Pubkeg plastic kegs?

[trboyden]

I believe the LHBS meant the whole inner (because it comes sanitized and CO2 purged from the factory), however he went over how to remove the top with me on the phone. From the store, the outer container lid comes sealed with a black electrical like tape. Remove that and the top cover then screws off, exposing the internals (You can remove the bladder/valve combo now). To unscrew the valve from the bladder, you must first relieve the pressure by depressing the ball valve in the center of the valve. This is probably easiest by using the Sanke adapter and tapping the bladder. Once the pressure is relieved, the valve should unscrew from the bladder like a soda bottle cap. You may need to use a pipe strap wrench (as mentioned earlier in the thread) the first time to break the tight factory seal. I don't believe the valve itself comes apart, but I haven't tried it yet myself. Even with S/S Sanke kegs, they recommend just replacing the whole valve versus trying to clean them. Those can purchased through a Grainger or similar supplier along with the o-rings and snap rings.

 

[kaboom133]

That just made my day, thanks!

I've been filling mine from another keg through a sanke tap with the check valve removed. I thought the valve might screw off, but I didn't want to put any real force to it without knowing for sure if it would work for fear of breaking it.

 

[kaboom133]

So I just tore mine apart to see how it went. It comes completely apart, even the valve can be torn apart very easily. Once the spear is out, there are two clips that hold a cap on the end of the valve. Once the cap is popped off, there just a spring and the button that the coupler depresses.

 

[mikescooling]

Am I the only one who read the thing about them exploding? Some guy lost his life. We use more disposable plastics each day than fuel for all the cars and trucks. The oil will run out. This is a fix for something that was not broken.

 

[mysteryshrimp]

Am I the only one who read the thing about them exploding? Some guy lost his life.

This. It would be cheaper long-term to use regular stainless steel, and they are rated far beyond what plastic ever could be.

By the way, Burnt Hickory Brewery in the Atlanta area uses the plastic kegs, likes them, likes that they don't have to worry about tracking them down. Nanobreweries might have a use for them. Home brewers probably don't.

 

[kaboom133]

Most homebrewers don't have access to commercial keg cleaning equipment which is what caused the accidental death associated with these kegs. Homebrewers are more likely to take the keg apart and clean is like they would a corny keg.

I get these kegs for free where I work, making it much cheaper, and usually more legal than stainless.

I was concerned that there would be some problem down the road with my regulator that would cause the pressure in my system to spike so I installed a pressure relief valve in line before each of my couplers that have these kegs on them.

i can see how these kegs might not be a good fit for everybody, but for me they're perfect.

 

[trboyden]

@mikescooling

No, but you are the only one trying to make a political statement out of it. If you don't want to use them, then don't. Nobody is making you use them. Also, polycarbonate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate) is not an oil-based plastic. It is made from composite compounds of ethyl alcohol and chlorine gas.

The main compound that makes stainless steel stainless, chromium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium), is actually a rarer mineral than oil. Also the process to make chromium coatings and chromium mining are far more hazardous to the environment. Chromium, in large amounts, is toxic and can cause cancer.

So how about starting a crusade about that? Frankly given the way the country is currently being governed, I'm not worried about being around long enough for either of those issues to be a problem in my lifetime. And before you go on a rant about "the children", they are likely to have other pressing financial and political issues to worry about left over from prior generations.

 

[mikescooling]

@mikescooling

No, but you are the only one trying to make a political statement out of it. If you don't want to use them, then don't. Nobody is making you use them. Also, polycarbonate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate) is not an oil-based plastic. It is made from composite compounds of ethyl alcohol and chlorine gas.

The main compound that makes stainless steel stainless, chromium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium), is actually a rarer mineral than oil. Also the process to make chromium coatings and chromium mining are far more hazardous to the environment. Chromium, in large amounts, is toxic and can cause cancer.

So how about starting a crusade about that? Frankly given the way the country is currently being governed, I'm not worried about being around long enough for either of those issues to be a problem in my lifetime. And before you go on a rant about "the children", they are likely to have other pressing financial and political issues to worry about left over from prior generations.

So you saying a stainless keg that has been in use for more than 30 years is more hazardous to the environment than a keg you use once? I know you don't care about the children you didn't have to type it.

 

[trboyden]

So you saying a stainless keg that has been in use for more than 30 years is more hazardous to the environment than a keg you use once? I know you don't care about the children you didn't have to type it.

It's the same argument as electric cars vs. gasoline powered cars. You have to look at the entire lifecycle of everything that goes into the product and what happens to it afterwards. If your electric car is being charged by power generated by a coal plant, than it ain't cleaner than a gasoline powered car.

The argument isn't the keg itself, it's the processes that went into making it.

Hell I ain't saying the processes to make the polycarbonate are any better, but don't act like you are holier than thou just because you use S/S, because you're not. At the end of the day, they are probably about equal from an environmental standpoint.

PUBKEG is one-use only from the standpoint that it's intended to be sold once to a particular end-user, used once by that end-user, and returned back to the manufacturer. But the manufacturer actually cleans and resells them, so they are used over and over again. Basically it is a money making scheme because the manufacturer gets to resell the same unit over and over again.

For home-brew use, you can disassemble it, clean it, and use it again. So your premise for discrediting the product is false. If recycled, the plastic can be ground down to a powder and reused to make another product. Doesn't get much better than that from a green perspective.

 

[Paps]

I know this is a complete and total necro-thread but......
has anyone on here used these things a time or two and if so what say you about them??????

 

[trboyden]

I know this is a complete and total necro-thread but......
has anyone on here used these things a time or two and if so what say you about them??????

Once un-threaded, the plastic threads don't seal back up well. Mine leaked CO2 like crazy. I even tried a bunch of different o-rings with no luck. I ended up going back to pin locks. At $30 bucks for a used pin lock keg, the plastic pub keg isn't worth the investment, for a home brewer. If you had an inverted Sanke keg filler, where you didn't have to un-thread the top, like in a commercial environment, they'd probably be fine.

-Tim