[lladutke]

We bought a kegerator with two used pinlock kegs.

On Sunday, we tried to keg our first batch--a braggot.  The fittings for the gas in and liquid out lines would not work.  We pushed all the way down, but could not turn them to actaully latch on.

We then tried the other keg, and it seemed to work.  I quickly sanitized the posts from the second keg and then switched them.  I kept the gas line attached with 20 psi.  We tried tapping last night--only to find that the liquid line would not attach to the post!  I then tried attaching it to the original post (removed from the other keg at this point) and it went on!  So I sanitized it and switched the liquid posts after venting.

And it would not fit!  We push all the way down, but can't turn it to make it latch on to the post.

In order to get braggot out, we have to press the liquid fitting down onto the post with one hand and pull the handle with the other hand.

(Also, after switching the posts, I had a hard time getting the lid to seal properly.  CO2 kept leaking.  I finally sanitized the other lid and got it to seal!)

Why are we having all of this trouble locking on to the posts?

Whenever I google for help, I wind up getting information on ball locks.

[reverseapachemaster]

As far as the lid goes a few of easy fixes should apply.

• Are you pressurizing the kegs with enough pressure to seat the lid? Hit it with 30 PSI to seat the lid then lower it to carbonate the beer or serve.
• If you haven't put new gaskets on the lid and posts then you should do that. The lid gasket might be worn and leaking. If it's leaking then one or both of the post gaskets won't be far behind.
• Regardless of the age of the gaskets use keg lube on the gaskets if you haven't already.

Some less easy issues:

If you've done both of those then take a look at the metal. Is the interior of the mouth where the gasket fits smooth? Is the lid under the gasket smooth? If the lid is damaged then you should buy a new lid (make sure it is for pin lock kegs). If the keg itself has damage then it might be fixable by a machinist. If not, try looking at your local homebrew shop at their keg gaskets. You might be lucky and find a thicker gasket that will fill the gap.

Does the lid have a pressure release valve or something that looks like it should be a PRV? Pin lock kegs do not always have a PRV or the PRV needs a special release tool. Of the six pin lock kegs I have I think I have four different types of lids. If it has a PRV then try to press it down (without pressure in the keg) and see if you can reseat it on the lid. It might be slightly stuck open or just faulty. A new lid is the fix for that.

The posts:

The issue with the posts won't require any special work. If the disconnect will go down all the way to the pins but won't twist to lock on then you just need to use more force to get it to twist. There's not a better solution to that. You're probably a millimeter or two off from pushing down enough to get it to twist on correctly. Once you've done it a few times you'll figure out the right amount of pressure and twist.

What I find causes this on my kegs is the spring in the poppet. The poppets are slightly different sizes across pin lock manufacturers and if you get a spring that's a little too tall or stiff then it's hard to work the disconnect on the post. If you have universal poppets they are definitely much bigger than the normal pin lock poppet. They are the hardest to work but as you use the spring it will loosen a little and this will get easier over time.

[jeffy]

If the o-rings on the posts are too fat (thick) it may make it hard to turn the quick disconnects.  Try using some keg lube on them or getting thinner o-rings.