Questions about refurbishing soda keg

[thetito]

I got this old Canada Dry keg with the hopes that it would be salvageable and beer worthy. The keg has no relief valve, dip tube (liquid or gas), pin/ball locks or usable o-rings. It does have the gas fitting shown in the picture. The plate with the threaded post tightens against the bottom of the larger lid with a wing nut. The large o-ring fits between the plate and the lid for a seal.

What parts do I need to get that will fit this keg? Can it be fitted with ball or pin locks? Should I install a pressure relief valve?

Pictures: http://imgur.com/a/r4Eos

Thanks for the help

 

[kh54s10]

Sorry to say that normal pin lock or ball lock fittings, dip tubes or o-rings are not going to work. You might be able to rig something up but it will not be a buy it and attach it deal.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Any manufacturer's data stamped on the side of it?

If it can be fitted with pin or ball locks, you would not necessarily need a PRV, as you could vent it from the gas "in" port if needed.

Could save a little expense.

What is the quantity of the vessel?

 

[billrigsby]

Might be worth more as-is looks old and classic?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I believe what you have there is a milk tank. May prove problematic as a pressurized beer keg.

 

[JonM]

I dunno - that looks like an old time Canada Dry logo in the side.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I dunno - that looks like an old time Canada Dry logo in the side.

Yes but not all syrup systems carbonated in keg. Some just mixed the water in the keg and carbonated at the fountain head.

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

You could make this work just fine. However, for what it would cost to refurbish you could get at least 2 used cornies. Unless you are attached to this piece - some things are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[JonM]

Yes but not all syrup systems carbonated in keg. Some just mixed the water in the keg and carbonated at the fountain head.

Ah. Gotcha.

 

[day_trippr]

Back when that was a new keg it was probably filled with syrup, with the mix and carbonation happening at the soda fountain.

One of those risers looks like it might have a 1/4" female pipe thread for a screw-in gas fitting. The other riser looks like it would have been fitted with a large bore flanged dip tube with gasket. No idea what fitting would have been atop the Out riser though, as that keg clearly predates either the classic pin or ball lock keg designs so it's unlikely to have used either...

Cheers!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Back when that was a new keg it was probably filled with syrup, with the mix and carbonation happening at the soda fountain.

One of those risers looks like it might have a 1/4" female pipe thread for a screw-in gas fitting. The other riser looks like it would have been fitted with a large bore flanged dip tube with gasket. No idea what fitting would have been atop the Out riser though, as that keg clearly predates either the classic pin or ball lock keg designs so it's unlikely to have used either...

Cheers!

I think the fitting for the male threaded port is the one on the table. This thing screams repurposed milk machine tank or milk cooling tank to me. I just can't find any google image examples old enough to match it. Current design have all the ports in the lid.

 

[day_trippr]

You're right, and when installed that part ends up with an MFL exposed to the world, so a swivel nut and barb could hook up a beer line to that side - IF there was a dip tube in the pictures!

The other side one could install an MPT to MFL adapter like this

.
Just need to match up that internal thread, but I'm betting it's 1/4".

Not exactly "QD", but if the thing is going to be used again, that's a start.
Still, it looks like the effort is gated by the missing dip tube...

Cheers!

 

[thetito]

The keg looks like it is built to hold pressure, the inside is all round and it has some sturdy walls. The gas fitting is for the male threaded port on the keg. Is a gas dip tube necessary, or just the long one for the beer? I got this off a guy who had just bought three of them at an auction for next to nothing, all had Canada Dry or Lemon Lime logos and syrup inside, but none had dip tubes or any other parts. I can't tell, but it seems like the only way to attach a dip tube would be if it was threaded. There must have been something to get the syrup out of there when it was in use...

 

[day_trippr]

You don't need a gas dip tube unless part of it is used to seal whatever threads on top of it (eg: corny kegs need a flange to hold the o-ring that seals both flange and post).

I disagree with your conclusion that the threaded fitting on the table is for the gas side. If it was, exactly how would you attach a long dip tube to the other riser? Thread it in from inside? I don't think that's gonna work.

Otoh, the riser that the fitting threads onto sure looks like there's a landing spot for a dip tube flange and o-ring...

Cheers!

 

[Yesfan]

Does the keg have a pressure label stamped/printed anywhere? Seems like any vessel that was built to hold some sort of pressure would have it indicated somewhere. I think my cornies have 60-psi max stamped on them.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, most corny kegs are rated for over 100psi - 135psi seems common - but the PRV is supposed to let go at something well below - either 65 or 85psi iirc...

Cheers!

 

[thetito]

No pressure ratings that I could find. It does say Firestone and STANALOY (shown in a picture I just added to the album). Also, when I got it the gas fitting was threaded onto the keg as shown in another image I just uploaded. It's the only place it seems to fit so I suspect that is where it belongs.

http://imgur.com/a/r4Eos

 

[Yesfan]

fwiw, most corny kegs are rated for over 100psi - 135psi seems common - but the PRV is supposed to let go at something well below - either 65 or 85psi iirc...

Cheers!

Thanks for the clarification. I looked (not that I doubted you) at some of the kegs I have and those pressure ratings were stamped on them, on the side. One labeled the "super champion" was rated at 135psi and one of my other kegs was at 100psi. Both were made by the Cornelius company. I didn't look at all of them (only about four of them), but all I did look at had a 130psi rating stamped on the lids. Surely that can't be for the PRV can't it?

EDIT: I know I read it here, but maybe the 60psi I was thinking of has to do with bottles??

 

[day_trippr]

Thanks for the clarification. I looked (not that I doubted you) at some of the kegs I have and those pressure ratings were stamped on them, on the side. One labeled the "super champion" was rated at 135psi and one of my other kegs was at 100psi. Both were made by the Cornelius company. I didn't look at all of them (only about four of them), but all I did look at had a 130psi rating stamped on the lids. Surely that can't be for the PRV can't it?[...]

None of my 14 kegs are stamped that low, but I don't doubt a 100psi rating could be the case. It's in the ballpark, after all, and at the end of the day it's the PRV that sets the limit.

As for the stamping on the lid, I don't know what to make of that.
For sure the PRV must be rated below the keg burst pressure rating!

Cheers!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Google firestone sanaloy. Each link refs milk cans. I think what you have was customized for premix.

Is this thing a 10 gallon?

Im thinking easy conversion to fermenter.

 

[thetito]

Yeah, I'm finding a lot of milk cans with that search, but nothing that matches what I have. I did find one similar style keg on an older thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=357966. From what I've gathered the parts would all have to be custom, and it wouldn't hold pressure very well. So ultimately not worth the effort.

 

[Yesfan]

if you can't use it to keg beer, what about as a fermentor? If that's 10 gallons, it might be worth looking to see if you can mod the lid for an airlock.

 

[thetito]

if you can't use it to keg beer, what about as a fermentor? If that's 10 gallons, it might be worth looking to see if you can mod the lid for an airlock.

Unfortunately it's only 5 gallons.

 

[govner1]

^^^this. Would make a great fermentor w/ much less needed for the conversion.