Quick question, I have a corny keg that is not holding its carbonation. I now realize that I need to put some “petrol-gel” on the lid O ring. Is there an infection risk to release the pressure, taking the lid off, put the gel on the O ring and then recarbonating?
Thanks.
Bill
You always run a risk of infection but you still have to do something. When the lid is removed, cover the keg with a piece of plastic wrap just to keep the floaties out. Wash the lid and sanitize. Lube the ring and attach to lid. I even sanitize again at this point. Attach and pressurize. Also, at this point test your posts by spraying with sanitizer and look for minute bubbles. You will be good to go.
What he said. You’ll be fine. Once you get the lid back on, blast it with 30psi and bleed the valve a few times. Then take the psi back down to your normal pressure.
Maybe I don’t take it seriously enough, but I would remove the lid and o-ring, toss the lid in some starsan, lube the o-ring, put it back together and back on. The risk is very low of anything bad happening. I’ve even opened kegs and just placed the lid upside down temporarily, it’s been fine.
I agree with Tom. I’ve never seen this as a big issue to worry about.
Also, with a leaky lid I like to heat up the gasket. Typically I’ll heat water in the microwave and throw the gasket in there for a few minutes.
Once it’s warm it seams to seal better as it’s more plyable. I keep everything in my basement where it can get down into the 50s this time of year, so everything plastic gets kinda hard.
I keep a spray bottle of Starsan handy for this reason. You’ll be fine. Before you replace the lid add the lube then spray down the lid top and bottom and replace. I’ve done this many times without detriment to the beer. There is a blanket of CO2 in the head space of the keg to protect the beer from oxidation.
Also, I’d pic a spot to do this where organism count is probably low(er)… cool garage for instance vs kitchen.