Ball Lock Keg Guide

[phillc]

In the process of getting my kegging setup going, some friends and I purchased a bunch of corny kegs from our LHBS. When kegging day came, we tore them down, put all of the parts in sanitizer, sanitized the kegs, filled them, and then began putting them back together. This is where the problems started. Not realizing that there are several flavors of corny kegs out there with parts that don't mix, we stripped the threads on several fittings, put poppets in the wrong places, and generally made a mess of things. The darned replacement parts to get them going again cost almost as much as a new (used) keg!

To get things straightened out again and hopefully help other folks prevent the same errors, I put together a little guide from a couple online sources. It is meant to hold up to the kegs/parts and visually identify what you have.

Enjoy:
PDF Version: Ball Lock Keg Guide - PDF
MS Word Version: Ball Lock Keg Guide - MS Word

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Very nice! I'll keep a copy of that handy.

 

[Kelsch]

Thank you, sir! I was browsing those sites the other day for that very information. Well done!

 

[phillc]

Thanks. Hopefully you can get it right the first time, unlike me!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Thanks. Hopefully you can get it right the first time, unlike me!

Early in my kegging career, I learned to never break down more than one keg at a time.

 

[Kelsch]

Yeah, it's a little late for me, but I'm still on my first cycle through them. At least I can match them up for the next time through.

 

[KillerKellers]

Nice! Those damn posts always screw me up!

 

[boogyman]

Nice. I'll keep the pdf of that handy. thanks!

 

[enderwig]

Great PDF. prosted!

 

[phillc]

Great PDF. prosted!

Cool. Enjoy!

 

[Munsoned]

Another prost from me. Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but it's very "homebrewer-ish" of you to let others learn from that lesson.

 

[phillc]

Another prost from me. Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but it's very "homebrewer-ish" of you to let others learn from that lesson.

No problem. I just picked up a free mid-sized fridge to use as my kegerator, so that makes up for it! I'll leave it plugged in overnight before I begin the cleaning/conversion process to ensure all is well.

 

[Yooper]

That's great! Those should be in our kegging sticky. May I?

 

[Kelsch]

Sticky away!

 

[phillc]

That's great! Those should be in our kegging sticky. May I?

Certainly! If anyone wants any info added/altered, just let me know.

 

[bsay]

Links dead? Tried loading them, blank page. Try downloading them, says the file is not formatted properly....

 

[stevea1210]

Links dead? Tried loading them, blank page. Try downloading them, says the file is not formatted properly....

i'm getting the same...using ubuntu BTW

 

[RonRock]

me three.....

 

[ThisGuy]

heck....same here

 

[phillc]

Checking...

 

[phillc]

Checking...

Ok, I fixed the links. Apparently Microsoft Skydrive doesn't like you linking directly to files. Instead, the links now take you to the Skydrive site where you can click and download the file.

Let me know if it is working...

 

[Kelsch]

Success!

789

 

[Amiaji]

File downloaded for me. Great job and thanks for sharing.

One question. Are the tops interchangeable between kegs? Or is each brand different?

 

[BreWirfel]

where was this an hour ago LOL.....luckily.i think i ordered the right ones thanks, great post

 

[phillc]

File downloaded for me. Great job and thanks for sharing.

One question. Are the tops interchangeable between kegs? Or is each brand different?

They are interchangeable between SOME of the kegs. The guide outlines which ones. That is its purpose!

 

[Amiaji]

They are interchangeable between SOME of the kegs. The guide outlines which ones. That is its purpose!

I'm sorry I guess I worded it wrong. I meant the lids not the posts. The reason I am asking is I have a Cornelius keg that has a lid with the old style Firestone relief valve. I was wondering if I could swap it for a lid with the Cornelius relief valve.

 

[camiller]

I'm sorry I guess I worded it wrong. I meant the lids not the posts. The reason I am asking is I have a Cornelius keg that has a lid with the old style Firestone relief valve. I was wondering if I could swap it for a lid with the Cornelius relief valve.

There are two styles of lids, oval and "racetrack". I believe all oval lids are interchangeable. "Racetrack" style lids come in two sizes, small is 4-5/16" long, large is 4-9/16" long. pictures here: Lids for Ball Lock Kegs

 

[Amiaji]

There are two styles of lids, oval and "racetrack". I believe all oval lids are interchangeable. "Racetrack" style lids come in two sizes, small is 4-5/16" long, large is 4-9/16" long. pictures here: Lids for Ball Lock Kegs

Thanks for the link. I looked at all my lids and they are all oval lids. Its good to know I can interchange them if necessary.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I'm getting an adware or something or other message...

 

[phillc]

I'm getting an adware or something or other message...

No messages here. False positive from your software, I assume. I assure you there is no adware in the files. They are simply an MS Word file and an Adobe PDF file that I created myself.

What adware/anti-virus software are you running?