I recently got another used corny keg, but while I was stripping it down to clean it, I noticed that for both the gas and beer ball lock assemblies, the poppits are wayyy stuck in there.
The little feet there seem to be hung up or something on what seems to be a bit of a lip on the solid steel piece (I don’t have pics yet…)
Has anybody ever seen this before? I asked Brouwland to send a replacement, and they sent me a couple assemblies with the same “defect.” So maybe it’s just something I don’t know how to do? All the kegs I’ve ever owned, the poppit came out super easy.
Also, with this same keg, the rubber o-rings that normally go on to the dip and CO2 tubes weren’t the black rubber pieces I was used to. Rather, they were some kinda weird blue stuff that was REALLY old and cracking in places. Of course both of the leaked, so I wrapped 'em up with plumbers tape and it seems to be holding. Is plumber’s tape bad? I dunno where to get new o-rings.
I assume you mean the poppets are stuck in the posts? Pretty common. Remove the post from the keg and put it on the counter or some other flat surface. Using a nail, or some other object like that, simply press on the poppet from the top and it should come right out.
I tried that, but all it did was depress the spring. I didn’t want to force it too much, but if you think I should use more power I will try that when I get home.
You have to apply enough force to pop it out. It may seem to be excessive but it is the only way to remove them. A 1/8" dowel pin and a hammer are the ideal tools used to remove poppits. You should only have to tap it very lightly with the hammer and it will pop out.
Current prices are within pennies. I ordered a batch yesterday.
These prices/part #s are for the regular round o-rings. You can also get them with a square profile (most expensive) and x-type profile (mid-price).
On the kegs I’m stripping down right now, the dip-tube o-rings appear to have been of the square profile (edges, not the shape of the ring). I don’t think the profile matters significantly, but others may disagree.
It’s still under $5 for the quad profile, so we’re not talking about big money here.
You can select the profile at McMaster Carr under O-rings. The sizing from the previous posting remains what you want, and the o-ring numbers also remain the same (109 for dip tubes).
Hrm - here’s what I get when I hit it with a hammer:
It’s out, right? Well…
Two legs are bent way outta shape and the other one is scrunched up. Totally borked, good thing I already told them they were broken (and they already sent me another set).
So now what? This should give you an idea of just how stuck in there they are. I’ve never seen this before.
Interesting…as far as I can tell, they look like the poppets in several of my kegs. You can straighten out the legs with needle nose pliers…at least I’ve been able to do that.
It looks like you have the style poppet where the three feet of the poppet rest on a shoulder inside the post. This is an uncommon style but does still exist. The only way to remove that style is to pry each leg inwards slightly to just clear the shoulder and then pop it out. I completely forgot about that style poppet.
This style poppet is a PITA to remove. You can try to salvage it at this point but you may have to replace it if it is damaged beyond repair.
Hook around one of the arms on the poppit and pull. You might have to nudge it up, down, left, and right to walk the arms past the little ridges within the post. They tend to get caught up on those sometimes. Failing that, use the needle nose pliers and grab the flared end of the poppit post you see in the picture and give that a nudge towards center and then pull. You may need to bend one of the arms back towards the central poppit post to create the clearance you need.
I use a screwdriver and a rubber mallet to bang them out when they are like that. You might need to leave some space under it for the poppet to come out, a hole in a board or something. The needle nose pliers might work too. I’ve never tried to bend the legs back, I always just replace them. I figure if it got stuck once, it’s worth it to get rid of it.
fixed typos that bluesman so thoughtfully captured below ;D
I have some of those type. A medium sized flat blade screw driver can be used to pry/release them from the bottom. I’ve never driven the poppets out.
I have the stitches to prove I get in trouble when I try the “manly” process (on just about anything) so I rely on finesse. Somewhere, someone made a living doing this stuff so there must be a reasonable easy way to get it done.
