King keg

[Desmnd]

Hi. I used to have a hambelton bard beer sphere. I had it from 1980 until 2017. Never had any problems with it. I now have 2 king kegs and I am tearing my hair out trying to get the barrels to seal. I have to wrench the valve down until it nearyl cuts through the washer but still struggle. I have had over 35 years without any problems before I retired the hambelton bard and got two king kegs.

Are their any other barrels out their that support the S30 valve. I know I am not alone in this as searching the internet I see lots of people have the same problems. I beleive the King Keg is Australian which just about sums it up.

 

[Buffers brewery]

So, 2 things I did to get my KK’s to work. First, spend some time making sure the barrel sealing face is flat.....properly flat.



Then throw the cap away and replace it with a DIY closure...

 

[Graz]

I've got 3 King Kegs, the frustration of owning them drove me into buying 6 Cornelius kegs, a big secondhand fridge, a cylinder of gas, 3 Intertaps, a primary regulator, 3 secondary regulators, and a lot of plumbing

No regrets

 

[Graz]

@Buffers brewery Just watched your YouTube Vid on your new King Keg cap, amazing bit of ingenuity / design! I don't want to ditch my King Kegs entirely as I hate wasting stuff, I think I still have a good use for them despite my expanding Corny keg collection. I'd like to make something similar for mine but unfortunately wouldn't know where to start with regard to acrylic casting, do you have any sort of guide for that?

I'm sure you could also make a few quid selling these to frustrated King Keg users on here if you felt the urge

 

[Buffers brewery]

you could also make a few quid selling these to frustrated King Keg users on here if you felt the urge

Knowing how frugal some home brewers are, I didn’t think anyone would want to lay out hard earned cash for one of my creations. The basic assembly with no fittings except for the nuts and washers and one rubber gasket costs me £9.50 to make . If you’re interested in trying one out, message me your details and I’ll make one for you at cost plus post and packing. You don’t want to know how much it cost me to make the moulds!

P.S. for best performance you need to make sure the barrel neck is flat. There’s another of my YouTube vids on that.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I'd like to make something similar for mine but unfortunately wouldn't know where to start with regard to acrylic casting, do you have any sort of guide for that?

Hi @Graz . Just checked out how much I spent on making the moulds for my design of barrel cap.....just a little shy of £150! You might find @Petefin approach more cost effective but you need access to a lathe etc. See “Better quality King Keg cap” thread, post #73.

 

[rolando]

@Buffers brewery wow just seen the vids of your new king keg lid! Really cool, and I'd seriously consider getting one if you sold a 'kit'.

I'm going to see how things go with the lid I already have for now though.

Great stuff though!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Hi. I used to have a hambelton bard beer sphere. I had it from 1980 until 2017. Never had any problems with it. I now have 2 king kegs and I am tearing my hair out trying to get the barrels to seal. I have to wrench the valve down until it nearyl cuts through the washer but still struggle. I have had over 35 years without any problems before I retired the hambelton bard and got two king kegs.

Are their any other barrels out their that support the S30 valve. I know I am not alone in this as searching the internet I see lots of people have the same problems. I beleive the King Keg is Australian which just about sums it up.

It’s almost certainly the pressure release rubber in the valve that needs replacing.

 

[Buffers brewery]

@Buffers brewery wow just seen the vids of your new king keg lid! Really cool, and I'd seriously consider getting one if you sold a 'kit'.

I'm going to see how things go with the lid I already have for now though.

Great stuff though!

Thanks. It's early days yet as I have 2 KKs being used with my cap. So far so good. Got a third one waiting for my next brew. Trying out a slight mod currently to make it easier to fit standard fittings.
In my opinion the Achilles heel of the KK is the HB valve. Replace it and you improve the reliability significantly.

 

[kelper]

@Desmnd Try new gasket from Ballihoo. The square section gaskets, coated with a smear of vaseline seem to work well. But test for leaks. Invert the barrel when there is some pressure in and see where the beer is escaping from.

Replace all the seals on the S30 valve. (out of stock but ask to be notified)

A cap spanner will help to tighten and loosen. They are a bit skinny so follow the suggestion to tape two together.

 

[mickc]

Slightly off topic. Just bought my first KK with top tap. It came without float or cap seal, is that normal? I'm not getting an answer from to seller and don't want to cause a row if that is normal.

 

[kelper]

no, it's not normal.

 

[mickc]

Thanks, I didn't think so, just making sure.

 

[kelper]

You did look inside?

 

[mickc]

Oh yes, looked with hands and eyes.