Poppets not flush with posts

[tracer bullet]

I emailed a few different companies, I'd wait a few days for a reply then try the next one. "Beverage Elements" got back to me right away and confirmed that their springs matched their pictures and had just < 6 coils instead of more like 7 coils. I bought a bunch and they work. All my old springs have been tossed or will be once the keg's are kicked.

https://beveragelements.com/beverag...arts-accessories/universal-keg-poppet-spring/

If anyone else runs into this someday, hopefully this helps. Will definitely speed up a closed transfer to a keg and will be interesting to see if it changes dispensing at all.

 

[sibelman]

This is great stuff, @tracer bullet . I've been working with consistent new legs and QDs but seeing unexplained foaming when pouring, at times. Could be variations in the springs.

All this makes it seem more important than I knew for the springs on both sides of the poppets to correctly balance so the keg post and QD are both fully open. Heck, aren't there some standards in this world?

 

[mac_1103]

Heck, aren't there some standards in this world?

I think the problem is that there are far too many.

 

[sibelman]

In any event, it should be easy to buy matched pairs - ball lock post and quick disconnect - that perform correctly together. So it seems to me.

 

[tracer bullet]

In any event, it should be easy to buy matched pairs - ball lock post and quick disconnect - that perform correctly together. So it seems to me.

I'd love that. And yeah, it does seem like with the softer springs (or at least they are able to be compressed more) that I could end up in a scenario where I'm sad that my QD's barely compress and flow is lacking for a new reason.

I mentioned above, I attached a foot or so of hose to a QD and tested out the different springs (under posts, on kegs). I suppose I should have actually checked a few different QD's and their brands. Ugh.

Hopefully the QD springs bottom out first, and then begin to compress the post springs? Or something like that.

 

[sibelman]

something like that.

In my imagination, they both move equally when engaged. That way both are open (fully?).

 

[day_trippr]

I could see "two weak springs" scenario where poppet and plunger both open equally - but minimally...

 

[Broothru]

I emailed a few different companies, I'd wait a few days for a reply then try the next one. "Beverage Elements" got back to me right away and confirmed that their springs matched their pictures and had just < 6 coils instead of more like 7 coils. I bought a bunch and they work. All my old springs have been tossed or will be once the keg's are kicked.

https://beveragelements.com/beverag...arts-accessories/universal-keg-poppet-spring/

If anyone else runs into this someday, hopefully this helps. Will definitely speed up a closed transfer to a keg and will be interesting to see if it changes dispensing at all.

So, I had a freshly kegged Kolsch lagering untapped in my kegerator. Went to sample my brew, and the keg was flat. This was after having fermented under pressure and spunding to 15 psig.

I repressurized to serving press/temp and did the StarSan spray on all fittings, only to discover a tiny stream of very small bubbles coming from the Gas In port. The poppet was about a millimeter above “flush” with the post’s top surface, just like @tracer bullet described. It sure looks like ‘cause’ rather than coincidence.