Leaking Liquid Keg Post

[OSULumberjack]

I just kegged a brown ale on Friday and left it in the garage to cool down. I force carbed it a bit after tapping and I just left it in the garage. Today walking past, I noticed some liquid sitting on top of the liquid post. My assumption is that the post is leaking, but my question is about how to fix the problem.

I have another keg that's just filled with sanitizer, so I am probably going to try and swap posts or poppets with that one, but do I need a new poppet valve for this post? Or is this the kind of thing that keg lube might fix? Has anyone had any luck with other interventions that fixed a similar problem? I used the "rebuild" kit that came with the keg, so it replaced several o-rings but this is the first time I put any pressure in it since I got it.

 

[beerlover77]

Try some keg lube and tighten the post down good. If that doesn't work, Change the poppet. Happens to me often.

 

[OSULumberjack]

Will try that. If I have to get some new poppet valves, do the "universal" ones work pretty well? Are they actually pretty universal?

 

[beerlover77]

Will try that. If I have to get some new poppet valves, do the "universal" ones work pretty well? Are they actually pretty universal?

The universal ones work well for my old ball lock kegs

 

[hilts]

I think there's a small o-ring inside the poppet as well. Might be an easy fix.

 

[balrog]

hit everything that isn't steel with keg lube, including the poppet gasket/o-ring and check that little sucker for cracks (old ones I had dried, developed little itty bitty cracks, leaked; keg lube helped, replacement with universal poppets fixed)

 

[IslandLizard]

By lubing the poppet o-rings I've fixed many small leak issues like yours. It's best to compress the spring with small needle nose pliers, so the o-ring can descent and you can get some lube in and under there.

When you switch to universal poppets, you may need to clip one turn or a little more off the bottom of the pyramidal spring. Most are a bit too long, and won't compress right. I've seen five or six packs for a buck a piece or so on Amazon. I'd keep the old poppets just in case.

I really wish we could replace the original poppets' o-rings, that would be my preference.

 

[OSULumberjack]

I ended up swapping the entire post for one on a different keg I had lying around and that appears to have worked. When I pulled the post off and removed the poppet to examine it I was a little put off by how beat up the hole in the post was. So now I am worried that the problem is the post itself.

I think I'm going to take my time and see if I can get it to seal up okay on my spare keg of sanitizer.

 

[balrog]

That is a little gnarly, but with a poppet's decently squishy o-ring and lube, I wouldn't be terribly worried.

The telling thing will be to see what the underside/inside of that hole looks like, where the magic seal of poppet o-ring sits. Rubber meeting road, and all that.

 

[OSULumberjack]

It was holding pressure when I received it, so I'm sure it will be fine with some keg lube. Right after filling with beer seemed like a bad time to be screwing around with it. I am definitely going to grab some poppets, so I have some on hand in case of future problems.

 

[IslandLizard]

I ended up swapping the entire post for one on a different keg I had lying around and that appears to have worked. When I pulled the post off and removed the poppet to examine it I was a little put off by how beat up the hole in the post was. So now I am worried that the problem is the post itself.

I think I'm going to take my time and see if I can get it to seal up okay on my spare keg of sanitizer.

That post looks like it went through some major event suffering serious trauma! I hope it still seals well on the QDs.

 

[OSULumberjack]

I know, I can't imagine what on earth caused it. I bought it used, so I have no idea what it went through in it's past life. I'm just trying to give it a good home and hope we can work through its issues.

 

[balrog]

I used to always buy used kegs, and only recently bought a couple new. For the most part, the used ones are great functionally, some have more ... character ... than others with dings and loose handles etc. I did end up replacing posts entirely on some as I finally wearied from keeping pin and ball lock QD. Buying the right replacement/conversion posts was a hoot as there are *MANY* different ones.

My point? You can always buy a replacement post. Short story long.

 

[OSULumberjack]

So, now I have a new problem. The beer trickles out of the faucet very slowly, but it was working just fine on my last keg. Searching the forum led me to suspect the poppet is too tight for the QD or maybe the posts weren't exactly the same. Unfortunately I think that means I'm going to have to remove the post again with beer in the keg. Maybe I'll throw on a different QD and see if the spring is a little stronger in it.

 

[hottpeper13]

I had a faucet dribble like that , took it apart and found a spider stuck in the hole.

 

[IslandLizard]

So, now I have a new problem. The beer trickles out of the faucet very slowly, but it was working just fine on my last keg. Searching the forum led me to suspect the poppet is too tight for the QD or maybe the posts weren't exactly the same. Unfortunately I think that means I'm going to have to remove the post again with beer in the keg. Maybe I'll throw on a different QD and see if the spring is a little stronger in it.

