Ball Lock Problems
So, I'm making the move to kegging. Hallelujah!, but of course, running into some ISSUES.
I bought 6 Ball Lock cornies, they look fine, hold pressure, but my disconnects won't fit all the plugs. A few of them fit, no sweat, but most won't. The poppets are working, but the DCs won't go all the way down & lock.
I got both "gas" & "liquid" DC's.
I don't see any real difference between the plugs that work & the ones that don't. 
Are there different sizes? Do I need some sort of lube, like for dried out O-Rings.
Any ideas?
I have a korney keg and the fittings are different sizes although you can't tell by looking. I figured it out when I took them off to clean them and had a hell of a time getting the tap hose fitting to fit o nthe out post. I switched the posts and they worked fine. The CO2 post and out post are different sizes.
DC
Sometimes my disconnects get stuck and can be a b!tch to get off. I might use a flat head screw driver to get some leverage under the disconnect to pop it off while I'm pulling up on the cuff/lock part. Sometimes the balls get stuck and I apply a little keg lube to them. Just my 2 cents as I haven't had much luck kegging which sucks because its so much easier and quicker than bottling.
It is possible the gas and liquid valves were switched by whoever last put together the keg. Generally, the IN (gas) connection will have a ribbed or scored nut and the OUT (liquid) will look normal. Try taking your gas quick disconnect and see if it fits easier on one than the other.
There will be the words "IN" and "OUT" stamped on the rubber top where the valves screw in. If that is not the issue, try some keg lube on your orings.
Ok, BR, now by ribbed do you mean it looks more like a gear than a hex nut? & is there a special wrench for it?
I'll give that a try in the morning.
And what is this marvelous "Keg Lube"? Never heard of it, but sounds kinda interesting. Got a Foxx Equipment Catalog right here & don't see it.
FPB- Everything is empty now, just trying to see if stuff will fit before drilling holes in the fridge, I guess I'll discover later if the little f*&kers will come off.
Wish me luck guys, been brewing since '92 & just now going to kegging, AG in the spring, I hope.
FWIW, I can't tell the visual difference between the in and out posts. I use colored O-rings to distinguish them. When I get the kegs from the LHBS, the posts are in the correct position, and I make sure I keep track of them as I recondition the keg and put on the new post O-rings. Failing that, there's always the trial-and-error method. When the right QD goes on the right post, it's like magic - it just fits perfectly and easily.
There is a bit of a learning curve with kegging, and I'm still on it (can't get perfectly foam-free pours every time), but even with the occasional hassle, it's still a lot of fun! And never any sediment in the beer!!
Keg Lube
I usually use it on the O-rings on my kegs. Its food grade and keeps rubber gaskets and O-rings from sticking.
There is a difference between the in and out posts. If you dismantle the keg (which I hope you did anyway once before to clean it all) and hold the two posts side by side you'll see the sublte difference.
I can't remember off hand how to tell them apart but you can figure it out with your connects and the rest of my post.
A second important peice of info, is that in general the grey gas connectors will fit on both the in and out posts, with relative ease. The black beverage connectors only fit easily on the out posts.
Third, as others have mentioned there is normally an "OUT" stamped on the keg for the out side. There is usually a dimple either on the handle or on the keg itself on the OUT side. (The dimple comes in handy so you don't have to pull a keg out of a fridge. You just feel for the handle and put the connector on without having to look for the little printed "out" in the black rubber).
It should be noted, that even though the kegs are marked with an in and out side the posts can go on backwards. The printing/dimples are just there to help you once you have the right post on the right side.
Lastly, and this is the biggest pain in the ass.... it is totally possible that you have a keg with two in posts on there. That's why you are having trouble. I'd be willing to bet that its the black beverage one that is giving you the most trouble.
SO to sum up a winded post....I feel your pain and I have been there. Start removing posts and take a real close look at them to find the difference. Then sort the post and play around with your disconnects until you figure out which ones are OUTS and which ones are INS.
Good luck.
(A little keg lube will never hurt, but if you have to use a lot of force to get connectors on...this may lead to leaks after a while, so it pays to try and figure the post things out.)
Ok, BR, now by ribbed do you mean it looks more like a gear than a hex nut? & is there a special wrench for it?
