Evaluating Kegs and Keggles, give me your wisdom

[Barnesie]

So I recently bought a keggle on the homebrewtalk classifieds and was disappointed to find that a member ripped me off and sold me a partially repaired keg with a leaking hole in the bottom. It's a bummer to get scammed, but even more to get ripped off by a fellow homebrewer.

I'm trying to turn this situation into a positive, so I have started writing a draft blog post about converted keggles and what to look out for. I was hoping to tap the collective wisdom of the site and see if anyone had any good tips to add.

I'm covering the obvious things to look for: internal and external condition, dents, holes, banged up skirts that don't sit flat, welded repairs, holes too big/small, burred edges, holes located too close to the skirt vent, etc.

For those of you that have bought kegs, partially converted or fully converted keggles, what warning signs you look for when buying?

What tips could you give to a keggle shopper?

thanks in advance.

 

[rhamilton]

Regarding Kegs (prices bay be subjective...):

#1. First thing is pull the relief valve. If it hisses, you know it was sealed and will hold pressure. IF it doesn't hiss, you'll need to test it for pressure. It could be busted or it might just be bad seals.

#2. See if there is liquid inside, if so, dump it -- take a smell and make sure it isn't chemicals, gas, or anything else stupid that people might store in kegs. Inspect the inside. There should be no rust, deep scratches, or strange discoloring inside. Check the welds at the top of the inside. They should be smooth and rust-free. If there is, pass on it or get it for dirt cheap if you want to try to save it. Also look for grime or egg casings inside if it wasn't properly sealed. For $40-$50 bucks you should get a squeaky clean keg. If it isn't and it'll require some labor to get it clean, ask for a lower price.

#3. Inspect posts and lid seals. Cracked rubber usually means a tear-down and full gasket replacement. While not really a big deal, it's still labor and money. If it requires a tear down and gaskets, I'd probably ask $30 for it.


Even if I can get a perfect keg, I always do a tear down and seal replacement just for good measure. I also run a snake through the spear and bake it in the oven to kill any nasties that might be living up there out of sight. If you get grime, a hot Oxy-Clean soak usually does the job. If not, a carboy brush will get the rest. Put it back together, I even teflon all threads for good measure, and sanitize and it's ready to go!

 

[Barnesie]

Regarding Kegs (prices bay be subjective...):

#1. First thing is pull the relief valve. If it hisses, you know it was sealed and will hold pressure. IF it doesn't hiss, you'll need to test it for pressure. It could be busted or it might just be bad seals.

#2. See if there is liquid inside, if so, dump it -- take a smell and make sure it isn't chemicals, gas, or anything else stupid that people might store in kegs. Inspect the inside. There should be no rust, deep scratches, or strange discoloring inside. Check the welds at the top of the inside. They should be smooth and rust-free. If there is, pass on it or get it for dirt cheap if you want to try to save it. Also look for grime or egg casings inside if it wasn't properly sealed. For $40-$50 bucks you should get a squeaky clean keg. If it isn't and it'll require some labor to get it clean, ask for a lower price.

#3. Inspect posts and lid seals. Cracked rubber usually means a tear-down and full gasket replacement. While not really a big deal, it's still labor and money. If it requires a tear down and gaskets, I'd probably ask $30 for it.


Even if I can get a perfect keg, I always do a tear down and seal replacement just for good measure. I also run a snake through the spear and bake it in the oven to kill any nasties that might be living up there out of sight. If you get grime, a hot Oxy-Clean soak usually does the job. If not, a carboy brush will get the rest. Put it back together, I even teflon all threads for good measure, and sanitize and it's ready to go!

All good advice for evaluating kegs you intend to use as kegs, but what I'm hoping to hear is advice on evaluating kegs you intend to destroy and turn into keggles...or that have already been turned into keggles.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

it's also a nice to know if the keg was obtained legally

 

[Dan]

Sorry to hear a fellow homebrewer from this site to boot took you your money. Did you contact him and get your money back? If you did and he didn't return your money you should at notify the mods.

As far as what to look for when buy a keggle. Good visual inspection first:

1. Is the sightgalass scratched up?
2. The ball valve operate smoothly?
3. It it has a thermometer installed will it interfer with an immersion chiller?
4. Is the thermomter accurate?
5. Is the seller willing to fill it with water in front of you to make sure there are no leaks?
6. Make sure there are holes drilled in the top collar and bottom collar. This done during manufacturing to release pressure cause by welding. But if they somehow got plugged this could result and in a exploding keg.
7. Dings and dents are not really a big deal.

 

[byounger]

The first keg I bought had the holes already drilled. The previous owner wanted to keep all of the weldless fittings (which was fine with me). However when I went to put a different weldless fitting on, I realized the hole was WAY to big. The tank would not hold water. I finally silver soldered a coupler (learned from a discussion on HBT... Thanks guys!) on and it is perfect. In fact, it worked so well I replaced all the weldless fittings on all my keggles.

So I would check the size of the holes and the location of the holes on the keg. I have seen where the hole on a keggle is to low and runs into the "return" on the bottom preventing the o-rings from properly sealing.

 

[Double-R]

The first keg I bought had the holes already drilled. The previous owner wanted to keep all of the weldless fittings (which was fine with me).

That might be it the OP keg could have had fittings removed.
If not...Well..

 

[cobolstinks]

If your buying a raw keg bring a screw driver with you and stick it through the valve at the top, if you hear a hiss out if you get sprayed with stale beer it was holding pressure so buy it, if not dont.

 

[JRems]

Can you post a pic of the leaking hole, and where on the keg it's located? I'm sure it can be repaired properly by a welder, but it should have been disclosed in the sale.

 

[Barnesie]

Great tips. I didn't have the information about the skirt holes so I'm glad you guys thought to add that, and I completely brain farted on thermometers so I'm writing that up now too.

I am including the general warning about morality of keg theft since I do think it's important to keep your brewing karma up.

Regarding the keg I bought here, the classifieds rules specifically state that it's buyer beware so I have no interest in to trying and involve admins in my dispute. I'd rather try to turn this into a learning lesson for myself and others then start a flame-war with a dishonest HBT member (since I'm not getting any money back either way). I'm not sure if it can be repaired due to the location and quality of the weld job (it's about the size of a penny and was very poorly done). If I want to get advice on that specific keg, I'll start a separate thread for that.