Wierd Firestone 10 gallon keg

[LarMoeCur]

I got lucky and found a 10 gallon keg. Now for the weird part! It has a screw on locking lid with a wing nut to tighten the seal. Not the normal leaver locker. The only markings are on the lid which says firestone four times. The body has no markings i can find just a serial or model number. The post are a little different too. They have plastic inserts under the post. I'm pretty sure it's a challenger series but figured i ask here. Any idea where to find those little plastic post pieces? And a lid seal? They work but will need to be replaced soon.

I was saddened because i originally thought i was buying two kegs for 100 bucks. The sellers son really wanted them so i could only get one! But for 50 bucks i really couldn't be too sad.

I can post pictures when i get home from work if needed.

 

[BBBF]

This plastic insert might work.
https://www.kegconnection.com/plastic-post-insert-2/
As for the lid gasket, you could try buying a silicone backing mat and cutting your own.

 

[Deadalus]

If you could post pictures I would appreciate as I have a small old keg that might be similar and I am particularly interested in the lid and lid seal.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

measure the o-ring that you have

https://www.google.com/search?q=o+r...j0i457j0l6.7801j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
there are numerous place to buy o-rings of all sizes of various types of material

 

[LarMoeCur]

Well, now that I've taken it apart. The o ring looks like a normal one that got flattened out. I also found the stamping on the footer. I think that's the plastic piece i need. Now i really wish i got both kegs!

 

[Deadalus]

Hey cool! I have a little 3 gallon that is built similarly. I haven't been able to get it to pressurize because the o-ring was missing. A regular keg o-ring does not work. Would you be so kind as to remove yours and take a picture? I think it is supposed to be flat potentially. Are you familiar with a racetrack style lid? They have a flatter gasket but are oval.

Did the other similar keg have the wing nut? I am not sure that is supposed to be there. I have a pressure relief valve there and I would expect yours should too. Does the wing nut do anything, like affect the seal of the lid? Do you have the sort of stepped metal that the lid grabs onto like mine?

Those are my posts. The underside piece to the beer post is actually metal on mine. There isn't one for the gas side there's a short piece of metal tubing which I think is a homemade fix for that post. So you had the plastic inserts on both? The metal one I have is not the same height as the short tubing, I think the metal insert was shorter. Mine definitely leaks around the o-ring. I bought an o-ring that is slightly smaller than a regular 5 gallon o-ring. It didn't work either. I got the impression the o-ring needed to be thicker as the lid is still loose.

Too bad you couldn't get the other one. Maybe you could ask the seller's son to please send photos of it disassembled as I have been trying to figure this keg out for over a year at least. I think the only set of pictures I could find that might have been similar were from a HBT member that is no longer active. Feel free to forward these or send a link to him as it would be helpful.

Oh and my lid has three holes in it on the edges. They wouldn't affect sealing, they may be viewing holes to see if the lid is seated proper? But I am not sure.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Mine has a bottom plate that tights up to the seal by pulling the lid down onto the gasket.

On yours it looks like someone over the years removed the bottom plate and threaded in a pressure relief valve.

 

[Deadalus]

Well looks like I got the short stick, that agrees with the one picture showing in the other thread I had found. It showed a lid with a thumbscrew. I put in a new shower pan about 6 weeks ago and the gasket on the drain worked similarly, compression slightly deformed it to create a seal. Some of the posters in the other thread suggested these were milk jugs. I wonder if they part of some institutional milk dispensing system. Someone else suggested possibly a cleaning system. I got my 10 gallon keg as part of an eye wash station but it has the more common cornelius keg lid.

So your last picture shows the plate attached but in the first lid picture the o-ring is just black but 2nd there appears to be a gray band. Is that part of the metal plate or a separate piece?

 

[Deadalus]

A couple of other oddball ones I just found pictures of. VINTAGE FIRESTONE KEGS (EMPTY) | #149881293. Squat 3 gallons with racetrack lids.

 

[LarMoeCur]

I got it cleaned up and used it for a full 10 gallon batch. Worked like a champ! But now that I've used it. I got a leaky pop-it on the gas side. No big deal if I don't take the gas connection off. I'm going to replace the plastic insert and see if that will fix it.

 

[therrick1]

This is fantastic! I too was just gifted a similar keg (pictures below) and I ha e been wondering what the hell to do with it. I generally brew 5-6 gallon batches and was toying with the idea of turning it into either a fermenter or a brite tank. I’ve got so many questions!

 

[Deadalus]

This is fantastic! I too was just gifted a similar keg (pictures below) and I ha e been wondering what the hell to do with it. I generally brew 5-6 gallon batches and was toying with the idea of turning it into either a fermenter or a brite tank. I’ve got so many questions!

