Wow, those springs are insanely long!
Can someone tell me why i cant connect my kegs? Photos inside
- Thread starter HopHead10
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Wow, those springs are insanely long!
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Okay another update:
Got the standard ball lock kegs, NO LEAK!
However, now there is a leak from the check valve. The valve I bought is a Chudnow S470. The thread that goes towards the keg is smaller than the thread that goes towards the regulator. I tightened with a fastener but the leak appears to be coming from the nut holding the thread....
Here is a picture:
Got the standard ball lock kegs, NO LEAK!
However, now there is a leak from the check valve. The valve I bought is a Chudnow S470. The thread that goes towards the keg is smaller than the thread that goes towards the regulator. I tightened with a fastener but the leak appears to be coming from the nut holding the thread....
Here is a picture:
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
BTW, I do not have a truck to move my whole kegerator unit 30 miles to the homebrew shop I go to... that is why I am posting on here. I am so fricken close but there always seems to be a GD leak! Killed two tanks now and threw a lot of money at this thing
It is difficult to see exactly what is happening in the photo as it appears in my browser, but I think I have a good idea what is.
The keg connection side is 'flare'. If both the valve side and barb adapter are metal, which I think they are, you need to make sure there is a plastic cone like washer between the two metal surfaces. It will not seal effectively without this, and the two parts may fuse if left for long periods.
The regulator side is 'pipe' thread, 1/4" NPT male specifically. This should be mated to a 1/4" NPT female to hose barb adapter. This NPT type of thread requires a sealant on the threads to seal effectively. The most common sealant is teflon tape, and is applied to the male side threads by wrapping it in the same direction as you would thread on the female fitting onto it. A few wraps is sufficient, but more can resolve some issues. The 2 pieces can be tightened as tight as you care to go. The flats on the fittings would most likely round over before you could ever break the actual fitting. Just remember you may need to take them apart at some future date.
The 'flare' fittings should not have any sealant or teflon put on their threads. It is not needed to seal anything, and may actually interfere with the seal, depending.
If the 'fastener' and 'nut holding the thread' you are talking about the bubbles coming from is the 'hose clamp', then you may have over-tightened the hose clamp, and cut the vinyl tubing causing the leak.
That covers just about any scenario you could be having. You could also mount the 'check valve' directly to the regulator, or if you have a manifold, put one on each outgoing port.
YAY!
BOO!
That's not a "picture", that's an "eye test".
There are many models of S470, some use flare fittings on both sides, some use pipe threads on both sides, some use one of each.
cwi has the fitting details right, but given how you got to "Now", the only way we can give you truly useful direction is a better picture of that check valve assembly, along with a description of which end has the leak ("the nut holding the thread"? Both ends have threads and nuts!)...
Cheers!
I meant to add that I could not find the S470 part number on kegconnection, which I thought was the source for most things Chudnow, and where he got his kegs from. Going off his description, and the 3 pixels that show the actual valve, I assumed it was a 1/4"NPT-M x 1/4" MFL.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
Edited my post almost as soon as I put it up. I have never seen a LHBS list Chudnow as a manuf. except for kegconnection, but I am sure it is probably a common supplier.
Probably best to verify what each end of your valve is. A better/more complete part number, or a pic without the nuts in place would do.
EDIT: After some looking at the limited info available on Chudnow's website, you may have a check valve with a hose barb built in to the check valve inlet. It is an option as a connection type.
I actually had a google search waiting in another tab, after the '0 results' from kegconnection. May have to use my search-fu to find a better price for some more check valves. The $8/valve at most LHBS is criminal for those things. I need about 10, or more.
Wouldn't HISS! be more appropriate?
LOL! Yeah, but didn't give it that much thought
btw, wrt check valves, I use the nylon version of these inserted and clamped about a foot above the QDs. Cheap but effective, and less likely to get crunched in my keezer than the diaphragm type (six kegs in a 10cf makes things rather tight when swapping kegs)...
Cheers!
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
The answer was.....
TEFLON TAPE ! ( I hope it stays...)
Loaded that stuff on the thread and in between the connection. Was still bubbling a little but then i added MORE. I realize this is not the right logic but it stopped bubbling. Attempting to play it safe and pressurizing at ~8psi set it and forget it method.
Poured a glass today (fixed the situation on saturday and crossed my fingers) and it was delicious but tasted a little bit like gas. So I "burped" it and i adjusted a bit lower ~6-7. Now it is a little flatter but hoping over time it won't taste like gas and not be overcarbed.
Here is a pic :
TEFLON TAPE ! ( I hope it stays...)
Loaded that stuff on the thread and in between the connection. Was still bubbling a little but then i added MORE. I realize this is not the right logic but it stopped bubbling. Attempting to play it safe and pressurizing at ~8psi set it and forget it method.
Poured a glass today (fixed the situation on saturday and crossed my fingers) and it was delicious but tasted a little bit like gas. So I "burped" it and i adjusted a bit lower ~6-7. Now it is a little flatter but hoping over time it won't taste like gas and not be overcarbed.
Here is a pic :
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Oh and last but not least... the beer is NOT RUINED!
