Big help please at wits end!!!!

[APINTA]

Riht I an hopin for some help here please a Few weeks I brought a Admiral reserve. I started brewing it as to ins ructions But somehow along the line it got stuck at 1020 . I came on here for some help and was told first try some heating which seemed to work and it cared on fermenting great I thought. So it fished its fermenting OK so I transferd it to a PB and put the PB on heat mat after I put the priming sugar in ( The heat mat is at 24c so I left it to go on to second fermentation for about 4 days until the beer had cleared and got a pressure reading of 6.5PSI not bad I thought. So I had a couple of pints then I noticed that the PSI had one down a bit to about 4.5 psi I tried again this morning it was at 3psi and the beer was coming out very slowly. So I thought I would run a test so put in a co2 bulb so here are the findings at 12.10 it was just under 4.5 psi that stayed the same until 3.10 when it was just 4.1 then at 5.10 it read 4.0 the latest reading @ 6.30 is still at 4.0.At this point before I made the Admiral beer kit I had sent my PB to Ballyhoo to check for leaks they had it for 4 days and it stayed the same pressure the only time it went down was the outside Temperature would slightly change So when I ot it home I checked the Pressure using my son cycle pump my PB was empty so filed with air up to 6.5 PSI and everything was fine nothing went wrong. What I can nt work out is why I am losing pressure with beer in itThe only things are as follws is when I made the beer I started it at 18 litres but changed my mind while it was fermenting ( This was after I put the heat mat on after it ot stuck at 1020 I added it up to 23 litres could that cause any problems the only other thing i can think of is putting a heater mat at 24c under the bucket while it was going though its second fermentation. CAN SOMONE HELP PLEASE HAVE I BALLED UP THE BEER or is the PB

 

[Lawrence]

As you drink your beer you will lose pressure because you are taking beer out of the PB, therefore the gas will now occupy a larger space and naturally be of a lower pressure. You will need to recharge the PB with gas as you drink your beer to compensate for the loss of beer volume. The beer will absorb some of that gas too.

 

[terrym]

Lawrence is quite correct in saying that the pressure will fall as you draw beer from it. However if primed properly you should get at least half way down before you need to add more CO2, unless you are drawing off a lot of beer in a short space of time. I can often completely empty a PB without needing to reprime or add CO2, although sometimes the top pressure is way down.
As far as your current situation is concerned it appears to me you have a leak however small. Probably from the cap. If Balliihoo allegedly couldn't fault your PB and you have found on test the PB is OK then that would bear that out. It is perhaps just the way the cap has been tightened up, or the condition of the seal.
With all due respect to you, you seem to have had all sorts of problems with this PB, having been on here for advice several times in different posts, and frankly if I were you I would abandon the PB and stick with bottles. At least they are more predictable.

 

[Slid]

Lawrence is quite correct in saying that the pressure will fall as you draw beer from it. However if primed properly you should get at least half way down before you need to add more CO2, unless you are drawing off a lot of beer in a short space of time. I can often completely empty a PB without needing to reprime or add CO2, although sometimes the top pressure is way down.
As far as your current situation is concerned it appears to me you have a leak however small. Probably from the cap. If Balliihoo allegedly couldn't fault your PB and you have found on test the PB is OK then that would bear that out. It is perhaps just the way the cap has been tightened up, or the condition of the seal.
With all due respect to you, you seem to have had all sorts of problems with this PB, having been on here for advice several times in different posts, and frankly if I were you I would abandon the PB and stick with bottles. At least they are more predictable.

I never found PB's to be anything but a PITA, to be honest and would never advise anyone to buy and rely on a cheap one.

Back in the day, 1980's, I would add more dissolved sugar as the Boots PB emptied. CO2 seemed like a good idea, but it was still a PITA.

 

[Godsdog]

Nothing at all the matter with KK pbs in my opinion,but as for the budget ones wouldn't take one if offered for free,I've adapted my KKs to be like the balihoo ones with the Schrader valve in the caps and think its an upgrade and improvement on them as you can monitor the ongoing pressure in the keg similar to a cornie,fwiw it does seem he isn't priming the pb anywhere sufficiently to get his beer out the pb carbonated and conditioned enough,I sometimes used to throw in 4/5 ounces of sugar years ago and rarely needed injected gas to dispense a full keg of ale

 

[Sandimas]

Nothing at all the matter with KK pbs in my opinion,but as for the budget ones wouldn't take one if offered for free,

We all have different experiences: I've just cleaned out my budget Wilko keg for the umpteenth time after 6 years, my KK is a right PITA and forever leaking, to the point where I never use it anymore.

I think you might need a bit more pressure to empty a full 23L brew without adding more CO2, I've fitted a gauge on my KK and it finishes pressurising around 9-10 PSI after a week or two in the warm.

 

[terrym]

We all have different experiences: I've just cleaned out my budget Wilko keg for the umpteenth time after 6 years, my KK is a right PITA and forever leaking, to the point where I never use it anymore.

I think you might need a bit more pressure to empty a full 23L brew without adding more CO2, I've fitted a gauge on my KK and it finishes pressurising around 9-10 PSI after a week or two in the warm.

I currently operate three budget PBs all bought from Tesco when they sold HB stuff, average price £18.75. Youngs did replace one just outside the 12 month period which developed a leak. They are not perfect and when/if the next one goes I will have to think about whether its worth replacing, especially if it is going to cost upwards of £30. However for the time being they are fine, and provided I follow the usual precautions about lid seals, for me they are better than fiddling about with bottles. Plus they are ideal for stout, which I usually have on the go as something different to drink.

darrellm
That's an interesting detail about the pressure. :thumb:
How much priming sugar do you add to get 9-10 psig.

