Kegland Flow Control Ball Lock Trouble - won't seat on keg

[specialkayme]

Just picked up a Kegland Flow Control Ball Lock and I can't get it to work.

In a bag from Morebeer came the FC and a o'ring washer. No instructions. I'm assuming the o'ring goes on the underside of the FC (it fits perfectly and I can't figure out where else it would go). Once I put the o'ring in place, I can't get the FC to seat on the keg. I tried two different kegs. I tried pushing as hard as I literally could, and it won't seat. If I take the o'ring out, it seats on the keg but beer flows onto the floor.

Am I missing something or is it faulty?

 

[day_trippr]

Perhaps worth trying: remove the original beer post o-ring from the keg, install the o-ring that came with the new disconnect, and see what happens...

Cheers!

 

[specialkayme]

Well I'll be darned. The weirdest thing, but that worked.

I have no idea why the o-ring I had on the keg worked with the ball lock that I had before, but not with this FC connection, or why the FC came with an o-ring for the keg post, but it seems to have worked.

Super strange. But thanks.

 

[day_trippr]

I suggest a design defect necessitates a custom post o-ring...

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

That is weird. Kegland FC ball locks bought from William's don't come with a new post o-ring, and work perfectly with kegs with the standard ones already on. Is it possible your old post o-ring was just worn, stiff, or in need of lube? It can be hard to seat any QD when the post o-ring is shot. (Silicone grease is your friend.) Is there actually a visible difference between the two?

Anyway, enjoy. Now you've got it, you're going to love it.

 

[day_trippr]

That positing still leaves the question why a QD came with a post o-ring...

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

That positing still leaves the question why a QD came with a post o-ring...

Cheers!

True... I'll assume it accidentally got packed... but it seems like the universe knew the OP needed it, so let's leave it at that! [emoji3]

 

[specialkayme]

The new o-ring was slightly thicker, but ever so slightly. If I wasn't looking, I wouldn't notice.

The old o-ring was probably 6 months old. It worked perfectly fine with the standard plastic ball lock that was on it literally seconds before. It wasn't stiff or in need of lube.

To be clear, the FC didn't need lube, and wasn't difficult to put on the post with the old ring. Exactly the opposite. It slid right on. But when fully seated, beer was flowing from the post down the side of the keg. No amount of lube would have fixed that.

 

[specialkayme]

I reached out to Morebeer and this was their response:

Yes you are correct, the 0-ring is required for the body connect/ POST of the keg as it will help it seat correctly for the quick disconnect.

I don't remember reading that in Morebeer's description, and I'm not interested in only being able to use this with a special o-ring. I checked their website and it looks like they took the item down. I asked them for assistance returning it. I'll order from Williams Brewing.

 

[day_trippr]

So, defective design then...

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

But how did there end up being a difference between Kegland disconnects sold through two different retailers? It's still weird.

 

[day_trippr]

Most likely another Far Eastern company "almost copied" a good design.
For a time there were all kinds of "kinda clones" of Perlick and other brand faucets that were close but not identical. Same paradigm, I suspect...

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

Most likely another Far Eastern company "almost copied" a good design.
For a time there were all kinds of "kinda clones" of Perlick and other brand faucets that were close but not identical. Same paradigm, I suspect...

Cheers!

So MoreBeer got a deal that was to good to be true... that was my thought at least...

 

[odie]

was looking at morebeer and Williams too...more beer one is gone??

Williams specifies they are Kegland. Moore beer google search did not list a "brand". knock off?

 

[day_trippr]

PKU

 

[specialkayme]

was looking at morebeer and Williams too...more beer one is gone??

Williams specifies they are Kegland. Moore beer google search did not list a "brand". knock off?

Williams Brewing lists theirs as "KegLand Stainless Flow Control Ball Lock Threaded" while Morebeer listed theirs as "Ball Lock Bev Out w/ Flow Control (Stainless) - Flared". Seems like an "almost copied" design, although I can't tell for certain. A shame, as I thought I was getting a KegLand product from Morebeer. Same price between the two . . .

I can't find it on Morebeer's website anymore. A search for "flow control" doesn't return a result, and clicking a link on the item from my previous order in my order history doesn't return a result either ("The page you requested could not be found"). Product ID was KEG742 (which also doesn't return a result "The page you requested could not be found").

Morebeer has not responded to my request to return the item so far. A shame. I've ordered from Morebeer before. Always good products and good prices from my experience. I'm not a fan of being passed off a lower quality product at the same price, then not getting a response to a request to return a defective product. We'll see though.

 

[Robert65]

It sounds like your, and maybe others', complaints have threatened to bring to light a situation they are failing to get in front of. Do report any developments. I have always been satisfied with William's in terms of both product quality and service.


PS Don't get me started on the not quite Perlick faucet I got once elsewhere. I feel ya.

 

[specialkayme]

Morebeer confirmed a defect:

We just discovered that the KEG742 has a design flaw and our Product Team is coming up with the fix. We should be able to implement that fix next week.

They offered for me to wait for the fix, or take a refund. I offered the refund. I'm glad they gave me the offer.

 

[day_trippr]

Totally nailed it
Anyone wonder if Morebeer follows HBT?

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

That pretty much nails it down that this MoreBeer item was a pirated copy. There has never been a design defect in the genuine Kegland product. Ironically, Kegland has been known to copy other people's designs, but they generally seem to improve them!

 

[CEO Keg King]

But how did there end up being a difference between Kegland disconnects sold through two different retailers? It's still weird.

Stranger things have happened. Our business is Keg King in Australia but we sold very few of our products to the USA until late in 2018. What we did find was that products bearing the Keg King name were being sold widely in the US and Canada and they were coming from a Chinese business in Hong Kong called AMCO via a distribution centre operating in Shanghai. To this day if you enter https://www.kegking.com.cn then you will be directed to the Kegland AMCO page.