New Kegging system not working!

[DoctorTaco]

Hi All,
Just joined the site. I recently bought a corny keg system. The kegs from a website that rebuilds used coke kegs into a ball lock system and the CO2 and regulator, and quick connectors from a different website. I flash carbonated my first batch, an IPA, and for some reason I couldn't get the beer out of the keg. I've isolated the problem as being from the beer out portion of either the keg or the brand new ball lock connector. It really takes a lot of force for me to manually push in the pin on my new beer-out quick disconnect. I'm not sure if the spring in my poppet valve on the corny is too weak or I have a faulty quick disconnect.

Anyone have any tips other than going out and buying a new Quick Connect and a new poppet valve?

 

[v2comp]

None! they are cheap enough, but I would call whoever sold you the kit and ask for a free one to replace the faulty one.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Welcome to HBT. First, off I would suggest putting this in the kegging forum. But as it is already here, lets see what we cant do.

First, are you putting the grey (gas) on the in post and the black (beer) on the out post. I dont know about converted kegs and how they work, but make sure you put the right connectors on the right posts. They do not interchange.

Secondly, when you open the valve on the regulator, do you hear gas flowing? Is the keg pressurized? You can check by manually lifting the relief pin. It could be a crappy regulator rebuild.

If I were a betting man, I would go with the connections are on the wrong posts or they screwed up and gave you two gas posts or two beer posts. Does one go on easier than the other on each post? Take a look at that and I am sure you will find your problem.

Also, are you sure that you have ball lock connectors or pin lock? Sounds like you might also have the wrong connectors.

 

[DoctorTaco]

thanks wrongcoastbrewery,

Yes, I do have the connectors on the right posts. The company takes pin lock kegs (shorter and wider) and makes them ball lock kegs.

I know that I'm carbonating, bc I can manually push the gas port in the keg and massive amounts of CO2 come out.

When I pressurize the keg and attach the beer side connector nothing comes out, but when I used a screwdriver to push it in I got beer all over the kitchen (great idea, i know). I am thinking that the pin inside the quick connect may be too stiff and will not displace enough when locked into place to allow the beer to come out.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Yeah, sounds like you have a bad beer out connector. Got a LHBS around? Go grab one from their so you can get to drinking that brew.

 

[wacko]

You can remove that connector and take the little pin out and see if it is bent or rusted. Maybe you can fix it until your new one comes. I suppose however if you break it you will have no way to keep your beer pressurized until a replacement arrives. So keep that in mind he-man

 

[malkore]

Shouldn't take much pressure to get the poppet to move down. I've seen several new black disconnects that shouldn't have passed the quality control step. They don't even want to slip around the post, so getting it all the way down and locked on is almost impossible.

I have also seen kegs, new and refurbed, with GAS posts on both the in and out sides a couple of times. Not a problem as long as you don't try using a black QD.

 

[Yooper]

One last thought- do you have a long diptube under that beer out post? If there's no diptube, they'll be no beer.