Goodbye bad poppets

[easttex]

I run electrical tape down the side of the keg. Short tape for the short tube gas side. Long tape on the long tube beer out side. Easy to see in most conditions.View attachment 726650View attachment 726652

My solution is a little more blatantly obvious.

I have pin lock kegs. What is this “mixing up beer and gas lines” of which you speak?

That too.

 

[MicroMickey]

With pin locks, the couplings have provision for 2 or 3 pins. On ball locks, one post is a little bigger than the other. You'll almost certainly find someone who has put a coupling on the wrong post which makes them really tough to remove.

 

[day_trippr]

Always good to know your audience

 

[Brewbuzzard]

I've used needle nose too but something I found better were some of the picks I had from a set of various angled/shaped picks I bought many years ago. It was a pretty handy set but most have broken or gotten lost. Mostly worn out over time. As an example, one of the set looked like a dentist cleaning pick with a hook. That was one of the best ones. I have just one or two of the oddball ones left. For OEM poppets, I found hooking the "ankle" to work well without bending the leg itself. Steady gentle pull they are kind of bendy. I used to break them down completely but now do it less frequently since I built a keg washer.

Here's an example pick set.

I have a set like that. I bought it at Harbor freight for a few bucks. Very handy.

 

[odie]

On ball locks, one post is a little bigger than the other. You'll almost certainly find someone who has put a coupling on the wrong post which makes them really tough to remove.

Find me someone who HASN"T done that...lol

I'm guilty of multiple offenses...

 

[Garfield43]

I have a set like that. I bought it at Harbor freight for a few bucks. Very handy.

I have a similar set from Menards that were either cheap or free after rebate. Very handy for changing gaskets. Unfortunately I got carried away when I bought my first keg. I took all the gaskets off. Had a little trouble with 2 of them. Then I got looking at the replacement gasket set and noticed it didn't have the 2 smallest "gaskets". I had pried the rubber off of the poppets. Those don't go back on. I bought a new set of Cornelius poppets becase I thought trimming the universals would be a pain. According to this post it looks like could have saved money and used the universals. Live and learn.

passedpawn, Thanks for the tip about the bulk pack O rings. I just ordered the 100 pack of red for about 5 bucks. That should be a life time supply. Do you happen to know what number the large O ring and the little one for the dip tube is? If I could find a source for those I could quit paying $2.50 a set for them.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I have pin lock kegs. What is this “mixing up beer and gas lines” of which you speak?

You have it easy with pins. 3 pins, 3-letters: OUT. 2 pins, 2-letters, IN.

MC

 

[chessking]

Not to hijack this thread but on the old leg style poppets I have one set that I cannot remove from the post. The legs are jammed into the threads so makes it very hard to clean. I normally disassemble everything and clean and sanitize each keg after it kicks. Any good tricks to get these poppets out of the post?

The cylinder where the legs go should not have any threads. It should be smooth. the outward pressure of the legs keep it in place. You may have to drive it out with a punch and destroy the poppet in doing so, but they are easily replaced.

I have always placed the terminal on the flat of my sink (SS), and used a small screwdriver to push it in from the top. Sometimes I have to give it a gentle pop with the heal of my hand. That being said, I also adjust the three legs with pliers to just fit snugly enough not to fall out. That makes removal easy. I then replace them by turning over the post, and pushing the leg "crown" in with a small nut driver. This places an even force on the legs, and not the center rod. Push the legs in just enough to catch, but not so far that it impedes the poppet head from retracting.

Also, I only have 9 kegs, and four fermenters, but I keep all of them full, so when a keg blows, I can fill it straight off, and start my next brew. Never any need to clean more than 1 keg at a time.

 

[dochawk]

You have it easy with pins. 3 pins, 3-letters: OUT. 2 pins, 2-letters, IN.

oh, my.

in 30 years of using them, I never noticed this or heard it . . .

!

 

[odie]

Got some of the OP's poppets...hit or miss. I've already had a couple that the tiny o-ring came unseated and tried to pop out the tiny post hole. Gotta be very careful threading them on.

 

[Golddiggie]

I tried the universal for one of the ball lock posts in my kegmenter cap last session. To get the post on fully, the poppet wouldn't allow me to get a QD on. Changed back to one of the 'normal' poppets and zero issue. I have a few of the universals on hand since they looked promising when I ordered them (years back). But I also have bags of the other type to use. I have yet to need to change the traditional types out. More a case of needing them when making my kegmenter caps.

 

[rtstrider]

I use a mechanical pencil (no lead), put the poppet on a hard surface, and push the pencil tip into the poppet until it gives. Pretty quick and easy. No monkeying around with pliers and they come right out. Upgraded all of mine to universal poppets. Glad I did! Some of the original poppets had gaskets that were torn, missing in spots, or hard as a rock so it was past time to get those upgraded to a new/lubed pliable seal.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

oh, my.

in 30 years of using them, I never noticed this or heard it . . .

Being a little OCD helps

 

[rushpapers]

After a few cycles of brewing, carbonation, bottling and cleaning, I am happy that I changed to the Christmas tree style poppets. They have not caused a problem and have worked well. Furthermore, I have 16 kegs and now all parts are interchangeable.

 

[day_trippr]

Hopefully you'll never have a beer post universal poppet stuff its tiny O-ring sideways in the post hole upon disconnection...

Cheers! (bt/dt, reaction time to pulling the keg PRV is inversely related to cleanup time )

 

[shoengine]

It's easy to figure it which post is which. Poke each of 'em and the one that squirts you is the "out".

 

[passedpawn]

Hopefully you'll never have a beer post universal poppet stuff its tiny O-ring sideways in the post hole upon disconnection...

Cheers! (bt/dt, reaction time to pulling the keg PRV is inversely related to cleanup time )

Turn off gas, pull PRV, remove beer disconnect. In that order. I have old beer stains on the ceiling to remind me why I do it.

 

[Brooothru]

Otoh...I have limited experience with "Christmas Tree" style "universal" poppets, and most of it was not good. I had a few instances where the tiny O-ring on the universal poppet got wedged sideways inside the post upon removal of a beer QD, with the obvious epic spewage result thereof. It doesn't take more than two of those to convince an "old school" veteran to stay away from such purported "universal" solutions.

That said, I have noticed of late some "universal poppet" designs have evolved into something that might be worth pursuing in the future - once I run out of my oem spares...

Cheers!

I've had a few occasions of the same misfortune with universal poppets. But the most troubling issue has been spring tension pushing the poppet too far into the recess, making it difficult to either seat the QD on the post or remove it. Both ways it creates a liquid mess. The Cornelius style poppet doesn't give me this problem.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

I've had a few occasions of the same misfortune with universal poppets. But the most troubling issue has been spring tension pushing the poppet too far into the recess, making it difficult to either seat the QD on the post or remove it. Both ways it creates a liquid mess. The Cornelius style poppet doesn't give me this problem.

This is my gripe as well. Some work great and some it is almost impossible to get the gas/beer fittings on and off. Not sure why.