Ball lock jumpers remain airtight when not connected?

[minorhero]

I tried to search for this but couldn't find anything.

I am going to be doing my first closed transfer and pressure fermentation on the batch I'm brewing right now. I wanted to know if I connect a ball lock jumper from one keg to another (to purge the second keg - my eventual serving keg with the co2 from the fermenting keg) and then disconnect the jumper and store it, if it will remain airtight and filled with only co2. In other words it would make my life easy when doing the closed transfer if I could swap my jumpers part way through, purge both jumpers and have nice o2 free lines sitting and waiting for me when it came time to transfer. Does this make sense?

 

[Golddiggie]

As long as your connections are leak free, they should remain CO2 filled.

Personally I have the liquid (finished beer) jumper setup that I take apart to clean post keg filling. The keg gas post gets a connection that goes into a container of Starsan to make for a closed system. I'm not harvesting any CO2 from the fermentation process, since I use a SS Brew Tech spunding valve on my conical. I also have enough CO2 on hand that I don't see any need (or have any desire) to use the CO2 the yeast produce to 'fill' my target serving keg. Since I use bottled CO2 to purge the kegs before I fill them with finished beer (post cleaning and sanitizing).

Do as you like, but as I said, IF your lines and QDs are correct, then they will remain good for the duration.

 

[Jim R]

I do all pressure fermentations now including purging my kegs with fermentation CO2 and pressure transfers. I make sure all my keg rubber gaskets are sealed with keg lube and they all seem to be leak free. I don't worry about the small amount of air in my transfer lines. In fact, I would rather make sure that they are well sanitized right before my transfers than have them sitting around sealed just to keep them filled with CO2. If you did the math on the volume of air in short transfer lines, it would be a pretty small air volume although I guess it wouldn't be hard to blow a little CO2 through them right before using them.

The whole process seems to work perfect for me. I made a NEIPA about 2 months ago and because of some traveling I haven't gotten around to drinking much of it. Now after 2 months there are absolutely no signs at all of any oxidation.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

if it will remain airtight and filled with only co2

No gas line is 100% O2 impermeable. EVA is probably the best, a lot of the others are terrible. That said, while your jumper will be sealed, over time O2 will diffuse into the line, even if the line is pressurized. Time and the gas line type will determine just how much.

Easy work around - connect a carbonation cap ball lock to one end, attach your CO2 to the other, and purge the line before using.

 

[minorhero]

Thank you guys! I just wasn't sure if the ball locks would seal themselves when not connected. I don't need a perfect forever solution, just something that will work for a few days.

 

[VikeMan]

I just wasn't sure if the ball locks would seal themselves when not connected.

Assuming they are not defective, yes, the ball lock quick disconnects themselves are sealed when not engaged.