Keg marking to determine thread size

bigken462 · Mar 22, 2016

I just purchased 3 Firestone pin lock kegs a cpl days ago. My OCD can't deal with mix-matched stuff, so I'm going to convert these to Ball lock. This seemed like a dang simple task at first, till I seen there was several sizes.

How would I determine if I have a Firestone V Challenger, VI Challenger, Super Challenger, or Firestone Challenger? The only thing on the bottom is that it is a Firestone keg. No other marking except what the coke company stamped on it. Seems that I have a choice of 9/16th-18, 5/8th-18 & 11/16th-18 and 3/4"-18. I have not yet taken these off to see what thread size they may look like.

lastly, these don't have a manual OPV. Is this a big deal with not being able to purge air from the furthermost top point? Since it has a short dip tube, would there still not be a few inches of air/oxygen inside to cause problems?

Apologize for the simple question, but when I purchased these, I figured it would be as easy as selecting ball lock conversion kits. Only when I got ready to order a few did I realize there was several sizes.

ericbw · Mar 22, 2016

I did the same thing. My lhbs is good though, and they had the right parts. I still have a set of the wrong posts. But no way of knowing what size they are.

LLBeanJ · Mar 22, 2016

I think your best option would be to pull the posts and physically check the major thread diameter with either calipers or a micrometer.

Lack of manual PRV is not a big deal. More of an inconvenience really. You can still vent the keg, just not as easily as pulling on the ring.

NeoBrew · Mar 22, 2016

This is a great summary of keg part information.

http://www.dresselbrew.com/Keg_Info.htm

This one might help some too.

http://www.cornykeg.com/resources/corny-keg-tips/identify-keg/

I'm surprised the keg is not stamped with the keg model and name. All of mine have that on them, although some of them are pretty worn down and hard to read. Generally the marking is on the metal about 1/4 of the way down from the top.

The manual purge valve is really nice to have, but not essential. You can also pop off the gas line and purge it by pressing down on the poppet.

Good luck!

wapitiscat · Mar 22, 2016

bigken462 said:
lastly, these don't have a manual OPV. Is this a big deal with not being able to purge air from the furthermost top point? Since it has a short dip tube, would there still not be a few inches of air/oxygen inside to cause problems?

I felt the same way (about O2 at the top of the keg) especially since I sometimes split batches and only have the keg half filled. However, I've moved into the gas mixing camp as opposed to the gas layering camp. I think that's why we do multiple purges. With each refill of CO2 your relative concentration of O2 decreases. The assumption is that the headspace above the gas tube gets mixed during the process. 25 psi and about 10-12 purges through the gas plug is what I do. Maybe you wear out your gas plug o-ring faster but other than being a bit of a hassle, I think that's the only downside of not having the manual pressure release valve.

Todd

bigken462 · Mar 22, 2016

NeoBrew said:
This is a great summary of keg part information.

http://www.dresselbrew.com/Keg_Info.htm

This one might help some too.

http://www.cornykeg.com/resources/corny-keg-tips/identify-keg/

I'm surprised the keg is not stamped with the keg model and name. All of mine have that on them, although some of them are pretty worn down and hard to read. Generally the marking is on the metal about 1/4 of the way down from the top.

The manual purge valve is really nice to have, but not essential. You can also pop off the gas line and purge it by pressing down on the poppet.

Good luck!

Lol, that was the very website I took those measurements from. The second link I stumbled across too and glad I did cause their ball lock kits were half the price of Northern Brewer. Lids were much cheaper as well.

I'll gamble with a order if they have a good return policy. I might truck this thing into Lowes and find a nut that will thread onto it and go from there since I don't own any calipers.

I really put forth a lot of thought before buying these used pin locks, and now looking back after finding that site, I kinda wished I would have held off. Live and learn. Nothing wrong with Pin Locks I'm sure, as I will already have the connection off the ends when I clean my tubing. It's just the thought of having mixed-matched equipment that screws with my OCD. lol

As for stamping, I'll look again closer on the kegs now that it's daylight. Maybe I overlooked it last night in the dark. All the stamped letting I found on the side of one that I had with me at work was that it belonged to Coke-Cola etc.