Used ball locks, new ball locks, or new sanke

[Beernik]

With my freezer arriving tomorrow, my next purchase is kegs. I’ve once again come to the conclusion I have to add a 4” collar, which means I’m back on the fence on ball locks vs sankes.

My options look like:
1) used ball locks $50 ea.
2) new ball locks $100 ea.
3) new sankes $115 ea.

The used ball locks say they have new rings and hold pressure. But I still worry about inheriting problems.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I have 11 used ball locks, and other than replacing o-rings, no major worries or problems.
I have flirted with the idea of going to sankes, but there is a higher level of difficulty to clean them, and I haven't played with one directly to know how hard it is in actuality. I see used ones come up now and again, a lot of which are of questionable provenance. YMMV.

There is likely nothing wrong with the cheap used ball lock kegs.

 

[mongoose33]

If you buy used ball-lock kegs for $50, likely you can sell them if and when you want to, for...wait for it...$50. So there's not a lot of risk there. Further, you can take the savings and put it into things like excellent Stainless Steel faucets, shanks, tailpiecs, and so on. I have flow-control Perlick faucets (the 650SS), others have had success with the Intertap offering. Flow control is nice because you can fill growlers from the faucet, even fill bottles using a growler filler (I do).

There are some reasons you might want ball-lock kegs instead of sankes. One is dry hopping in the keg. Another is the ability to easily purge them with CO2 and Star-San. Third is to be able to see inside easily.

They're also not that common in the homebrew arena.

I have...about 11 or 12 ball-lock kegs. Some are new torpedo kegs, some are used ball-lock kegs. As long as the mouth of the keg isn't bent, they should be fine.

Why not start with a few ball-lock kegs and see how it goes?

 

[camonick]

I run used pin locks because I got a bunch of them from a Coke service technician years ago for almost nothing. Change all the o-rings and poppets and do a thorough cleaning and you’re golden. Another thing to consider with sanke kegs is the cost of couplers, especially if you’re running multiple kegs ($25-$50 per sanke coupler vs. ~$6 per ball lock disconnect). Ultimately it’s up to you and how deep your pockets are.

 

[Beholder]

I would also recommend the ball lock kegs.

I use both and do typical cleaning with closed circuit PBW, rinse, starsan, and push to the next keg with CO2 leaving an empty pressurized, sanitized keg ready for counter pressure filling.

This process works for regular transfers, though requires unitank or similar equipment that can handle pressure. In addition, every so often, is is necessary to break down the keg to inspect and service. For a corny, this is a 5 second exercise and requires no special tools. For a sanke, this takes a couple minutes and requires a spear removal tool and pick.

If you don’t have pressure transfer capability and use gravity filling, then you would have to remove the spear every time, which would wear out the spear retaining ring prematurely.

 

[Beernik]

Cool. I’ll probably arrange to pick three up on my way home from work Monday or Tuesday.

Anyone ever use a connector like this? Do they save any head space?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I strongly recommend using MFL (male flare line) fittings. They let you swap hoses and make cleaning lines easier.

 

[S-Met]

https://www.morebeer.com/products/ball-lock-disconnect-gas-stainless-flared.html

 

[Beernik]

Cool, I prefer threaded connections over barbed anyway. That’s the “other color” option on the one I posted.

What I’m asking about is minimizing this distance:

 

[shoengine]

From personal experience, I have two sanke D style kegs, and seven used ball lock corny style kegs, the corny are vastly superior for usability in the homebrew space. And so far I haven't had any issues with used kegs.

What fittings are there that can be used with the plastic QDs to convert from barbed to flare?

Edit: nevermind, it looks like the QDs are naturally MFL, and in reality all of mine just have added barbs as tail pieces.

 

[homebrewfinds]

Not sure how many you need, but MoreBeer's current 15% off (ending today 7/19) gets you four kegs for $46.74 each shippped... https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2019/...186-99-46-74-per-keg-and-free-shipping-2.html

 

[Beernik]

I need 3, at least for now, and that’s basically the same price I can pick them up locally.

 

[camonick]

A search on Craigslist could yield even cheaper kegs. I’ve seen them as low as $25-$30 each on occasion (moving sale, downsizing, getting out of the hobby, etc. can yield great deals).... just depends on how fast you need them.

 

[firerat]

Used ball locks and new O-rings.

I second the mfl flare fittings. I put swivel nuts on my lines and mfl on my sanke couplers as well for the rare occasion I get a commercial keg.

Easy to just swap out and easy to clean.

 

[Beernik]

A search on Craigslist could yield even cheaper kegs. I’ve seen them as low as $25-$30 each on occasion (moving sale, downsizing, getting out of the hobby, etc. can yield great deals).... just depends on how fast you need them.

If I wanted to spend a day driving from Tacoma to the Canadian border, I could find three cheaper. The connivence factor of picking these up on my way home from work is worth it.

 

[crazyjake19]

When you're starting out kegging, used ball locks is absolutely the way to go. And as others have mentioned, get the flare fittings to connect to your lines, gives you a little more flexibility.

