[wingnut]

Hi all,

I just got the final pieces of keg system setup, cleaned and rebuilt the kegs, replaced seals...etc ... Spent a day locating and fixing leaks... and carbed up my first batch of beer.   

However, when I plugged in my faucet line, I had beer leaking past the post seal between it and the connector.  No amount of wiggling the connector, adding keg lube... etc would keep the beer from spewing past the seal. 

I finally removed the "brand new" o-ring and put one of the used ones on... and the leak went away. 

I got the new o-rings from a popular Homebrew supplier, and the gas side worked great... so I am wondering if my experience is unique... if there is a better cure than using an old seal, or if there is something to look for that will identify the o-ring as "not up to par" (aside from nicks and cuts).

Any and all wisdom is welcome!

Thanks,

[majorvices]

Its never happened to me before but it could be that that one o-ring you had was simply manufactured wrong. Or you cracked it while installing it.

FTR I bought about 100 o-rings from McMaster carr a few years ago and never had a problem and they were a couple cents a piece. I'll try and see if I can find the part #. I have enough to last me a good bit longer still.

[tschmidlin]

Here are the McMaster-Carr part numbers and the prices last time I ordered:

Post o-ring ($2.15 for 100):
http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k23/

Dip tube o-ring ($1.96 for 100):
http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k172/

Lid o-ring ($12.69 for 10):
http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k218/

[wingnut]

Cool!  Thanks for the info!    So maybe it was just my bad luck...  Regardless, at least now I can have a relatively unlimited supply to try.

[beveragebob]

Maybe a a bad poppet?

[6thstreet]

Maybe a a bad poppet?

Thats been my problem lately.  I pull off the ball lock and get quite the spray of beer in the face.    The poppet seems to get pushed down and to the side just a bit allowing pressure or beer to escape.  Now out of habit I vent the keg before removing the ball lock.

[gordonstrong]

Poppets are cheap.  Keep several around as spares.  Also some pressure relief valves and various O-rings.  It's so easy to lose a batch of beer if your kegs aren't tuned properly.  Don't screw around with them.  Just pull apart the offending piece and replace it.  Don't think of them as permanent pieces; think of them like batteries in a remote control.  They wear out and then you pitch them.

[6thstreet]

yeah I do but dont know until they spray me in the face

[wingnut]

Naw, it was not a bad poppet, replaceing just the O-ring on the post took care of it.  Being new to kegs (this was my first one) I was looking for hints of operator error, and experaince on reliability of o-rings.  (Starting out with a .500 O-ring percentage is kind of alarming, and I was looking to find out that is common or if I was just lucky)

As all have suggested, I am well armed with a collection of o-rings, posts, poppets, and disconnects.  As Gordon pointed out, it is easy to ruin a batch of beer, and I would hate the cause of a bad batch to be a 2 dollar or 20 cent part!

Thanks all!

[euge]

Take a look at the poppits and posts with a loop or maginifier. The metal on metal wears them out and they get grooved and scalloped. Lube helps. I use olive oil. Lightly.