pin lock liquid disconnect leaking

[d_k_8]

I am hoping y'all can help me figure out what's going on here. Trying to keg my first beer (have kegged a hop water, but this is my first beer). Got it into the keg last night and put in the kegerator with the liquid disconnect on, but the gas disconnect not connected. This afternoon, I attached the gas disconnect and when I did the liquid disconnect started leaking quite a bit - just beer coming out of what looked like the top of the disconnect. I disconnected the gas, cleaned it up and as long as I don't attach the gas it does not leak. Help?

also, not sure if it is related or not, but the liquid disconnect was *very difficult* to attach. It felt like it was on all the way but I couldn't turn it - I had to push it in with a lot more force than on the keg that has the hop water in it.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

The disconnect is a simple device.
One can use a screwdriver and unscrew the "guts", there will be a seal under the top piece, a flat squareish o-ring, then there will be the piece that opens the poppet, it has a seal at the bottom and a spring.
I kinda sounds like there is a problem there.
Also, let the co2 pressure out of the keg and see if you can easily push the poppet on the beer side of the keg, just to make sure it isn't jammed and caused the problem in the disconnect. ( leave it pressurized, put a pager towel or a towel over the poppet and give it a push, beer should spray)
They should be easy to push, just like on your first keg.
The only time I have had a problem pushing on disconnects was when the keg was severely over carbonated.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I had a similar issue recently. Turns out I just hadn't tightened the end cap when I assembled it after cleaning/sanitizing. Use a flat-head screwdriver to snug it up.

That might not be your issue, but I always like to try the simplest fix first.

 

[d_k_8]

Thank you both. I honestly didn’t even realize I could take these plastic disconnects apart so I’ll take it apart today, inspect everything and make sure I get it back together nice and tight

 

[d_k_8]

I had a similar issue recently. Turns out I just hadn't tightened the end cap when I assembled it after cleaning/sanitizing. Use a flat-head screwdriver to snug it up.

this was totally it - thanks!!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

this was totally it - thanks!!

I love it when it's something super simple!

 

[balrog]

One more caveat:

Beware when you disassemble the QD. There is a washer in there. It likes to rinse out, hiding in that alternate universe where single socks in the dryer go. It also likes to stay and wrinkle sometimes.

You have been warned.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I am unfamiliar with this washer. Now I'm worried.

 

[day_trippr]

The reference is to a very thin plastic washer that goes under the slotted cap.
They are easy to lose, but otoh, there's rarely a logical reason to remove the cap to begin with...

Cheers!

 

[balrog]

See this. Everything in its place. Everything has a place.

 

[day_trippr]

Note that in all four cases the plunger is shown up-side-down.

Cheers! (I thought only morebeer.com got that so very wrong )

 

[balrog]

hey!

I had tto search a whole27 seconds to find that image!

You expect me to QC it before posting??!!??

 

[day_trippr]

lol! It's not on you - this goes back many years - probably over a decade - when someone came up with a similar schematic-ish image of a ball lock QD and got the plunger so totally upside down I'm pretty sure it first showed up on a morebeer.com page but spread like wildfire.

I still think the whole thing is hilarious but I'm an engineer and we are humoured by things that just slide by the rest of humanity...

Cheers!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

The reference is to a very thin plastic washer that goes under the slotted cap.
They are easy to lose, but otoh, there's rarely a logical reason to remove the cap to begin with...

Cheers!

Do you not disassemble to clean/sanitize?

I guess you could run cleaner/sanitizer through it under pressure, but disassembly seems more thorough (and doesn't use CO2).

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, currently I have 22 gas QDs in service, which should never really require any cleaning/sanitation aside from that caused by adverse events; and 6 beer QDs, between a keezer and three fermentation/cold carbonation/conditioning fridges (all outfitted the same so I can use any of them for anything). Periodically, the keezer beer QDs/lines/faucets get in-line cleaned with a pumped recirculation of warm BLC or LLC - whichever I have currently on hand. Just did cleaning a couple of days ago. Otoh, the gas QDs across all four appliances never get any attention - unless somehow beer backs into them (something that hasn't happened in many years).

So, yeah, aside from unusual events I've never disassembled a QD for cleaning purposes...

Cheers!

 

[J2W2]

I never knew about taking pin lock QDs apart either, until I learned about it in this forum. Once I found out, I started disassembling mine and cleaning them every time I cleaned my beer lines. Might be overkill, but I have time on my hands while the line cleaner is circulating.

Two lessons I learned. One, make sure you check those flat washers; I had one develop a small spilt in a liquid disconnect and that caused a leak. Two, watch your hands while you're messing with them. My screwdriver slipped once because my hands were wet and I drove it into a finger. Now I hold the disconnects with a towel when I'm assembling or disassembling them; gives a better grip and at least some hand protection!

 

[balrog]

I still think the whole thing is hilarious but I'm an engineer and we are humoured by things that just slide by the rest of humanity...

I'm just an OCD Physicist (by schooling) so here ya go