Problem dispensing beer from carbonated keg, looking for help.

[boralyl]

I constructed a 4 tap keezer a few months ago. I have 4 kegs hooked up to a 4 way air distributor and a freshly filled 5 lb co2 tank. Prior to my latest keg all have worked fine. My 4th keg was the first I primed with sugar. I let it sit at room temperature for 3 weeks and it's been sitting in my keezer for a few days to cool down. It definitely has pressure because when I depress the gas poppet a rush of co2 comes out(It's a converted pin-lock keg).

The problem is when I pull the tap lever no fluid comes out, I don't see any going into the fluid tubing either. II tried hooking up a different fluid quick disconnect that works on another keg and still nothing comes out. Is it possible that the dip tube is clogged from yeast or something else which is preventing it from dispensing fluid? I'm not sure what else to try and am running out of ideas. The only other thing I can think of is it open the keg and transfer the beer to a bucket while I take it apart and see if the dip tube is clogged and then rack it back and force carbonate it. Obviously, that would be the last thing I would want to try. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[rycov]

sorry to even ask, but you do have the lines hooked up to the right ports right? other than that I really don't have a guess.

 

[djsethall]

No need to transfer your beer. You can remove the OUT port after depressurizing (use a socket or wrench) and the dip tube will come out very easily. Check it for clogs, clean and replace.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Yeah I have no idea what could be happening, probably a clog. Try hooking up your gas line to the "OUT" poppit to try and blast the clog out

 

[boralyl]

sorry to even ask, but you do have the lines hooked up to the right ports right? other than that I really don't have a guess.

I'm assuming I do because the current poppet I have the gas hooked up to disperses air when pressed, and the other doesn't do much of anything, although when disconnecting the out quick disconnect there is a little(minimal) fluid that comes out. It isn't marked on the keg and I had already sealed the keg so I didn't re-open it. I thought co2 would only come out of one side, and liquid would come out of the other.

No need to transfer your beer. You can remove the OUT port after depressurizing (use a socket or wrench) and the dip tube will come out very easily. Check it for clogs, clean and replace.

I didn't think about that, that would save a lot of time. I'll give it a whirl after depressurizing the keg.

 

[djsethall]

Let me know how it goes

 

[rycov]

probably got them right then. I'd give a go at releasing the pressure and unscrewing that dip tube to see if it has something clogging it.

 

[boralyl]

Let me know how it goes

So everything was hooked up correctly. I removed the dip tube and it was completely clogged with hop matter. It looks like the pellets I used for keg-hopping somehow got out of the bag. I cleaned it out, resanitized and put it back together. I was able to get a little bit of fluid out before it clogged again. I'm going to try to put a bag over the end of the dip tube to hopefully filter that stuff out.

I'm open to any other suggestions as well, if this has happened to others.

 

[djsethall]

Never dry hop with pellets. They are ground fine enough to get out of most mesh bags. It's all carbed up isn't it. You may want to rack it to a carboy, clean out the keg and put the beer back into it.

 

[boralyl]

Never dry hop with pellets. They are ground fine enough to get out of most mesh bags. It's all carbed up isn't it. You may want to rack it to a carboy, clean out the keg and put the beer back into it.

I know that now. I had a bunch of small quantities of leftover pellet hops in the freezer I wanted to get rid of, guess that wasn't the best idea. I'll mess with it more tomorrow, I may have to completely clean out the keg and rerack like you suggested.

 

[djsethall]

Good news though, you learned about not dry hopping with pellets, learned how to remove a dip tube and will have sparkly clean beer to drink when you are all done racking.

 

[boralyl]

Good news though, you learned about not dry hopping with pellets, learned how to remove a dip tube and will have sparkly clean beer to drink when you are all done racking.

This is very true, I feel more knowledgeable already!