Keg seal problem

[Dann77]

Hi all,

Couldn't find my scenario on other threads, so thought I'd ask.

I had just finished preparing Festival's Pilgrims Hope kit beer when I realised my keg was leaking from around the seal of the tap. Upon closer inspection I have realised that I have put the rubber ring inside the keg and not outside.

Unfortunately I ran out of steriliser earlier today, so couldn't transfer to primary bucket and back to keg. Instead, my genius wife has wrapped tape that I put around the top seal around the outside of the tap, taped that up and it is no longer leaking.

However, I have brewed this for a mate's bash in 6wks and don't know if this will hold until then. I'm also going to be away between now and then, so can't do again.

I can get more steriliser after work tomorrow and transfer to bucket and back to keg, but not sure if this would ruin the beer as secondary fermentation would have started. However, I would have only added the priming sugar about 24hrs earlier.

Q: Do you think best to leave as is and trust to fate, or should transferring tomorrow be a pretty safe bet and the best option?

Thanks

Dan

 

[Dutto]

In my experience:

1. A leak NEVER repairs itself.

2. Trying to seal something from the outside is a waste of effort.

3. The keg will leak more the greater the carbonation (but see 1. below).

Now the Good News:

1. With putting the seal on the inside, you MAY get lucky and the seal MAY be squeezed into the leak and seal if off as the pressure builds.

2. Waiting 24 hours will give you time to see if you are lucky and it seals itself. It is also no big deal after 24 hours to decant the brew into another vessel whilst you tinker with the PB.

The very worst thing you could do is to leave it as it is and turn up at your mate's "do" with half a barrel of flat beer!

Remember Murphy was an optimist! :whistle:

BTW

"Pilgrims Hope"? You could hardly have picked a better named beer for one to come good! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Godsdog]

Get it out first opportunity address the problem put back in barrel ,recarb(sugar?) and purge O2 out ,should be fine if you can purge the O2.it will not seal itself and a heath Robinson repair won't be adequate once the pressure builds

 

[Clint]

If you recarb kit came with 100g of dextrose. ..just checked my notes!

 

[Dann77]

Thanks guys - should probably have said I'm just a basic level brewer, so have a king keg rather than a corney. Given this, I don't think I can purge the O2 (thanks for the advice though Godsdog - and thanks for your advice last year when I messed up. Not sure I'm cut out for homebrewing!!).

Will try checking on it tomorrow and see if the leak has sealed, and switch barrels if not. Not sure about adding more sugar so soon though, wonder if it might be a bit too much. Guess if pressure doesn't build I could add some again then.

Thanks again.

 

[Godsdog]

fwiw,if it was me in your situation I would temporarily put it back in the re sanatised fv fix the tap on the barrel re sanatise it,put beer back in and sugar up again maybe just 50 gram and cap it,next day go back and loose a bit of the new pressure out thru the s30 valve if you have one in the cap by lifting the rubber around it with your finger nail to loose out the O2 that will be sitting above the newly formed sterile CO2 failing that if you have no s30 valve untighten the cap a little for it to escape and purge the O2 that way,im sure everything will be fine:thumb:

 

[mgkpancake]

Vaseline(or food grade silicon grease) around the seal from the inside or would be unfortunate with infection with what has happened already but should be okay.