 

[Sandimas]

How much priming sugar do you add to get 9-10 psig.

I didn't make a note, but my standard is 80g. I do however give the keg a quick squirt of CO2 from a Hambleton-Bard cylinder as soon as I close it up to check for leaks, so that gives it a bit of a head start.

 

[chub1]

I have a 10 litre p.b. that i have only used twice as yet,however i must say i am very happy with the results so far.I have a couple of screw cap replacements,ie those that i can add Co2 with. First time i added a capsule towards the very end of the barell,possibly could have not really needed it however.
Going to get another one and at £18 i think it's a good buy,guess time will tell as they get used more however.

 

[APINTA]

First I like to say a big thank you to you all for the above comments & advice and help in solving this problem.But the above readings where taken with no beer drawn off the PB at all.I do know that ballyhoo where having some problems with the seals I am going to change the seal and add some sugar and see if that helps should I put the heat mat back on ? just looked at the pressure and it is 3.5 this is from 6.5 yesterday morning when I put a co2 bulb in Looks like I will be sending a email to ballyhoo

 

[Sandimas]

If you've got a leak, no point adding sugar and waiting for it to carb up, you'll be chasing your tail for days/weeks/months. Get a Hambleton-Bard CO2 cylinder and gas it up that way, if you get the pressure up above 6-7 PSI you should be able to hear any leaks and/or use washing up liquid suds around all the seals and tap to pinpoint the leak. Seals are notoriously iffy and only last so long.

You get 30x as much gas in the cylinder as bulbs, so you won't feel quite so bad using it when tracking down leaks.
http://www.hambletonbard.com/products/wine-beer-making-equipment/s30-home-brew-co2.html

 

[APINTA]

Thank You I have some spare seals which I will try first and I have a spare cap which has not been used yet which I will also try and let you know

 

[APINTA]

Well I think I have solved it The culprit was the cap with a crack right along it to be honest it was not me who saw it it was the wife. I will be touch with ballyhoo tomorrow THEY SAID THEY HAD NO BAD CAPS AND ALREADY SORTED THE BAD ONES OUT Well that was not true!! others there said it was the seals where at fault being soft or hard . Now this making me very cross thinking I am the I was to blame. I have spent a lot money with this company and to keep me in the dark and not telling me and I had to find this out from a friend it is not on I even rang Raquel at Ballyhoo and she informed me that my caps where fine and i did not have any faulty one Well she was WRONG! there then . i have a spare cap I have just put that on the PB and at the moment every thing is OK well let you know tomorrow

 

[Godsdog]

Well I think I have solved it The culprit was the cap with a crack right along it to be honest it was not me who saw it it was the wife. I will be touch with ballyhoo tomorrow THEY SAID THEY HAD NO BAD CAPS AND ALREADY SORTED THE BAD ONES OUT Well that was not true!! others there said it was the seals where at fault being soft or hard . Now this making me very cross thinking I am the I was to blame. I have spent a lot money with this company and to keep me in the dark and not telling me and I had to find this out from a friend it is not on I even rang Raquel at Ballyhoo and she informed me that my caps where fine and i did not have any faulty one Well she was WRONG! there then . i have a spare cap I have just put that on the PB and at the moment every thing is OK well let you know tomorrow

so very pleased sorted it out,an old saying springs to mind here,two heads are better than one even if ones a sheeps head but in this case a swmbos head:thumb:

 

[ChrisPDuck]

I originally used the cheap plastic PBs and had regular issues. Since discovering you can get Corey’s for about £40 each (which will last a life time) I wish I’d just gone with these from day 1
The extras do add up but are all one of purchases and you defiantly save in CO2 compared to the little bulb.

 

[marlon]

Thank You I have some spare seals which I will try first and I have a spare cap which has not been used yet which I will also try and let you know

Just a quick thought.......I always smeer the seal with a little vasaline. Making the 'O' ring slippery and pliable helps it to seal better. (IMO)

 

[APINTA]

I originally used the cheap plastic PBs and had regular issues. Since discovering you can get Corey’s for about �£40 each (which will last a life time) I wish I’d just gone with these from day 1
The extras do add up but are all one of purchases and you defiantly save in CO2 compared to the little bulb.

Sorry if I sound thick What is a Cory I am still new to this Brewing lark:whistle:

 

[APINTA]

Just a quick thought.......I always smeer the seal with a little vasaline. Making the 'O' ring slippery and pliable helps it to seal better. (IMO)

Yeh I do the same Just to add when I rang ballyhoo they said they would be sending out a new cap but when i spoke to my friend who also brought a starter kit on my recommendation he was losing pressure on his barrell and after paying �£90 odd for this kit he was not very happy. Paul who I think is the owner told him that it was faulty seals being to hard and others telling me it was faulty caps So I do not know what to be-leave. I am going to ring Paul this afternoon to find out whats what there Raquel & Brad saying it is the lid :clap:;-)

 

[Godsdog]

Sorry if I sound thick What is a Cory I am still new to this Brewing lark:whistle:

Think he meant a cornie keg,way to go imo

 

[APINTA]

Think he meant a cornie keg,way to go imo

I think I have found what you mean So I presume once the beer has femated you use one of these as a prsure Barrel but the way I read it it looks like it is for Lager and not Bitters Or Have I got that wrong also saw this http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/a-used-corny-keg-19lt-ball-lock-p-2425.html
At one point I thought I had to watch a episode of coronation street:mrgreen: