King Keg Implosion, is it a write off?

[Kiyonari]

Hi,

Dug out my king keg which has been dormant since January with dregs of my Xmas brew in it and it has imploded on itself, is it for the scrap heap?

Cheers!!

 

[peebee]

I've had them blow the bottom dimple out with pressure:

Fill with a pint or so of very hot water (not boiling!). Tighten lid. Give a shake hoping to soften the plastic and have the increased pressure blow out the deformity. Release the pressure or the steam condenses, the pressure becomes negative, and the deformity is sucked in again. May require a repeat.

Do it outside with no-one present. Then if it bursts only you get drenched in scalding water and hit in the head by chunks of flying debris.

 

[terrym]

Yes I suggest you bin it. Even if you have a go at it and think you have sorted out your problem you have no idea what has happened to the structural integrity of the body, and when you repressurise it who knows what can happen. It is after all a pressure vessel with a lot of stored energy when working under internal pressure.
The good thing is they can be recycled, since they are made of HDPE.

 

[peebee]

Yes I suggest you bin it. Even if you have a go at it and think you have sorted out your problem you have no idea what has happened to the structural integrity of the body, and when you repressurise it who knows what can happen. It is after all a pressure vessel with a lot of stored energy when working under internal pressure.
The good thing is they can be recycled, since they are made of HDPE.

Tsch! You are so level headed.

 

[phildo79]

Fill it to the brim with cold water and then pressurise it to get it back to the right shape. If anything goes wrong, it should just split instead of exploding.

 

[Clint]

Drink the dregs!

 

[terrym]

Fill it to the brim with cold water and then pressurise it to get it back to the right shape. If anything goes wrong, it should just split instead of exploding.

But you can't be sure. I'll bet the Captain of the Titanic said 'we should be alright' when they hit the iceberg.

Tsch! You are so level headed.

Better safe than sorry

Be good to be reminded of this, particularly the first paragraph
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/safe-brewing.82795/

 

[Wherrypuzzled]

I had exactly this after I packed in brewing a few years back. A twisten contorted mess. But enough about me

I tried to return my PB to its original shape by a few means and failed. So I left it where it stood and forgot about it and a few months later I noticed it had returned completely back to "normal". How did THAT happen I asked myself and in truth I put it down to the cold temp in the Garage

I bought new Tap and a new Lid and have used it without incident for 2 years or more (I didnt drink the dregs though as Clint suggested lol)

 

[foxy]

I have no idea about the thickness of those King Kegs but I have had a cube distort with pressure,. The hollow in the base pops out, and gets a bit of a lean on but do go back into shape, fill up with water and pump a bit of air into it. That should fix it, if it doesn't go back into shape on it's own.

 

[eyuptm]

Be VERY careful when pressure testing- wrap a towel around it, and wear protective stuff. Seriously, one exploded on me with only 5psi or so, and it went off like a grenade..... Frit me (and the dog...!) to death.....

 

[BridgeBrew]

I'll have it, if you dont want it. :tinhat:

 

[trummy]

I would warm the outside bump with a hair-dryer or similar, then would put 3 - 4 pts of warm /hot water inside, swirl it around the bump with the top screwed on. If the correct shape does not return give it a bit of gas with the bump away from you.

 

[kelper]

If you fit a Schrader valve to the lid and FILL the barrel 100% with very hot water, you can safely pressurise it with a car tyre pump. If there are no leaks, you can use the barrel even if the shape does not recover. The rubber band relief should operate at about 10psi.

 

[Toxicdonkey]

I had the same thing happen.. I poured hot soapy water in it and gave it a shake.. popped back out.. Not sure if what I did was right but it worked