Figured out how to reuse petainer keg. Am I wasting my time?

[HObrew]

So I got a free petainer keg as a sample and they said the spear is not removable... challenge accepted!

I plan on cutting out everything below the holes which is where the one way tabs are located.

I 3D printed half of a collar to hold the head onto the keg. Now that it fits properly, I'll print the other half.

Am I wasting my time here?
I heard that these things can't be tapped more than twice without leaking. Why is that? I don't know anything about how sanke taps work.

 

[ahalcarz]

One-way PET kegs are designed to be filled once. I work in PET packaging, I am very familiar with the Petainer, and this is very dangerous. The PET properties will change as you apply and release pressure over and over. It will eventually fail and potentially maim or kill anyone that happens to be nearby. The features you are trying to defeat are safety features. There is a reason they don't want you removing the spear or refilling the keg. I don't think the parts you are printing are rated to be used in a pressure vessel.

In addition, the Petainer uses an oxygen scavenger in the PET to react with oxygen as it tries to pass through. The scavenger will eventually be ineffective as it reacts with more and more oxygen over time. This is why the specifications say to use it within 9 months; after that, whatever you are putting into it will oxidize.

If you try to make modifications to a pressure vessel, you are taking your safety and life into your own hands.

 

[HObrew]

One-way PET kegs are designed to be filled once. I work in PET packaging, I am very familiar with the Petainer, and this is very dangerous. The PET properties will change as you apply and release pressure over and over. It will eventually fail and potentially maim or kill anyone that happens to be nearby. The features you are trying to defeat are safety features. There is a reason they don't want you removing the spear or refilling the keg. I don't think the parts you are printing are rated to be used in a pressure vessel.

In addition, the Petainer uses an oxygen scavenger in the PET to react with oxygen as it tries to pass through. The scavenger will eventually be ineffective as it reacts with more and more oxygen over time. This is why the specifications say to use it within 9 months; after that, whatever you are putting into it will oxidize.

If you try to make modifications to a pressure vessel, you are taking your safety and life into your own hands.

Thanks for the info! I'll refrain from refilling this once I am done. I tested it as a soda water dispenser and am pretty happy with it. I like the idea of being able to leave one of these at a picnic and not worry about losing a corny keg.

 

[Ike]

It will eventually fail and potentially maim or kill anyone that happens to be nearby.

A piece of PET? Pressurized to 11psi?

If it were that serious of a concern, I figure cruising the soda aisle at the supermarket would be like walking a minefield.

Folks here use (and reuse, and reuse) PET to bottle their hooch all the time. How is reusing this bad boy any different than me reusing my Tap a Draft bottles?

 

[ahalcarz]

The PET bottles in the soda aisle have not been filled, emptied and refilled over and over. There are refillable soda bottles in Europe, but they are taken out of circulation after 8-10 uses because they will eventually leak as the PET breaks down.

The Tap-a-Draft system used for what it is designed is fine; there are safety warnings there too. Those are 6L bottles. The energy stored and released upon a sudden rupture of a 20L package is much greater than a 6L package. More likely, one of the modified parts would shoot off when under pressure.

 

[segallis]

One-way PET kegs are designed to be filled once. I work in PET packaging, I am very familiar with the Petainer, and this is very dangerous. The PET properties will change as you apply and release pressure over and over. It will eventually fail and potentially maim or kill anyone that happens to be nearby. The features you are trying to defeat are safety features. There is a reason they don't want you removing the spear or refilling the keg. I don't think the parts you are printing are rated to be used in a pressure vessel.

In addition, the Petainer uses an oxygen scavenger in the PET to react with oxygen as it tries to pass through. The scavenger will eventually be ineffective as it reacts with more and more oxygen over time. This is why the specifications say to use it within 9 months; after that, whatever you are putting into it will oxidize.

If you try to make modifications to a pressure vessel, you are taking your safety and life into your own hands.

You claim that pressure cycles weaken the pet walls, but filling a car or bicycle tire probably poses a greater threat than a 10 to 15 psi pet full of beer. A failure would likely result in a spray of beer. Filling to 50 psi is probably a dumb idea. These kegs can also be used at a few psi for conditioning. Removing oxygen is a non issue - a stainless keg removes zero oxygen, which is why homebrewers know how to purge, fill and age kegs for many months.

 

[itsjoao]

You claim that pressure cycles weaken the pet walls, but filling a car or bicycle tire probably poses a greater threat than a 10 to 15 psi pet full of beer. A failure would likely result in a spray of beer. Filling to 50 psi is probably a dumb idea. These kegs can also be used at a few psi for conditioning. Removing oxygen is a non issue - a stainless keg removes zero oxygen, which is why homebrewers know how to purge, fill and age kegs for many months.

You’re kidding me right? A tire is made of elastomers, which is rubber, a material that is capable of stretching a lot without losing its properties. A highly resilient material. PET on the other hand is stiff and not very much flexible. A highly pressured pet container prone to failure will be like a bomb or a missile, i’ve seen videos of a dog playing with a pressurized petainer which exploded, and also one where a petainer went through the roof of a house. There’s a reason they’re called one way.

 

[Mopped02]

What could be the reason for the filling head on a 30L petainer keg to suddenly blow off after filling and sitting in the wearhouse for a few days.?