New used kegs

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Bruinpilot

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So I just got some used corny kegs for my kegerator project and I had a couple of questions after examining them. They are ball lock. One is a firestone keg while the others are Cornelius kegs. Is this a problem?

Secondly, most of the tops seal firmly without pressure. One of them does not seal firmly when flipping the lid down. Is this a problem? I assume the pressure will fix this when I get my CO2 bottle.

Thanks
 
they are ALL cornelius kegs. Firestone is just one of the "models" I guess youd call it. Doesnt really matter except when buying replacement parts

The seal definitely will be a problem, but it may seal when you pressurize the keg due to internal pressure. But if it seems its not sealing jsut from closing the lid, thats a bad sign. You dont know for sure if any keg lid seals until you pressurize it. A lot of them seem good and tight but have leaks
 
Some used keg lids just won't seal without a bit of pressure. You usually have to slide them around a bit to find the sweet spot. Keg Lube helps a ton. It's the duct tape of the Kegging World.

Usually, I'll rack to the keg, pop the lid on, purge a few times, then hit it with 20#'s of co2 just to set the seal. Spray a little soapy water and see how it looks. After about 20 min in the keezer, I re-attach the co2 at the desired pressure and leave it be...
 
Thanks. The keg was holding pressure. It came pressurized a small amount. I just noticed that the handle was loose unlike the others where it fit snugly. If it ends up being bad, are the kids replaceable, or is the whole keg probably bad?
 
You can get rebuild kits but I suspect youll be fine once you add CO2.

Regarding the Firestone vs Cornelius, they are the "same" meaning the ball lock fittings for gas in and liquid out will still attach the same but keep track of which keg is which. The difference between cornelius and firestone posts is the threading, Firestone being 9/16 – 18 and Cornelius being 19/32 – 18 so you want to be sure not to put the wrong one on and force it.
 
Two different manufacturers. I cant seem to find where Firestone were made, but Cornelius were made in Anoka Minnesota. I get a little bit nostalgic to think my Corny's lived out their paid lives all over the country but then came home to serve homebrew in semi-retirement. Ok maybe not nostalgic.

Here's a good guide that confirms the above on post threading:

http://www.cornykeg.com/resources/corny-keg-tips/identify-keg/

Get yourself some keg lube and at least one o-ring replacement set. The lube will last you for life and will eliminate 99.5% of leaks. If you do find a leak with star san solution (bubbles escape around seals when keg is under pressure), you can always replace the oring. Give the kegs 20 psi or so to seal the lid.
 
Kind of a weird newby question, but does the gas in line and thing that connects to the keg post from the CO2 tank need to be sanitized?
 
Generally, no, but it never hurts to clean and sanitize brand new gear.
Otherwise, only if you get beer backed up into the gas line.

And that "thing" is referred to as a "disconnect", "quick disconnect", or "QD"...

Cheers!
 
I usually give the disconnect a quick spritz with my starsan solution just to be sure. Probably not necessary but it gives me the peace of mind
 
Thanks. The keg was holding pressure. It came pressurized a small amount. I just noticed that the handle was loose unlike the others where it fit snugly. If it ends up being bad, are the kids replaceable, or is the whole keg probably bad?


Just the lid handle? That's no biggie. You could replace the little rubber feet on it. It could also be the mounts for it are bent.

Either way, that's no big deal. I wouldn't worry or bother. :)
 
You might just need a new O-ring for the lid. Start there, and use some keg lube. Don't go replacing the lid for $15 if you can fix it with a 50 cent O-ring.
 
I put a new oring on it and it is still loose but tighter. I just got my gas cylinder today, so once I get it filled I will see how it does with pressure.

This is a different subject, but as I put my kegerator together, can I leave the gas cylinder outside and route the line in. That would be great to save space, but the temperature differential would be up to 70 degrees in summer. I realize that the gas will cool as it depressurizes, but is that an issue or do I need to keep it in the kegerator as well. It would be nice not to as I can probably keep a couple of extra kegs in there without it...
 
I put a new oring on it and it is still loose but tighter. I just got my gas cylinder today, so once I get it filled I will see how it does with pressure.

This is a different subject, but as I put my kegerator together, can I leave the gas cylinder outside and route the line in. That would be great to save space, but the temperature differential would be up to 70 degrees in summer. I realize that the gas will cool as it depressurizes, but is that an issue or do I need to keep it in the kegerator as well. It would be nice not to as I can probably keep a couple of extra kegs in there without it...

It doesn't matter. You can keep it in or out of the fridge.

For a loose lid handle, you can put a nickle under the "feet" and that sometimes fixes the issue.
 
Thanks. I can't wait to have this up and running! My beer won't be ready though for a little bit... Oh well. I've got plenty of bottles homebrew still!
 
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