which doesn't strike me as something I'd prefer experiencing.

+1 to keg lube, and ++1 to making sure you have the right disconnect on the correct post. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[singybrue]

I like to spray a little starsan on the connector and post as well. Helps lube it up a bit!

 

[pantherburn]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate you sharing your tips and experiences!

 

[mongoose33]

I like to spray a little starsan on the connector and post as well. Helps lube it up a bit!

I do this as a matter of course any time I attach either connector--a spritz inside the QD, and on the post. It's really about maintaining a sanitized environment as a best practice and as a habit. I want sanitizing to be something I don't have to think about, but instead something I just do by habit.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Pay attention to this picture: See the grooves in the flats? That is the GAS side, the other is the LIQUID side. You can mix them up....and you will have a nightmare of a time getting the liquid connector off your gas post if you do. Ask me how I know...

Also, food grade lube comes in handy.

The guy who made those fittings so similar to each other should be drug out into the street and shot

I was in my LHBS buying a new fitting and made a comment about those damn posts and the worker said every home brewer does that once.

I was in there for probably the third time for this problem.

 

[enkamania]

Pay attention to this picture: See the grooves in the flats? That is the GAS side, the other is the LIQUID side. You can mix them up....and you will have a nightmare of a time getting the liquid connector off your gas post if you do. Ask me how I know...

Also, food grade lube comes in handy.

Did this once, was just spitting out foam from the keg

 

[pantherburn]

Thanks everyone-this is all great info!

One more question (for now [emoji6]). What is the consensus on fill level in the keg? Do you judge by the bottom of the gas tube or?

 

[day_trippr]

You should strive to keep the beer level below the gas tube, even if you have back-flow preventers (aka "check valves") on your gas lines (the shut-off valves on better regulator assemblies and manifolds have integrated checks). There's no good in deliberately testing how well the checks work

fwiw, I cut the gas tubes on all of my 14 kegs down to 1/2" just to cut down on the occasional over-fill. I can cram an extra liter in the kegs that way.
They really just need to be long enough to hold the little o-ring plus enough length to be able to pull them out of the gas post when cleaning...

Cheers!

 

[brokebucket]

You should strive to keep the beer level below the gas tube, even if you have back-flow preventers (aka "check valves") on your gas lines (the shut-off valves on better regulator assemblies and manifolds have integrated checks). There's no good in deliberately testing how well the checks work

fwiw, I cut the gas tubes on all of my 14 kegs down to 1/2" just to cut down on the occasional over-fill. I can cram an extra liter in the kegs that way.
They really just need to be long enough to hold the little o-ring plus enough length to be able to pull them out of the gas post when cleaning...

Cheers!

Yay more beer! Going to do this on my next rotation (I make 6 gallon batches to ensure full kegs anyways)

 

[pantherburn]

I was reading this article from Austin Homebrew's website:

http://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/how-to-fix-a-leaky-keg.html

They stated, "Last is the cover into the keg. Be sure you have it on correctly. The proper position when the gas “in” valve on your right will have the bail handle pointing toward you. If it is installed correctly and it leaks, replace the o-ring or gasket and retest."

Have you ever heard that?

 

[day_trippr]

Considering the lid is symmetrical, that guidance is nonsensical.

I always have the gas post to the left and pull the bail closed.
Just habit, really, there's nothing sensible about it....

Cheers!

 

[pantherburn]

Yes day_tripper, my thoughts exactly. I don't understand why they would make that statement without some evidence supporting this. I think I will email them.