Gone...every f---ing drop

[nicsub]

avoid drinking?! my flor is a coolship!

[Alchemywunderkid]

A sticky poppet valve

I have a keg that I've been battling this issue on. I replaced the offending post assembly (new poppet, post, diptube gasket) to no avail. Basically, I can't hook it up to CO2 unless there is an attached liquid out line. That sucks, but whatever, I'll move on.

My question for anyone that might be able to answer...

Do you think that this untrue seal (whatever is the cause, let's just say "sticky poppet") could possibly allow air into the keg? The last beer I had in there had a noticeable phenolic/wet paper aroma. This is a beer I've made a few times so, while I'll admit the issue may come from somewhere else in the process, I'm leaning towards this keg being the variable.

I always pressurize the kegs a bit after filling (leave on CO2 @ ~5-10 psi for an hour or overnight) so I'm not observing the leak until it goes onto serving pressure lines. The kegs then sit unhooked from everything until there's an empty tap line. Is there a chance that this seal is allowing air backflow and contributing to oxidation?

Any knowledge on the subject of wet/dry seals is welcomed. Oh... and to all who have accidentally poured a bit too much for the homies... I've been there and feel your loss.

[BDawg]

Maybe there's a bit of hop material stuck somewhere in there, which brings in the bacteria and causes the sticky post? I would start by disassembling everything all the way down to individual parts and replacing the O-rings (if you haven't already), and ensuring that there is only clean metal/rubber in there.

[Ozwald]

If you don't have them yet, invest in a faucet brush & a dip tube brush. With the post off & the dip tubes out those are perfect for scrubbing the places that many forget: inside the post itself, the smaller hole the poppet seals & the inside of the threaded connection that the tube slides into.

I also find it helps to write down the steps in order so you do it the same way every single time & you won't miss anything. Here's my procedure if it helps.

Water rinse (2-3x, I do this when the keg blows & stack them up until I have a few to clean at once)

PBW (I add a couple gallons & shake the crap out of it)

Pull Liquid post/tube
Pull Gas post/tube
Inside Gas post/port
Inside Liquid post/port

Outside/Inside Liquid tube, R/R (rinse, replace)
Outside Liquid post, Poppet, R/R

Outside/Inside Gas tube, R/R
Outside Gas post, Poppet, R/R

Tighten both posts

Outside/Inside Lid, R/R
Rinse keg clear (1-2 gallons, shake, 3+ times as needed)

PBW (2-3 gallons, shake)
Rinse clear, sanitize

You could also pick up a new toilet brush to scrub the inside of the keg while the tubes are out, but I find that if I rinse it clear immediately after the keg blows it's not typically necessary. If you do buy one to keep on hand for those just in case moments, write KEG ONLY on every side of the handle to prevent any potential mix ups with the one in the bathroom. I should also note that I like to heat my PBW to 122F & rinse water to 158F (50C & 70C), except the very first rinse before the cleaning process which is just hot tap water.

[brewindruid]

I didn't connect the tap completely to my full keg of Maibock that our club did as a group project. I lost every fucking drop into my brand new keezer. I just want to cry.

Same thing happened to me a month or so ago. A wonderful Mosaic pale ale. Went out to try a bit, keg was dry!!!!
No sign of it anywhere. It had all drained out the door and back underneath the fridge, then out the back of the garage. Thought someone had stolen my prize brew! LOL

[brewinhard]

I didn't connect the tap completely to my full keg of Maibock that our club did as a group project. I lost every fucking drop into my brand new keezer. I just want to cry.

Same thing happened to me a month or so ago. A wonderful Mosaic pale ale. Went out to try a bit, keg was dry!!!!
No sign of it anywhere. It had all drained out the door and back underneath the fridge, then out the back of the garage. Thought someone had stolen my prize brew! LOL

Jesus! I guess the only saving grace was that you really didn't have too much to clean up... still quite sad!

[grod]

A sticky poppet valve

I have a keg that I've been battling this issue on. I replaced the offending post assembly (new poppet, post, diptube gasket) to no avail. Basically, I can't hook it up to CO2 unless there is an attached liquid out line. That sucks, but whatever, I'll move on.

I couldn't live with the thought that a keg could be leaking after trying to fix it. I'd beat the crap out of it and go get another.

love

g

[Ozwald]

A sticky poppet valve

I have a keg that I've been battling this issue on. I replaced the offending post assembly (new poppet, post, diptube gasket) to no avail. Basically, I can't hook it up to CO2 unless there is an attached liquid out line. That sucks, but whatever, I'll move on.

I couldn't live with the thought that a keg could be leaking after trying to fix it. I'd beat the crap out of it and go get another.

love

g

I have some great tools for fixing those kegs. They come in a .22, .380, 9mm, .45 & .30-06. You can get the specialty set in NATO sizes 5.56 & 7.62 as well.