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Author Topic: Used Ball-lock Kegs - Parts & Maintenance  (Read 1697 times)

Offline Mike91183

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Used Ball-lock Kegs - Parts & Maintenance
« on: January 26, 2015, 08:36:10 am »
I've recently been given the responsibility of rehabbing and overseeing the maintenance of our homebrew keg inventory for our Kombucha brewery.  A few newbie questions (and I apoligize if there's a post already  ???):

1) What are the main types/manufacturers for ball-lock kegs?  I know they are commonly referred to as Pepsi kegs, but I've also seen them referred to as Firestone, Challenger, etc...

2) Are the posts interchangeable for Gas & Liquid use so long as they screw tightly on the keg posts?  I.e. (Can you use a 6-pointed or 12-pointed post for Gas & Liquid?)

3) Where is a good/reliable source of obtaining relatively inexpensive and good quality refurbished Ball-lock kegs?

Thanks in advance!


Offline Stevie

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Re: Used Ball-lock Kegs - Parts & Maintenance
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2015, 09:07:46 am »
1 - Firestone and Challenger are two of the older brands. More current brands are AEB + all of the imported kegs from AiH and various other sources.


2 - Posts are not always interchangeable. There are multiple thread types on the post that make swapping parts a pain. Sometimes a post and keg have been together for so long, that changing them up is near impossible. They were simply meant to be together. AiH has many parts. I ordered some from them recently. When it comes to posts, I go to my LHBS. They keep a bucket of posts that I can test fit on the spot.


3 - At this point, buying used from a shop is nearly the price of buying new. The imported kegs from AiH seem to get great reviews and are often priced at $75-80. Shops around me sell used kegs without new rings for nearly that same price. With used kegs comes a certain level of maintenance. Craigslist is your friend. I have found some solid deals over the years. The last was a set of six, all needing new dip tubes, but only $100. I expect to put about an hours time into each keg as I clean and rebuild them.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2015, 09:11:06 am by Steve in TX »

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Used Ball-lock Kegs - Parts & Maintenance
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2015, 09:09:20 am »
I don't know much about #1 other than there are different manufacturers and some parts are different between them. I have one ball-lock keg that a standard replacement dip tube won't fit in.
 
#2: The gas and liquid posts are slightly different diameters, and the quick disconnects are different to fit. The threads are sometimes the same, so they can be switched, which usually just screws people up when they then try to push a disconnect on the wrong post. Even if you're not using disconnects, I'd keep them correct because those kegs can be sold if you change your operation. They'll probably keep their value very well.
 
#3: There are none anymore. Used ball-lock kegs are high in price and varying quality. Especially ordering online where you can't inspect it first, you may get some fairly junky ones. You can get pin-locks that have been converted which tend to be a bit cheaper. You can also buy brand new ball-lock kegs for well under $100, maybe in the $75 if you search. For that price I wouldn't even consider buying used kegs for ~$50-60 for any commercial operation. Used kegs are just too much of a hastle to refurbish.
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Offline denny

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Re: Used Ball-lock Kegs - Parts & Maintenance
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2015, 09:23:41 am »
2) Are the posts interchangeable for Gas & Liquid use so long as they screw tightly on the keg posts?  I.e. (Can you use a 6-pointed or 12-pointed post for Gas & Liquid?)

Nope...here's a chart...http://www.ipass.net/mpdixon/KegThreadSizes.htm
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