$50 is the max I'd pay for used ball locks, all of mine have been $20-30 each and in great shape. Buy a pack of new o-rings (dip tube, post, & lid) and some keg lube and you'll be good to go.

 

[bracconiere]

in my upright fridge i use for my kegs. i have 4 ball lock, and two pin lock, i need the pin lock for the back, because their shorter and fit under the control thingy...all of them used

(i'd be embarrassed to admit, i don't know what a sanke keg is still...)

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I picked up two ball lock kegs from a guy on CL; he initially wanted $50 each, and I ended up getting two for $50. He had them pressurized for me to check when I picked them up. I took them home, did what crazyjake did (new O-rings and lube), and cleaned the tar out of them. They're beat up on the outside but good as new on the inside...and most importantly...they hold pressure. No problems so far.

 

[BBBF]

IMO, there are two significant benefits to sankes over cornies. First, they are built like tanks. You could throw them down your stairs and they will survive. And second, there are less points for failure, which might cause you to lose an entire tank of co2.

I don't normally throw my kegs down stairs and I am not sure I've ever lost a tank of co2 because of a leaky keg. I've lost co2 to a leaky manifold, which would have happened with any kind of keg. I have had issues getting a lid to seal, but it's usually pretty obvious when there is a problem. I will admit that I trust that an sanke is sealed more than I trust a corny and there is some value in that.

I use both. I prefer BL cornies because there are smaller sized kegs available and new gadets for homebrewers that use the ball lock disconnects. I also keg acidic things like wine and cider. If you do this, you have to get a sanke coupler with a SS probe, where as the ball lock disconnects are all plastic and SS already.

 

[redllama]

I used ball locks when I first got into kegging and have since switched to sanke kegs. I can typically open/close my sanke kegs faster than my ball locks since I am not fighting to make sure everything is aligned and sealed properly. Hot soak with some oxiclean and they are clean in 30 mins.

I've had some good luck finding sixtels on craigslist for decent prices. Another benefit, although I haven't done it yet, is that if I ever have an event and want a commercial keg on tap it is just a straight swap into the kegerator.

I know everyone has their preferences but I would never go back from sankes.

 

[bracconiere]

*

 

[gnef]

If you have the money to spare, new is always better, in my mind.

Homebrewers tend to look for ways to save money, and I am one of them! Due to that, and that I have around 90 kegs, I had to go used and the cheapest I could find, and refurbish them the best that I could. I do have some that have failed completely over the years though, and I have learned how to mitigate and deal with it (opening dented way too much, some even got pinhole leaks in the body, retired a race track lid keg).

If you are only buying a few kegs though, new makes it so that you don't have to worry about the condition of the kegs, about leaks, sealing the lid, o-rings, poppets, etc.

I am firmly committed to the pin lock and ball locks kegs that I have now, for sure. I know of others that started using sanke kegs, and they are exceptionally happy with them, primarily due to the hardiness and trust of the seals. They do take more to clean well, but if you do that, they do offer some definite advantages. Being able to trust your kegs to be leak free can bring much peace of mind.

 

[Beernik]

Well, I jumped in with both feet today and got 3 ball locks, one of which is a torpedo. I also picked up a used KegCo 3 tap tower. The tower has no faucets, but I want to get some new Perlicks anyway. All together it was $190.

 

[Beernik]

Success.

It looks like I have 2.5” from the top of the keg post to the rim of my freezer. The 90-degree disconnects I posted are 2.5” tall, so I should be able to get away with no collar on the keezer.

I think my next moves are to buy a wrench so I can clean and assess the condition of the tower shanks and tubes, buy the quick disconnects to verify my height calculation, and take the kegs apart to clean them and assess their condition.

 

[Beernik]

Instead of making a new thread, I thought I’d ask here, is there a trick to removing these metal bands?

 

[crazyjake19]

Instead of making a new thread, I thought I’d ask here, is there a trick to removing these metal bands?

I usually use a Dremel with a small cutting wheel. For the bands that have little tabs that lock into a small slot, I just cut the tab and the band opens up. If it's one that's been crimped on you may just have to cut through the whole band. Just use a light hand and stop when you've cut through the band so you don't cut into the tailpiece.

 

[crazyjake19]

I used ball locks when I first got into kegging and have since switched to sanke kegs. I can typically open/close my sanke kegs faster than my ball locks since I am not fighting to make sure everything is aligned and sealed properly. Hot soak with some oxiclean and they are clean in 30 mins.

Do you always open your sankes to clean them or do you ever just flush them through a coupler with the check valves removed? I've heard of guys doing both methods, and after using ball locks for a few years I'm looking to acquire some 1/6bbl sanke kegs soon.

 

[day_trippr]

Instead of making a new thread, I thought I’d ask here, is there a trick to removing these metal bands?

The trick is to not bother and just replace them...

Cheers!

 

[Beernik]

Yeah, I think I’m just going to replace them. A Dremel is probably the only way to cut the band & I’d risk nicking the barn in the process.

I found a connector kit with a barbed flange, nut, washer, and worm clamp for $6 and that wasn’t looking very hard. The tap end has ear clamps on them. If I can’t cut those with snips, I’ll invest in the proper tool.