Leak!! - keg full

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joeunc

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Ok, I hooked up my new Midwest keg setup last Friday afternoon,
5 gallons of amber ale have been in there at 20 psi and 40degrees since Sat. morning, tasted yesterday and it was pretty much carbed where I want it, so I purged the keg and took the gas down to 12 to condition another day or two.
Then before bed last night, empty 5lb tank! It was just filled brand new last Friday at lunch.
I know there may be a gas disconnect problem, when connected if the gas line is not supported by the keg the quick disco wiggles a little and you can hear the gas come rushing out there. So I had it rigged to where it appeared (I thought) that it was ok, where the gas line was supported and no link. I waas going to try to get through this keg this way and then obviously take off the posts , do a thorough O ring replace etc.

When I called Midwest last Friday, they said they had already replaced the O rings and I should have to mess with the posts for a few batches, obviously that's not right. So, I have to go today and drop more cash to refill CO2.

How should I manage this keg, so as not to lose another whole tank in 5 days. I can't take it apart , It has a full batch in there. The gas quick disco definitely has some wiggle to it where it's not sealing up 100%, I have tried to work around it. With no connections to the keg, there is no leak, It is all coming from that quick disco connection I am almost certain.

So do I get it to where I want it quickly, then disconnect from the keg and only plug it back up when I want to serve from it? Obviously, my "thinking' I had it rigged up, didn't work. This really sucks, as I have a German Altbier that has been in the fridge cold crashing for 5 weeks that I want to get in my other keg hooked to same CO2 this weekend. That keg will get a thorough breakdown before the beer goes in however.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

thanks
 
If you're looking to take the keg apart, I know a guy in the St. Louis area that offers free keg emptying services. On a serious note, I would simply pressurize the keg, then simply disconnect the CO2 bottle. As long as the keg itslef isn't leaking you should be fine, no worries about the beer going flat.
 
It sounds like you have another keg. I would transfer the brew to the second keg (after fixing it up and pressure testing it), then fix the one you're worried about.
 
Replace the outside disconnect o-ring. Get some lube on it as well. Just because they say they replaced them means nothing. You should not be able to wiggle the gas disconnect it should hold firmly. When lubed it will turn/swivel a bit. I had the same problem with one of the kegs and solved it with the 10 cent o ring.

I have had nothing but troubles with the kegs and other equipment I bought from Midwest. The stuff they sent me were beat to **** as compared with the other vendors I have used. They sold me reconditioned parts as new ones for my gas manifold. My kegs were falling apart, rubber bottom and top half off, big foot sized dents.

I know others report good things from them - I would never order from them again.
 
Everything is new except for the cornies and in good shape. The kegs are used for sure,,by the markings and dinges etc..I have never had complaints about any stuff I have received from them.


It seems to hold pressure fine when not connected, I lubed the lid o-ring and around the lid before sealing with the beer. I think I may try to just get the carbing done, and disco the gas and drink this keg up a little quicker (not a bad thing sometimes). Reattach the gas briefly if I feel I am losing some carb to the pours.
I sprayed the disconnects and the regulator with soapy water about 4 days ago and got no "visually noticeable" bubbles. I have read where the ole soap and water test is not 100% and I can get at Home Depot for like $3 the leak detector stuff that works better.
And I will check it out while connected and slow leaking.

I just wanted to get some options aside from transferring a ready to drink batch out while dealing with the leak. It appear I need to disco from the keg once carbed and spare my gas and concentrate on making sure the 2nd keg connection is leak free before I put that Alt in there.
 
Replace the outside disconnect o-ring. Get some lube on it as well. Just because they say they replaced them means nothing. You should not be able to wiggle the gas disconnect it should hold firmly. When lubed it will turn/swivel a bit. I had the same problem with one of the kegs and solved it with the 10 cent o ring.

I have had nothing but troubles with the kegs and other equipment I bought from Midwest. The stuff they sent me were beat to **** as compared with the other vendors I have used. They sold me reconditioned parts as new ones for my gas manifold. My kegs were falling apart, rubber bottom and top half off, big foot sized dents.

I know others report good things from them - I would never order from them again.



I have to agree here I know lots of people use midwest but I got all my gas parts from them and all seemed fine except for the CO2 regulator. It does not seem to be accurate at all. It makes me wonder if I got a returned and remanufactured item also.

But back to the OP I would transfer to another keg if possible or just get some new rings for the leaker and swap them out as carefully and clean as you can and pressurize the keg again.
 
I found the leak,,went at lunch for the CO2 refill, ran home hooked up at like 15pst,,sprayed the post with soapy water,,bubbles everywhere coming from the quick disco/in post. And listen to this, then I held it down to stop the leak, went up to 30 psi, disco'd the gas line, then shook the keg for like 3 secs,,not very hard and beer starts shooting up out of the gas in post, right out that little piece on top.
Also, before all this I sprayed my coupler connection and no leak, I sprayed the lines near the gauges no leaks.

The beer is plenty carbed, so would i be safe if I got my new o ring prepped and ready and lubed it, and then unscrewed the gas in post,,,reseat the poppit and replace the O ring and screw back in. That should take less than a minute. Will the beer be ok? I plan on purging the keg then doing this. Would the beer be ok for that very short time I was fixing that post?

FYI, Midwest is sending a new poppit valve in the mail, they see to think if the beer shot right up through the center of the post then it may be more of a poppit issue than a true O ring issue
 
your gas in poppit is not sealing. You can lube the poppit to try and make it seat and seal better. Sometimes this happens to mine and I can usually press down on the poppit to make it reseat and stop the leak. You might need a new poppit. Anytime I disconnect gas in conectors I spray a little star san on it to make sure its not leaking.
 