Tastes great! Here is the IPA recipe that made it:
First Keg Ipa
Grains:
.33 lbs carapils
.33 lbs crystal 40 lovibond
.33 lbs munich I
.33 lbs victory
Extract:
1 lb extra light DME
6.6 lbs pilsen LME
Hops:
60 mins – 2 oz Chinook
30 mins – 1 oz Chinook
15 mins – 1 oz Magnum
0 mins – 1 oz Cascade
Tastes great! Here is the IPA recipe that made it:
First Keg Ipa
Grains:
.33 lbs carapils
.33 lbs crystal 40 lovibond
.33 lbs munich I
.33 lbs victory
Extract:
1 lb extra light DME
6.6 lbs pilsen LME
Hops:
60 mins – 2 oz Chinook
30 mins – 1 oz Chinook
15 mins – 1 oz Magnum
0 mins – 1 oz Cascade
Well I won't be kegging for a few more years, but if you ever need a homebrew and the keg is still leaking let me know, I got plenty of bottles in the pipeline. But yeah, never thought kegging would be this complicated. I dont know if I will ever stop bottling after reading this thread!!
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Hey man I just didn't read much about the details. I'm not too crafty but going through this experience has made me just a wee bit more so I'm all for every bit of what I'm doing. And this beer is amazing, even flat.
Sippin37 said:Well I won't be kegging for a few more years, but if you ever need a homebrew and the keg is still leaking let me know, I got plenty of bottles in the pipeline. But yeah, never thought kegging would be this complicated. I dont know if I will ever stop bottling after reading this thread!!
Don't let this discourage you. It is really not this difficult (in most cases). Take time to research, read about how to use the equipment (almost all vendors have online instructions), buy from a reputable seller (i.e. Midwest Supplies is the vendor I used), and ask questions. It makes the final product easier to handle and is much more enjoyable IMO.
Very nice photo! I like it.
Maybe I'm not interpreting your descriptions and the previous pixel-sparse images properly, but I don't understand why you're using those check valves in the middle of your gas lines. Normally you'd use a check valve at the outlet side of a regulator or a gas distributor, not in the middle of a gas line or just before a QD.
What I'm referring to is back in post #122 where you have a picture of a gas line to gas line connection. Where is that positioned in your system?
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
There is probably a foot or so from my regulator and the check valve... my co2 tank is right on the back of the fridge and i put the check valve on right where the line enters the fridge.
Instead of teflon tape, you should be using a flare washer on your metal to metal connections. It is the white nylon piece in this picture:
BTW - they are not needed on the keg QD's as they have a built in washer on its flare fitting.
BTW - they are not needed on the keg QD's as they have a built in washer on its flare fitting.
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Instead of teflon tape, you should be using a flare washer on your metal to metal connections. It is the white nylon piece in this picture:
BTW - they are not needed on the keg QD's as they have a built in washer on its flare fitting.
Great recommendation - I will pick some of these up at the hardware store ASAP.
Conan
Well-Known Member
Wow....I'm glad you got it worked out!
Totally agree with P-J on the proper flare washers. These fittings don't use the threads to seal (like a pipe thread's taper), so by using pipe tape on the threads, you're asking the wrong part of the fitting to do the hard work. Eventually that's going to fail and you'll have a nice, empty gas bottle once again. Long story short, always use hose clamps and every proper piece of fittings. And once again, I'm glad you got it to work for you. Kyle
Totally agree with P-J on the proper flare washers. These fittings don't use the threads to seal (like a pipe thread's taper), so by using pipe tape on the threads, you're asking the wrong part of the fitting to do the hard work. Eventually that's going to fail and you'll have a nice, empty gas bottle once again. Long story short, always use hose clamps and every proper piece of fittings. And once again, I'm glad you got it to work for you. Kyle
Now that you don't have any leaks to deal with, you should look into balancing your system. That will allow you to carb the beer at the level you want without dealing with foam. Balancing is way easier than it seems. It's just adjusting the beer line length to help manage the foam through resistance (line length).
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Hmmmmm....is there a specific length of beer line that is optimal?
Most people find that between 8-10 feet of 3/16 suits their needs pretty well. I use 10' and my beer pours almost perfect every time. I have my pressure set at 12-14psi.
Also, look at this chart. It has the temp of your keg on the left, match that up with the amount of co2 you want in your beer, and see the pressure to set it at along top. That is to get your co2 volume in your beer. It's color coded pretty nicely so it's easy to read. Then from there, you want to adjust the line length to manage the foam.
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
This is a starting point with 10'. People can get away with shorter, but it all depends on the temp you keep your keg and the volume of co2 you want in your beer. I believe you lose roughly 1-2psi per foot of 3/16 beverage line. For 14psi I run, I could probably get away with 7ft of line, but I went with 10ft. It's a little slower pour, but I get perfect head each and every pint pretty much.
Also, look at this chart. It has the temp of your keg on the left, match that up with the amount of co2 you want in your beer, and see the pressure to set it at along top. That is to get your co2 volume in your beer. It's color coded pretty nicely so it's easy to read. Then from there, you want to adjust the line length to manage the foam.
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
This is a starting point with 10'. People can get away with shorter, but it all depends on the temp you keep your keg and the volume of co2 you want in your beer. I believe you lose roughly 1-2psi per foot of 3/16 beverage line. For 14psi I run, I could probably get away with 7ft of line, but I went with 10ft. It's a little slower pour, but I get perfect head each and every pint pretty much.
goosegrease
Well-Known Member
Congratulations,
As painful as this thread has been to read, it had to be downright brutal living it. What a long strange trip it's been. When Get home tonight I will hoist one for you.
Cheers!
As painful as this thread has been to read, it had to be downright brutal living it. What a long strange trip it's been. When Get home tonight I will hoist one for you.
Cheers!
Hopefully you'll get lucky there, but there's a good chance you'll need to hit your not-so-local LHBS to find the proper, tapered seals to fit your MFL connectors...
Cheers!
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HopHead10
Well-Known Member
Thanks!
