Beer leaking from corny keg

[mancer62]

Have keg of IPA stored under my stairs (not refrigerated)
Got home from work smelt vinegary off smell and seen beer had leaked out whilst beer line (picnic tap) had been attached.....i disconnected and tried a second brand new tap but alas the beer still leaked out until i unattached it. Any suggestions

Ps the beer itself still tastes fine

 

[chesters-mild]

Try some PTFE tape on the post, this worked for me on a leaking connection, I assume that it's the ball lock connection that's at fault.

 

[mancer62]

Yes its ball lock connections i have
U suggest first maybe trying to tighten them with shifting spanner.

 

[Drunkula]

Was it leaking from the tap? I've found mine can't take much more than 25psi before the beer forces its way out. So maybe the keg is over primed because of the heat.

 

[mancer62]

I will.check that out ty

 

[mancer62]

Released all pressure from my corny earlier tonight connected my ball lock picnic tap to pour a beer and way and behold a torrent of beer cascading out the beer release valve on the keg. I loosend then tightened with adjustable spanner but when i tried again same result...any ideas...its happening to both my picnic taps so i dont think its them...

 

[Dads_Ale]

Hi Mancer

If you released all pressure then you should not have a torrent of beer from anywhere.
What do you mean by the beer release valve?. Cornies have a pressure release valve that you would use to vent keg pressure.
If you are getting a torrent of beer you must have pressure from somewhere.
Are you saying you are leaking beer form one of the posts?

Sorry for the question but am trying to see where the beer is leaking from.

 

[BeerCat]

If its not leaking when you take the tap off the problem must be with the tap. I bought a pre assembled picnip tap and i never bothered to check it was screwed up tight. That leaked because the john guest fittings were loose and the tubing was not pushed in properly either. The result was beer all over the ceiling.

 

[mancer62]

Yes the beer is coming out one of the posts

 

[foxbat]

Yes the beer is coming out one of the posts

If it leaks from a post while nothing is connected then you have probably over-tightened and crushed the o-ring inside the post. It will need replacing. The posts should be tightened finger tight and then about half a turn with a spanner. It's hard to describe, you have to do it by feel. The thread does not provide the seal, it's done by the o-ring inside.

If it only leaks while you've got a ball-lock disconnect on it then you've got a bad disconnect. It will need replacing.

 

[Honk]

I'm finding my picnic tap also leaks if I leave it on overnight, it's fine for a few hours whilst I'm dispensing, but if I don't disconnect before going to bed then there is a puddle of beer in the bottom of the fridge next morning, this is with low carbonated beer and just enough pressure to dispense without getting foam, maybe 2 to 3 psi

 

[peebee]

I'll try to cover all possibilities, as many of the answers here are a bit scattergun and may work, or may not with no suggestion that it may have been the wrong approach for the situation.

Firstly, does it leak with no disconnect attached? If so it is the seals inside the post. There are two, the "poppet" seal and the dip-tube seal. It cannot be the "poppet" seal because it leaks with disconnect attached too (and the disconnect forces the poppet open anyway) and leaky poppets are most obvious because it is plain to see. The seal under the dip-tube is a terrible bit of design, as "Foxbat" says, it needs to be tightened "just right"; too much crushes the O-ring rendering it useless (maybe not immediately), too little and the O-ring doesn't deform "laterally" (outwards as well as up/downwards) and beer/gas leaks through the post threads - this situation can be fixed with PTFE tape on the threads the post attaches to, but the dip-tube O-ring really needs replacing.

Secondly, does it only leak with the disconnect attached? If so it is the seal on the outside of the post. Solution is to replace the seal (O-ring) which can be done without dismantling the post or emptying the keg. "Chesters-mild" did suggest wrapping PTFE tape about the (outside of the) post which may create a temporary seal. Also check that there isn't damage or distortion (or debris) on the sealing faces of the disconnect.

Thirdly, it's what is attached to the post that is leaking. But that should be easy to diagnose, and you've already replaced the tap so it isn't that.

Watch out dismantling the posts. I've not long trashed a thread on a keg that a post screws on to. That's pretty much "bye-bye keg". The O-rings also need to be supple so should be lubricated with whatever is suitable.