Keg seal is leaking.

[ArrowheadAles]

It looks as if I had a leak in one of my kegs. I left for the weekend and had under half a tank of co2 and when I came back it had dropped 25% to just about empty.

Poured some water over the lids and found the culprit. The problem is I can't understand why it would be leaking? All of the kegs have new seals and it Sat with beer in it for a about a month without leaking.. Could it be because the co2 level got low and couldn't hold pressure? Tank is now empty and have to refill tomorrow. So tomorrow ill have a full tank to try to get it pressurized again.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

 

[DeafSmith]

I have a couple of kegs with small dents around the lid rim. They hold pressure fine at 30 psi, but not at 10 psi. I just got a couple of the fatter, softer O-rings that Williams Brewing sells that are supposed to solve problems like this, but haven't had a chance to try them out yet. If you think that might be your problem, give these a try:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/KEG-LID-SEALING-O-RING-P58C78.aspx

 

[anycrew]

I had the same problem and noticed that the rim on the opening to the keg had a bend in 1 section. I pulled it back inline with some vice grips and that did the trick for me.

 

[P-J]

I did a write up a bunch of years ago about this problem.
Keg Lid Geometry & Adjustment
Please take a look, it might help.

P-J 3505

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, the integrity of the lid ring seal seat is number one on my list of pre-purchase inspection criteria. The full list of potential maladies means I'll only buy kegs locally, which incurs the "brick 'n' mortar premium". But the result is a fleet (14 currently) of well behaved kegs...

Cheers!

 

[Surly]

I like to put a thin layer of Petro Seal lubricant on my rings.

 

[JMass]

I did a write up a bunch of years ago about this problem.
Keg Lid Geometry & Adjustment
Please take a look, it might help.

P-J 3505

Thanks, that was a great tutorial. I, too, have a keg with a leak - my most recently acquired, but the more I buy, the worse they seem to be. Anyway, it hisses or whatever at low pressure. I will have to check this out once I empty the keg. I hope to have this keg on a new high pressure nitro system, so I'm hoping that will keep it pressurized for now.

 

[ArrowheadAles]

Refilled the tank and put a thin layer of lube on the seal and one is still losing pressure a little bit. I looked at the rim and can't really see if there is a dent or anything not shaped right. Not too sure where to go from here

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Refilled the tank and put a thin layer of lube on the seal and one is still losing pressure a little bit. I looked at the rim and can't really see if there is a dent or anything not shaped right. Not too sure where to go from here

Wrap the chime with duct tape to form a bowl. That's the black rubber handle bit.

Fill the bowl with water.

You should be able to see any leaks from there.

 

[ArrowheadAles]

I can do that after work today..thanks for the tip. What can I use once I find this leak (tools, procedures, etc)? I have a habit of trying to fix things and making them worse...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I can do that after work today..thanks for the tip. What can I use once I find this leak (tools, procedures, etc)? I have a habit of trying to fix things and making them worse...

Locate the leak first, then work out the solution.

A couple things to try to find the source;

Check the keg first without any disconnects attached. If no leak is evident attache your disconnects and check again.

I have had it occur a time or two that the leak emanated from the attached disconnect because the Oring did not seal properly.

If no leak is found, start checking every connection on the gas line.

 

[JMass]

An update on a previous post. As noted by others I had a problem in seating the lid. The area where the lid goes had some nicks. I tried using some fine steel wool, but I think that perhaps I will need to locate some emory cloth. For now it is not leaking, but it is finicky and I may try the softer O Ring to see if I still get a leak.