I got a ton of used and homemade equipment from a member near me that is on a different forum. I am still going thru it, it was about 3 boxes full as well as a homemade recirc system and a three keggle brew system with all the connections and stuff homemade. Such a cool setup and such a great dude to GIVE it all to me. Now for my questions.
I have about 10 corny kegs to go thru and check for leaks. I have bought all new Orings for both posts and the lids. My thought is, I wonder if I can get a hose for my compressor, cut it and add a QD and use compressed air just to check for leaks? I hate to use up CO2 if I don’t have to and was just thinking of other ways to figure it out. Any suggestions on what I can do? Is it worth it to bring the kegs to a local welding supply shop and have them check them instead? Any suggestions are welcome. Rock On!!!
Don’t forget to replace the dip tube O rings too and use some keg lube on all of the seals.
No reason why not. Just be aware that, unless you have an oilless compressor, you’ll need to do a good cleaning of all parts, including posts, poppets and dip tubes to get rid of any residual oil before use.
As for taking to a welding shop to check, for what that would cost, you’d likely be able to have several CO2 cylinders filled.
One tip… don’t take them all apart at once unless you keep track of which parts go with which kegs. I took four apart for a mass cleaning and didn’t keep track of the poppets, springs, ball locks etc. Apparently there were several manufacturers of corny kegs and they didn’t all use the same specs. Kegs made by Cornelius have 19/32" 18 threads per inch on both posts while those made by Firestone are 9/16 18 threads per inch… and sometimes their gas and liquid posts are not the same. Mix them up and you get leaks. I now take them apart, clean them and put them back together one at a time.
In addition to other posts with good advice, it doesn’t take a lot of co2 to determine a leak. After a short burst of CO2, you can spot them easy with soapy water in a spray bottle. Starsan tends to foam too when sprayed on a leaking part. I usually spray the posts and lid an watch for foaming.
Thanks to all for the suggestions. I bought a kit that contains all the Orings for 5 kegs, so that is my starting point. If I have to, I will look into buying new poppets and see. My compressor is a small Campbell Hausfield (SP?) that I will look and see if it is oiless. If not, I am not against cleaning them again as they have been sitting in my shop for a few months anyway, so a cleaning is probably in the cards. Thanks to those who took the time to reply.
FWIW I have experienced keg leaks at the poppet to post connection when leaving no liquid out line attached. It’s a bummer to clean up a couple gallons of carbing beer at the bottom of a chest freezer due to a leaky poppet…so I would test with some water under a reasonably high pressure to see if the poppet leaks. I keep the universal poppets on hand for just that reason.
Good suggestion. Do you have a source for universal poppets? I am thinking they might be good to have on hand if I cannot get the leaks to stop. I have one that I know of that no matter what I have tried it won’t stop leaking. Thanks in advance
And thank you to all who replied. All good info and I am taking notes on what I need to do.
Been using compressed air to test for keg leaks for at least the past 10 years.
Every two years I completely dis-assemble and inspect all the keg parts.
Put a label on the bottom with month / year inspected.
Take apart the poppet and inspect carefully.
Found towel lint in the spring before.
Compressed air to 30psi, let them sit for two weeks.
Most all leaks are at the poppets.
Only one keg had leak at a seam.
Soapy water in spray bottle is handy to identify leak source.
When you place the keg lid on, first let the gas pressure seat the lid.
Then clamp shut.
Bought all my parts to build compressed air gun at the Home Depot.
