Question about kegs.

[beerenstein]

I've bottled several batches now, but want to move to kegs. I have 2 pin lock cornies, but no quick connects. I want to go ahead and put a batch in one of my kegs so I'll have a fermentation vessel free. Could I keg, and add sugar to naturally carbonate in the keg, then put it on c02 when I have the rest of the equipment?

 

[Jawbox0]

You can, but I'd want to remove as much headspace as I could. Normally I'd want to purge the keg with CO2 to avoid oxidation and get a good seal.

 

[kombat]

I'd also be concerned about being unable to get an air-tight seal on the keg. If you just close it up without applying any pressure, there's a risk that the lid won't tightly "seat," and any CO2 produced as the yeast consume the priming sugar will leak out the lid. The end result would be that the yeast consume the sugar, slightly increasing the ABV, but no carbonation is retained.

 

[beerenstein]

So, kegs normally need an initial burst of pressure to seal? I bought them refurbished, but they were delivered pressurized, and one even has a bit of orange Fanta in it (I messed with the posts just looking at it) if it was pressurized with co2, does anyone know of a way to transfer gas from a pressurized keg to an unpressurized keg?

 

[porterpounder]

Some kegs need it and some don't. Unfortunately you won't know until you test it. You can flip it over and see if it leaks liquid, but testing it with water or sanitizer first does not guarantee it will seal with subsequent filling.

You can pressurize the keg with another keg. Just take two disconnects (which I believe you said you don't have) and attach one to each end of a line of tubing and hook it first to the pressurized keg and then to the unpressurized one. you're not going to have much time to play with it, but it will reach equilibrium between the two kegs and can be done.

 

[kombat]

So, kegs normally need an initial burst of pressure to seal?

Yes.

I bought them refurbished, but they were delivered pressurized

They do that to guarantee that the keg holds pressure, so you can't call them up and complain that they sold you a leaky keg 6 months from now.

and one even has a bit of orange Fanta in it

Disassemble it completely and soak all of the parts in a hot bath of PBW for at least a day. Then rinse thoroughly. Replace all rubber seals with brand new ones.

(I messed with the posts just looking at it)

If it's a ball-lock keg, note that the posts are not interchangeable. The "gas in" post will have more notches around the base. If you connect a liquid disconnect to the "gas in" post, you'll have a helluva time getting it back off. DO NOT mix them up.

if it was pressurized with co2, does anyone know of a way to transfer gas from a pressurized keg to an unpressurized keg?

I suppose you could rig up a simple transfer line out of gas line, with the "gas" (grey/white) ball lock disconnects on both ends. Attach each end to the "gas in" posts of the kegs and half of the gas will flow to the empty keg (equalizing the pressure). That'd let you save half the gas, but why would you want to? Sounds like it's contaminated with Fanta aroma. CO2 is relatively cheap.

 

[beerenstein]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I'll post what I decide to do when I do it.

The only reason I'm considering this is because I want to free up a fermentor, and don't want to bottle, or buy all of the hardware for kegging in one go. I'll probably end up bottling. ..

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

If you plan on buying the rest of the kegging stuff soon, just transfer to a clean and sanitized keg for bulk aging. You can add a little bit of sugar (less than you would for priming), if you are worried about a tight seal. The little bit of CO2 it produces, should displace any O that may be left in keg, assuming you leave as little headspace as possible.

I have done this before, and have let beers age for 2-3 months this way.