Kegerator leaking at faucet connection (Noob)

[aceofspades1217]

Hello,

I just bought a beer meister kegerator off of craigslist and when I got it the tubes were very dirty so I decided to replace them. However, now that I have replaced the tubing the metal tube that goes into the faucet is leaking and it does not have a very good seal at all.

I am not sure if I am missing something because it doesn't get locked into place by anything. I have tried using plumbing tape but it did nothing to stop the leak. I tried adding a washer but it really doesn't help. It is slowly leaking into kegerator so I had to put a bowl. I can't disconnect it since I don't want the keg to go flat and I have no idea how long a keg can last being off of CO2.

Is their any kind of non-permanent sealant that I can use. I saw some sort of stretchy pipe sealing stuff at home depot that was $7 and I am not sure if that will work.

Any help would be truly appreciated.

 

[benbradford]

You pretty much have to take it apart and work on it...

I can't tell you where it is leaking without pics or more info, but find the spot, and tighten it.

Kegerator is on a co2 tank? Crank the co2 to 25 plus and disconnect before turning down the gas, and it will stay for weeks.

Rereading the question, tubing goes up to hose barb on back of shaft of faucet. You will need a hose clamp for sure, and then the barb is theaded tight into faucet. Those are the only seals that are leakable i think...

 

[day_trippr]

It would be helpful to know which end of the shank is leaking - the end with the faucet, or the end with the tail piece that the beer line tubing connects.

Both ends require functional O-rings to seal. Said O-rings will harden given enough time (years, usually) and subsequently disturbing the connection can induce leaks...

Cheers!

 

[runningweird]

take apart, look to make sure all parts are good, clean, lube, reassemble. tighten until leak stops.

 

[aceofspades1217]

It would be helpful to know which end of the shank is leaking - the end with the faucet, or the end with the tail piece that the beer line tubing connects.

Both ends require functional O-rings to seal. Said O-rings will harden given enough time (years, usually) and subsequently disturbing the connection can induce leaks...

Cheers!

It is not the end that connects to the beer line, it is the end that goes into the faucet. Its leaking about a pint every two hours.

Can I just put some rubber cement on it?

I just feel like I am missing something, because the barb doesn't realy screw in.

 

[luke2080]

You may just need to tighten the faucet onto the shank (the metal piece that goes into the faucet) or you may need to replace the rubber washer that fits between the two that right now you may not know is there.

You need a spanner wrench to take the faucet off of the shank.
http://kegcowboy.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=334

 

[day_trippr]

It is not the end that connects to the beer line, it is the end that goes into the faucet. Its leaking about a pint every two hours.

Can I just put some rubber cement on it?

That's unlikely to work, considering the beer is under pressure and will eventually shove its way through.

Your best bet is to disconnect the keg at its beer line quick disconnect, remove the faucet, and replace the O-ring you'll find there.

You could try removing the O-ring, flip it over, add just a film of lubricant (eg: Keg Lube, a food-grade silicone grease) to the O-ring and reinstall it in the faucet, add a dab of the same lubricant to the threads, then reinstall the faucet, and see if you can get lucky and have it hold tight...

Cheers!

 

[aceofspades1217]

I tried using every O-ring and gasket I could find but they only make it leak more.

http://s426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/aceofspades1217/Kegerator/

Here is the pictures of the leak.

It is leaking into the kegerator

And here is all the parts I have,

Well any of these help?

 

[aceofspades1217]

I got some silicone grease from loews (closest thing to keg lube) and it didn't help at all. Just made the shank even more likely to slip out.

ever since i put silicone grease it got A LOT worse. Now it won't stay in at all and if I turn on the CO2 it flys out. I am really worried about my keg going flat as it is brand new ($84 keg of miller lite), how long do I have to get this fixed?

How is the shank normally held in the faucet. What normally keeps it from falling out?

Everytime I close the door the shank flys back out.

 

[day_trippr]

Terminology: the leak is clearly at the tail piece connection to the shank, not at the faucet connection to the other end of the shank.

Both the tail piece and the faucet thread on to their respective ends of the shank. That's what holds everything together. If the threads on the tail piece - or the tail piece end of the shank - have been damaged, that would explain why the tail piece isn't staying put and sealing tight.

About all I can suggest at this point is to disconnect the keg from the plumbing, which should allow it to hold its internal pressure (kegs can sit for weeks waiting for someone to buy them so they have to hold their carb levels) and take the tail piece and shank to your local home brew shop and see if they have a replacement parts that would let you get your tap working properly...

Cheers!

 

[aceofspades1217]

It is probably the tail piece end of the shank. Where can I buy one of those? I havent really seen those on beverage factory.com. I don't have a beer shop near myself.

Will this work?

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/taps-faucets-pid-4329A-3E.html?AffiliateID=25847

 

[aceofspades1217]

I just got the assembly...I can't figure out how to take out the old one and replace it with the new one.

 

[day_trippr]

I just got the assembly...I can't figure out how to take out the old one and replace it with the new one.

So you want to remove the old shank and install a new one? You'll need to remove the faucet (using that faucet wrench in your first pic), then the nut that hold the tail piece end of the shank, then slip the shank out of the tower through the front. If the shank is a write-off, once you remove the faucet you can use pliers to hold that end of the shank while you work the backing nut off.

The tail piece wasn't staying put anyway, so I'll assume you don't need any help on that

Cheers!

 

[aceofspades1217]

I ended up just returning the piece to sender because it wasn't for a tower. However, I found a tower for $35 (+$10 shipping) . That way I can just got a fresh new tower (the tower that came with it is grimy as hell). I should have made it clear it was a tower.

It says "Mounting Gasket and Screws are NOT Included", what is a mounting gasket?

 

[day_trippr]

Probably for the best. That thing looked like a project.

The gasket goes under the tower post to seal it up and keep drips and air from getting through any gaps between the tower and the mounting surface. The screws aren't included because their length depends on what you're mounting the tower upon...

Cheers!

 

[aceofspades1217]

Probably for the best. That thing looked like a project.

The gasket goes under the tower post to seal it up and keep drips and air from getting through any gaps between the tower and the mounting surface. The screws aren't included because their length depends on what you're mounting the tower upon...

Cheers!

So basically all the parts from my old tower.

It is just too bad that I bought the wrong piece. Really wanted to have that kegerator running so I could pre-game for a concert tomorrow .

If I use a pump tap won't it ruin the keg?

 

[day_trippr]

[...]If I use a pump tap won't it ruin the keg?

If it causes air to enter the keg, it won't help it.
Finished Beer + Oxygen = Quality Going Down Hill...

Cheers!