I done goofed (ruined keg)

[Jtk78]

I royally screwed up and cost myself some money. I bought 4 kegs earlier this year for my kegerator build. I had 2 of the filled with beer and all was well. One of them was filled with sanitizer. I was using my fermentation chamber to serve from until I could get my kegerator up and running.

Well I left the keg with the sanitizer in the garage and the thing froze. It pushed the lid gasket out and cut it before I saw it. No biggie. I bought a new lid gasket and got around to changing it today. It was when I put the lid back on I realized the mouth of the keg had actually expanded. It wouldn't hold pressure for squat. So it took off both posts and poppers, pulled the dip tubes, and took off the lid all for spare parts. The vessel is garbage.

Are 5 gallon ball locks worth taking to a recycling place or should I just through it out?

 

[bigplunkett]

Its stainless u might get some cash for it. Better to recycle it the put it in a landfill.

 

[Jtk78]

Its stainless u might get some cash for it. Better to recycle it the put it in a landfill.

I wonder hot hard it would be to remove the rubber base and handle?

 

[Jayjay1976]

It still might be useful to someone as a glycol reservoir for putting together a conical chiller system. You would drop a pond pump down through the opening to circulate and no lid is needed. Being keg-shaped makes efficient use of space in a chest freezer or small fridge. Find out what scrap value is then maybe post it for sale here on hbt. If I were building a chiller, I'd be willing to pay $25 for it as the reservoir is a pretty integral part and no way would I tie up a serviceable keg for that purpose.

Or, fill it with dirt and plant flowers

 

[Jayjay1976]

I wonder hot hard it would be to remove the rubber base and handle?

When summer arrives, leave it out in the hot sun all day to soften, then pry off the rubber parts with a large flat-bladed screwdriver or a putty knife.

 

[kh54s10]

Saw it in half, add some legs, hinges and grates and make a grill out of it!

 

[Jayjay1976]

Saw it in half, add some legs, hinges and grates and make a grill out of it!

That would be cool! Would be perfect for grilling footlongs.

Also, you might could make a keg washer out of it, or use it as a piggy bank to save up for a conical fermenter.

 

[Jtk78]

Some very good ideas here. I will hang onto it for now and decide what I want to do with it. I'll ask my club if anyone has a need for it at the next meeting.

 

[singybrue]

How distorted is the opening? If it's just a little, they make oversized lid gaskets that may be enough to seal it.

 

[Jtk78]

How distorted is the opening? If it's just a little, they make oversized lid gaskets that may be enough to seal it.

I will look into this. Thanks!

 

[singybrue]

I should have provided the link earlier
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/OVERSIZE-KEG-LID-SEALING-O-RING-P58.aspx

 

[S-Met]

If it mostly fits, you may be able to tap the opening back into spec. Assuming that the oversized gasket and some keg lube doesnt work.

I have one keg that I always fight to get a good seal. Me and my tub of keg lube are good friends. I liberally get a good coat on the o-ring and also on the lip of the lid.

 

[Jtk78]

Well, thank you to all of those that gave encouraging words and advice.

I took the keg and tried to pound it back in place. I started with a rubber mallet and a block of wood. The keg laughed at me after a fair amount of whacks. So I grabbed a 3# sledge and still used the wood. At this point the keg starting calling me a girly man in a bad accent. I finally abandoned the wood and beat that keg like it stole a sucker from my baby.

I'm happy to report the gap between the lid and the keg opening is much tighter now and it has been holding pressure for the last two days.

 

[madscientist451]

Brute force has its place; I wonder how many of the current generation will even know what a sledge hammer is?

 

[Jtk78]

Brute force has its place; I wonder how many of the current generation will even know what a sledge hammer is?

That's scary. Thankfully between myself and my father in law, my son 11 year old son is well on his way to knowing tools and how to use them.

When I wrote my description above, I thought about how younger people wouldn't know # meant pound.

 

[AzOr]

I should have provided the link earlier
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/OVERSIZE-KEG-LID-SEALING-O-RING-P58.aspx

Thanks for the link. I had no idea those existed. I may order a few of those.

 

[jrgtr42]

Brute force has its place; I wonder how many of the current generation will even know what a sledge hammer is?

I use percussive maintenance all the time in my various hobbies.
Also known as emergency repair technique #1.

 

[Scout]

I posted a pic in the "don't do that" thread about my experience with leaving a corny full of water in an unheated garage. You got lucky, my keg split down the side.

 

[Jtk78]

I posted a pic in the "don't do that" thread about my experience with leaving a corny full of water in an unheated garage. You got lucky, my keg split down the side.

Holy crap, that's crazy!!

 

[phyllobeddo]

If it seals up good enough with the oversized o-ring, you could use it to ferment 2.5 to 4 gallon batches in it.