Is the leak from the base of the gas in post? Even after you remove the gas quick-disconnect (i.e. QD)? If not then you shouldn't need to remove the post because it's not leaking (internally). Unless it's the poppet leaking which would cause gas to come out of the top of the post with no QD attached.

Even if the poppet was leaking...attaching the QD should stop that because then the poppet is open anyway. But those poppets are notorius for not sealing correctly after removing the QD...but that's easily fixed by just centering the poppet with your fingernail or something. Just keep poking at it and it'll seal.

With no connections to the keg, there is no leak, It is all coming from that quick disco connection I am almost certain.
From this description I thought you were having problems with the outer post o-ring sealing when the QD was attached. This would probably be the hardest to catch with leak check solution. I think it was BobbyM who posted the P/N for a slightly fatter o-ring (larger cross section) for this very type of leak. TBH, the replacement o-rings I got from an online vendor don't look right...too skinny...but they're mostly working OK. I have some kegs that do this too but I've just been very careful...and lucky...so far.

But don't remove the post if it's just leaking around the outer post o-ring.
 
Is the leak from the base of the gas in post? Even after you remove the gas quick-disconnect (i.e. QD)? If not then you shouldn't need to remove the post because it's not leaking. Unless it's the poppet leaking which would cause gas to come out of the top of the post with no QD attached.

Even if the poppet was leaking...attaching the QD should stop that because then the poppet is open anyway. But those poppets are notorius for not sealing correctly after removing the QD...but that's easily fixed by just centering the poppet with your fingernail or something. Just keep poking at it and it'll seal.

With no connections to the keg, there is no leak, It is all coming from that quick disco connection I am almost certain.
From your this description I thought you were having problems with the outer post o-ring sealing when the disconnect was attached. This would probably be the hardest to catch with leak check solution. I think it was BobbyM who posted the P/N for a slightly fatter o-ring (larger cross section) for this very type of leak. TBH, the replacement o-rings I got from an online vendor don't look right...too skinny...but they're mostly working OK. I have some kegs that do this too but I've just been very careful...and lucky...so far.

But don't remove the post if it's just leaking around the outer post o-ring.

Also...I just got 4 kegs from pedalbiker and they were in quite good condition and he evens polishes that outer metal a bit. Already refurbed, shiny outside, very little damage (very small dings was all)...and a packet of PBW to boot. Recommended.:)
 
it leaks when the QD line is attached, the bubbles are all around that ring that slides up and down. That leak could be coming from the popper under it right?
The beer exploding from the post could have been the poppet not sealing right after I pulled the QD off, I guess??

I have two other poppets I can try from my second keg and see if the leak stops. And while I have the post off and the hole covered with plastic wrap , I might as well replace the O ring with a new lubed one, I'm thinking.
 
Also...I just got 4 kegs from pedalbiker and they were in quite good condition and he evens polishes that outer metal a bit. Already refurbed, shiny outside, very little damage (very small dings was all)...and a packet of PBW to boot. Recommended.:)
 
No it's not the poppet. When the QD is attached the poppet is open...it's supposed to flow. The outer post o-ring is what is leaking.

EDIT: the outer post o-ring is supposed to seal against the inner part of the QD...but you have a bad seal there and since the poppet is open it leaks.
 
so just leave the poppet,,put the new O ring , attach the post,,and test again right?
Of course, I will reseat the poppet also.
 
replace lube post o ring and dip tube o ring? And also lube the seal at the post before screwing it back in? Also should I lube the poppet before reseatiing?

thanks
 
I took the post off, covered the hole with plastic wrap, replaced post O ring, tube O ring, lubed them all plus the poppit. Re-attched, and did the soapy water test and no bubbles around the QD, the pressure relief valve or the lid. The QD seats much smoother now. The beer tastes great albeit a lttle foamy from the pressure going up and down and on and off over the last week with this leak mess.
I just refilled my tank Thurs and I now I have to find out why my high pressure gauge is still in the middle of the red "order gas" field. I keep the CO2 in the fridge around 38 or 40, so it should at least read around 600 right?

thanks
 
It's because it's in the fridge...cooler gas contracts...warmer gas expands. With it inside the fridge your high side gage won't be all that useful for telling you when you're about to run out. You'll pretty much have gas...then you won't.:(

Also...if you flow a lot then that causes the gas in the tank to cool and that will also lower your gage reading. So wait for the temp to stabilize after flowing a lot (if you flow a lot...like filling a couple of kegs one right after the other or something).
 
I recently picked up a 3 gal Corny that is in good shape on the outside, 1 small dent on the lower part where it starts to form the bottom. I put air on it and it was leaking out of that dent. I really want to repair this and I am looking for sugestions on how to make this Keg work. Thanks
 
Yeah I know just didn't want to start a whole new thread out there, if I get nowhere on this I will create a new one, thanks though.
 
I had the EXACT same problem Thanks to this thread, I've figured out the solution. The leak only occured when the gas in-line was connected, and turning the plastic quick-disconnect made it leak more/less and pushing it down hard made it stop leaking, but there's no way to keep that up.

After 3 days at 30 PSI the tank was empty and even the keg depressurized so I couldn't drink the beer in there.

"Learn To Brew" from Moore, OK showed a new cornelius keg to my girlfriend, then sold her a reconditioned one, and 1st time used, the seals leaked. When I replaced the upper o-ring, the old one fell apart from age. Thanks guys. I went in and told them what happened and they didn't care, deny it, and charged me $12 for a CO2 refill. Wow, nice service, I won't be going back.

Switched out the upper o-ring on the "in" only and put keg lube on it (needed a 7/8 wrench) since had nowhere to transfer the beer, and didn't want to disturb the beer. Now waiting another 5 days to drink my 3rd batch.

THANK YOU homebrewtalk
 
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