Could you take a picture of the bottom of the lid? That's the part that is missing on mine.

 

[day_trippr]

Looks like two different lid systems. Both apparently twist-lock, but one sporting a PRV on the lid, the other having some wingnut thingie where the PRV would be, but with a separate PRV on the crown of the keg...

Cheers!

 

[Deadalus]

Looks like two different lid systems. Both apparently twist-lock, but one sporting a PRV on the lid, the other having some wingnut thingie where the PRV would be, but with a separate PRV on the crown of the keg...

Cheers!

Don't know for sure but LarMoeCur doesn't have a PRV at all, does have the wingnut and has reported that one working. I don't have anything stamped on the lid like these other two do. They have "lock" stamped on the keg body and the lid which appears to be for determining it is locked. I have those three holes and I think now they are meant to view that the lid is locked. They show when the lid is just past the deepest step. Lends strength that it might be the original lid, not a replacement. But mine doesn't seal, not even close. It may have a radically different seal or it may need the wingnut and lid bottom piece.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Don't know for sure but LarMoeCur doesn't have a PRV at all, does have the wingnut and has reported that one working. I don't have anything stamped on the lid like these other two do. They have "lock" stamped on the keg body and the lid which appears to be for determining it is locked. I have those three holes and I think now they are meant to view that the lid is locked. They show when the lid is just past the deepest step. Lends strength that it might be the original lid, not a replacement. But mine doesn't seal, not even close. It may have a radically different seal or it may need the wingnut and lid bottom piece.

My keg will not seal until I tighten the wing nut. The wing nut and plate apply force on the gasket to seal the keg. When the keg is empty I let of the pressure by loosing the wing nut. Looking at your pictures, I think some one tried to fix your keg at some point. Your PRV hole looks welded. It's not a clean stamped cut hole like on mine. I don't think Firestone would weld in PRV or cut a hole in a stamped part that way at least. I'd like to see what Therrick's looks like.

 

[Spencerw]

This is fantastic! I too was just gifted a similar keg (pictures below) and I ha e been wondering what the hell to do with it. I generally brew 5-6 gallon batches and was toying with the idea of turning it into either a fermenter or a brite tank. I’ve got so many questions!

I just happened upon a keg exactly like this one but don't know anything about it. Did you end up using it for something other than kegging? What is the middle post for, that's throwing me for a loop haha.

 

[LarMoeCur]

I just happened upon a keg exactly like this one but don't know anything about it. Did you end up using it for something other than kegging? What is the middle post for, that's throwing me for a loop haha.

It's like the threaded post are shorter then a normal keg. So, instead of making a longer popits they used a plastic insert and the same popits. I found a replacement at Williams Brewing it was 2 bucks if I remember correctly. It was a little larger then the one in my keg so I did have to sand it down to fit correctly.

 

[Spencerw]

It's like the threaded post are shorter then a normal keg. So, instead of making a longer popits they used a plastic insert and the same popits. I found a replacement at Williams Brewing it was 2 bucks if I remember correctly. It was a little larger then the one in my keg so I did have to sand it down to fit correctly.

That's good to know thank you! I was actually referring to what I think is a pressure relief valve maybe (middle of the keg not the in or out posts)? I took it apart today actually and that's my only guess. I did notice the popits were a bit different for sure so thanks for clarifying!

 

[LarMoeCur]

AH...I see now. That middle post looks like a pressure relief valve of some sort to me. My keg does not have one.

 

[Spencerw]

AH...I see now. That middle post looks like a pressure relief valve of some sort to me. My keg does not have one.

Thanks a bunch! I'm realizing I replied to the wrong original post sorry about that - I had seen one picture above with the same keg. Appreciate your input!

 

[Deadalus]

Thanks a bunch! I'm realizing I replied to the wrong original post sorry about that - I had seen one picture above with the same keg. Appreciate your input!

I posted above, post #6, and have a lid with a PRV in it. I'm not sure if it was an add on or perhaps a different model type. @LarMoeCur shows the bottom of their lid and apparently there is a plate that connects to the wing nut that tightens the lid to hold pressure. Can you post pics of the top and bottom of your lid and maybe your keg?

Additional details on my lid are that there is a Firestone logo on the black tab and on the hex nut, there is on hole on one of the six hex faces through which there appears a spring. I wonder if perhaps the black tab was meant to pull up on a possible plate on the bottom of the lid. The stem that is there sits flush but I wonder if it would hold any pressure as there is no gasket there around the "valve stem".