A (too) tight poppet spring will not cause your faucet to drip. Once the QD is pressed onto the post, the poppets have no function anymore, they could be removed for that matter. They are simple spring-loaded seals.

A leaky faucet may be due to dirt, hop particles, etc. stuck inside the faucet, preventing it from closing (and sealing) properly. In front closing faucets there's a rubber o-ring deep inside the faucet that forms the seal with the shuttle or ball connected to the lever/handle. If that's damaged, cracked, or worn out, it needs to be replaced. The larger the defect the more beer will leak out and make a mess.

Remove the faucet, clean, and inspect it.

 

[OSULumberjack]

I had a faucet dribble like that , took it apart and found a spider stuck in the hole.

Gross. I just swapped posts, so I'm hoping I would have caught an insect or spider stuck in there.

A (too) tight poppet spring will not cause your faucet to drip. Once the QD is pressed onto the post, the poppets have no function anymore, they could be removed for that matter. They are simple spring-loaded seals.

A leaky faucet may be due to dirt, hop particles, etc. stuck inside the faucet, preventing it from closing (and sealing) properly. In front closing faucets there's a rubber o-ring deep inside the faucet that forms the seal with the shuttle or ball connected to the lever/handle. If that's damaged, cracked, or worn out, it needs to be replaced. The larger the defect the more beer will leak out and make a mess.

Remove the faucet, clean, and inspect it.

The faucet seals fine, but when I open it, the beer just dribbles out and fills the cup very slowly. So it isn't being pushed out fast enough, but the CO2 is at 12 PSI and I just had a different keg in there on that line which worked fine.

 

[BobBailey]

Unless you see some physical damage to the post or to the connector, replacing the O ring on the outside of the post usually does the trick. Be sure to use some keg lubs on it.

 

[IslandLizard]

The faucet seals fine, but when I open it, the beer just dribbles out and fills the cup very slowly. So it isn't being pushed out fast enough, but the CO2 is at 12 PSI and I just had a different keg in there on that line which worked fine.

Sorry, misunderstood. The faucet now pours in a dribble...

There are 2 poppets that are opened by the force of 2 springs. One in the post, the other in your QD.
To form a passage, each needs to depress about half way. It's all about that balance. If one spring is much stiffer than the other, it won't depress enough to create the needed opening/passage.

Maybe something is cockeyed in the post, preventing adequate spring compression, or the spring is too long (like pyramidal universal springs) or too stiff for whatever reason.

If the QD works on other kegs, it's likely the post/poppet. Open it up and check. Try depressing the poppet with a nail, nail set, small screwdriver, while there is no pressure on the keg (otherwise it's shower time).

 

[balrog]

Take apart QD and look if it's same as another one you take apart

I had one broken once, and could *NOT* figure why it was only part working. It was short due to being broken, or malformed, or the poltergeist chewed on it, or any number of things.

Once replaced was fine.

 

[bracconiere]

i get 'slow' pours when i first tap a keg, because my regulator is slow to respond to pressure changes....little head space, quick changes in pressure...not sure if that's a dribble though...

 

[OSULumberjack]

It looks like it is definitely the post/poppet. I replaced the post with the one off of the keg I just killed and it works totally fine. It isn't a universal poppet in the post that didn't work, but one of the ones with the triangle metal bottom plate and the post running down the middle. It may have been slightly misaligned or something, I'm not sure now. I will say, the poppet doesn't really stay in place when I remove the post, it wants to fall out of the post which is different from the working one.

I ordered some universal poppets and a couple posts to have in inventory, so I am not scrambling around in the future.

I appreciate all of the advice in this thread, it has been helpful. Eventually I will get all 4 kegs and 8 posts to work right. Right now I seem to have 3 kegs working with 5 posts...

 

[IslandLizard]

It looks like it is definitely the post/poppet. I replaced the post with the one off of the keg I just killed and it works totally fine. It isn't a universal poppet in the post that didn't work, but one of the ones with the triangle metal bottom plate and the post running down the middle. It may have been slightly misaligned or something, I'm not sure now. I will say, the poppet doesn't really stay in place when I remove the post, it wants to fall out of the post which is different from the working one.

I ordered some universal poppets and a couple posts to have in inventory, so I am not scrambling around in the future.

I appreciate all of the advice in this thread, it has been helpful. Eventually I will get all 4 kegs and 8 posts to work right. Right now I seem to have 3 kegs working with 5 posts...

Make sure the correct poppet is in the post. There are a few different ones. Lay them side by side and compare.

It can be a bit of a balancing act to get the poppet to align inside the post, standing on top of the dip tube flare. It takes a few times to get the hang of it all.
Check the poppet too, the shaft can be bent, or burred, so it won't lower past a certain point. Always check for correct operation when there's doubt.