Sealing Kegs

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TheJadedDog

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So my lhbs said that if you just hit the keg to seal it and then disconnect from the gas, it will lose the seal as the CO2 dissolves in the beer. This would mean you would have to continually hit it to with gas while aging right? Or is there some means by which I can seal it, put it somewhere to age, and forget about it until it's time to tap it?
 
Your LHBS is being cautious.

Corney kegs in good shape with good poppets and seals do not need any pressure at all to seal. They seal when you close the lid. Sometimes you need to hit it with pressure to seat the seals as they age a bit but once seated tey'll stay sealed. Occasionally as poppets/seals age or your corney lid feet wear or you get bends/dings in the top of thekeg you might have a situation where the keg will not stay sealed unless under constant pressure.

So the answer is: it depends.
 
kornkob said:
Your LHBS is being cautious.

Corney kegs in good shape with good poppets and seals do not need any pressure at all to seal. They seal when you close the lid. Sometimes you need to hit it with pressure to seat the seals as they age a bit but once seated tey'll stay sealed.

well said.

I've never had trouble with any of my kegs. I rebuild them all and they all hold great pressure. If I had one that needed presurization to seal I would probably ditch it as I am too lazy to deal with that (or would just forget which one it was and always stress!)
 
I totally agree with Jason above. If your keg lids and the lip of the opening of the kegs are not dinged or dented, and all your poppets, keg fittings and o-rings are in good shape they should hold pressure without having to hit it with 30 psi. I like to do it anyway though. Keep everything in good condition, keep the o-rings lightly coated with some keg lube (food grade silicone grease) and should not have to worry about leaks.
 
I have one that won't seal without pressure applied (the lid is a little bent), but I use it for storing sanitizer solution.
 
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