Keg Pressure.

[jondy]

Hullo everyone

Last week I just started my first homebrew. Everything went swimmingly ( I'm using malt extract as it's nice and easy for the first time ) and today, as primary fermentation had finished, I syphoned the ferment into a keg for conditioning and carbonation.

However I'm worried it might explode. I couldn't resist and let a little out to have a sip, and it flew out of the keg. After 3-4 hours of sitting in there, the keg is under a lot of pressure.

It's a plastic keg with a tap at the bottom and a screw top about 3-4 inches in diameter. This screw top has a brass fitting in it that looks like a valve. It's built to hold 5 gallons.

Sorry if this has a blatantly obvious answer or if I haven't supplied enough information, I'm very new to this stuff and paranoid that my first brew is going to end up being scrubbed off the scullery walls.

Cheers,

Jondy

 

[kenmc]

The valve is *probably* a two way pressure relief valve. Does it look like this??
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/item364.htm
If so then you don't have to worry, it'll release the pressure itself.
The pressure in the keg should build up as this carbonates the beer, and also allows the beer to be pumped out - although I see it's a bottom tap model.
I reckon you should be OK.

 

[TheSmithsEra]

Not Here

 

[nateburn]

It you brewed last week it sounds like fermentation was not complete. Did you measure a steady specific gravity for 3 days in a row?

 

[The542]

See the OP date, I think someone's hacked thesmithsera's account

 

[gcdowd]

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