Yes, this nut can look different on different kegs, but it can also look like a gear or a cog. I use use channel locks or a pair of pliers to remove the nut. To my knowledge there isn't a special wrench to remove this post.
When I first got my kegs the posts were switched and I had one heck of a time getting my black beer adapter on the gas post.
The keg lube is a good option, too. It helps create better seals on your gaskets and keeps them from drying out.
Good luck!
brewchez wrote:
Third, as others have mentioned there is normally an "OUT" stamped on the keg for the out side. There is usually a dimple either on the handle or on the keg itself on the OUT side. (The dimple comes in handy so you don't have to pull a keg out of a fridge. You just feel for the handle and put the connector on without having to look for the little printed "out" in the black rubber).
What do you start drinking when you wake up in the morning Mike? We need to hang out more often. The dimples are on the IN side of the keg not the OUT. Ha Ha!! way too funny.
You can see the dimples at the edges of the pic. Now as far as the post goes, the gas will always either have the 16 point 7/8" head, as shown above, (which can be removed with the closed end of a 7/8" wrench) or it will have an 11/16" hex head, but as BrewRob mentioned earlier it will be scored. If you look in the following pic
you can see the slots or score marks on the corner points of the hex head. These will only be on the gas posts only.
Finally as a new kegger, just remenber that "G"rey and "G"as both begin with "G". The grey disconnect will always go to gas and never liquid. However you can hook up a liquid QD to your gas line and snap that onto your liquid or OUT post for a faster quick carb through your dip tube for more absorption, but that's another topic for debate.
thirsty wrote:
What do you start drinking when you wake up in the morning Mike? We need to hang out more often. The dimples are on the IN side of the keg not the OUT. Ha Ha!! way too funny.
Oh man....
Two things...
First, as you (and others) will note, I lost my beloved keg fridge last spring. I am a little rusty to remembering where the dimples are on the keg in or out. Thanks for the catch Thirsty.
Second, I have a horrible headcold today and I guess I was not thinking straight first thing this AM while waiting for the sinus medication to kick in.
I should have been drinking this morning I think. I can think of no one else I'd rather drink with on a Wednesday morning than you Thirsty!
Tonight, after I get my son to bed however, I'll have to imbibe 2-3 pints of American Brown now that the keg is nice and cold again. Chase it all down with a good pull on the old Nyquil bottle and off to dreamland it is.
Hey guys, thanks for the input/ideas. I think the first thing to do is get some of this Keg Lube, and identify what fits where. I've got a week or so until the two batches are ready to go in.
So, G for "Gas", and B for "Beer" should be simple, now just need to get those little frigging things to fit. A couple of them go on with any issue, so I think it may be hard O-rings.
I can tell the difference between the G & Bs
Brewchez - Nyquil is good, but you might add a Fail Proof Hot Toddy.
1-1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup honey
Lemon juice to taste
Lots of whiskey- If you live north - Canadian, south - bourbon
Gotta get some Keg Lube tomorrow. Sleep tight.
brewchez wrote:
[
I should have been drinking this morning I think. I can think of no one else I'd rather drink with on a Wednesday morning than you Thirsty!
.
Well I am glad you feel that way, because tomorrow will be wednesday morn, today is tuesday! Hope you feel better bud.
thirsty wrote:
brewchez wrote:
[
I should have been drinking this morning I think. I can think of no one else I'd rather drink with on a Wednesday morning than you Thirsty!
.Well I am glad you feel that way, because tomorrow will be wednesday morn, today is tuesday! Hope you feel better bud.
So I am driving home, then I realize its Tuesday not Wednesday.
All I could think about was I hope I get home to post my realization before Thirsty does!!! HA!
But you beat me to it.
Man I am out of it. I'll just chalk this all up to the fact that I haven't gotten to brew any beer to keep me sane since last November. When is this snow going to melt so I can get my damn garden hose out from under the snow bank along my driveway!!!! No water...no brew.
brewchez wrote:
Man I am out of it. I'll just chalk this all up to the fact that I haven't gotten to brew any beer to keep me sane since last November. When is this snow going to melt so I can get my damn garden hose out from under the snow bank along my driveway!!!! No water...no brew.
Man that's rough. I would have sacrificed the hose to the gods of New England winters and gone out and bought a new one..... or bought a flamethrower to melt all this snow!
Search Home Brewing Knowledge Base
Custom Search
|