king kegs... ..your experiences

[artyb]

as i have acquired a king keg how many of you have used them, :wha:

any tips for its use...?

any major problems i should look for...?

anyone not get on with them..or love them..

your opinions would be welcome... :thumb:

cheers guys.... :

 

[orange]

I have 3. I still like them. I think they are good for ales. :thumb:

 

[unclepumble]

They are allright, the bottom tap ones are better as they use less gas, top taps are CO2 Hungry.

I do find that the o-ring on the tube bit that goes in the back of the tap jumps out of its groove quite often when it assembled, if missed you just get a pint of fob as the top pressure leaks out with the beer fobbing things up.

I have had a lot of trouble with the s30 valves leaking, (sorted easily as they were leaking at the valve lid connection, some home made silcone washers sorted it.

O and if the top sticks they are an absolute bstard to get off.

There were probs with New King Kegs by the way, not second hand ones.

I get on with cheapo Youngs kegs from wilkos better, 18quid a pop I don't mind chucking them when they get tired, & I only use em as secondary vessels, (intermediate conditioning tanks) before transferring to cornies now anyway.

The Cornie is the KING KEG in my opionion.

Nothing wrong with King kegs though if you know the issues with them they are easy to get on with.

UP

 

[pjbiker]

Their are generally 2 camps on the keg front. King kegs (and equivalent plastic kegs) and Corni's. Personally, I'm with the king kegs. However I used to use soda stream gas but have now had to source bottled gas and a regulator since soda strea changed the threads on their bottles so I,d be almost set up to use cornies. Cornies work out a bit more expensive but not much. They take a higher pressure too so suitable for fizzy lagers. king kegs are fine for ales. Cornies hold a bit less, 5 US gallons rather than 5 UK gallons (20% less). I think thats right. I've modified the floats on my top tap kegs by drilling a hole in the side to stop them wasting so much gas, lets the liquid in quicker.

 

[artyb]

They are allright, the bottom tap ones are better as they use less gas, top taps are CO2 Hungry.

I do find that the o-ring on the tube bit that goes in the back of the tap jumps out of its groove quite often when it assembled, if missed you just get a pint of fob as the top pressure leaks out with the beer fobbing things up.

I have had a lot of trouble with the s30 valves leaking, (sorted easily as they were leaking at the valve lid connection, some home made silcone washers sorted it.

O and if the top sticks they are an absolute bstard to get off.

There were probs with New King Kegs by the way, not second hand ones.

I get on with cheapo Youngs kegs from wilkos better, 18quid a pop I don't mind chucking them when they get tired, & I only use em as secondary vessels, (intermediate conditioning tanks) before transferring to cornies now anyway.

The Cornie is the KING KEG in my opionion.

Nothing wrong with King kegs though if you know the issues with them they are easy to get on with.

UP

so with a bit of tinkering ya can live with em..... :hmm:

out of interest ,...how do they use more gas..leaking around the tap..?

 

[The Ginger Ninja]

I've modified the floats on my top tap kegs by drilling a hole in the side to stop them wasting so much gas, lets the liquid in quicker.

Any chance of some details on this? I find my KK very gas hungry so if theres an easy mod im interested. Is the hole drilled in the side of the circular outer which part of the floaty thingy? I hope that makes sense... What size hole? Any chance of a pic?

:

 

[Nunfa1]

King Kegs when set up properly are great but, as has been said, they can be tricky to get right and even then can vary from brew to brew.
I have 3 top tap versions and the only reason they use more gas is if they have a leak. The thing to remember is that with a top tap there are additional points they can leak from. As UP pointed out the insert in the back of the tap can leak which means gas will come out at the same as the beer, I always smear a little vaseline on the insert before pushing into the back of the tap.
The S30 valve does come fitted gas tight so needs to be removed and vaseline added to the washer between the lid before being tightened up.
Pay attention to the small inlet rubber on the part of the valve that sits inside the keg, this can wear quickly if you've been adding a lot of co2. Make sure it is not sitting over the lip at the bottom. From my experience if your keg is not holding good pressure then it is normally this rubber that has worn.
With a little bit of care and attention then they will serve you very well.

The tip about the float assembly is good, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[pjbiker]

I've modified the floats on my top tap kegs by drilling a hole in the side to stop them wasting so much gas, lets the liquid in quicker.

Any chance of some details on this? I find my KK very gas hungry so if theres an easy mod im interested. Is the hole drilled in the side of the circular outer which part of the floaty thingy? I hope that makes sense... What size hole? Any chance of a pic?

:

Hi, I noticed that the flow from my top tap kegs with the standard float was a bit, gasbeergasbeergasbeer (hence the gas 'hunger') not by any leakage of gas. I gathered that if the float is upside down (vertical), it takes a while for the beer to seep over it's rim to reach the exit pipe. I modified by drilling a hole in the side, I've added a picture. Think it's about 7mm. Obviously you need to stop before the inner bit or the float won't float. Seems to have improved things. There are replacement 'latstock' floats available which are a better design (I have one) but this modification is easy enough. I did consider adding a bit of weight to the float to make it sit a bit lower in the beer which should help with filling too but never did.

 

[pjbiker]

Other folks on hear recommend putting a few inches of rubber hose on the tap outlet to reduce foaming too but I've not tried that yet (actually don't need to because I attach them to my kegerator tap now). That silicone hose from Vossy would probably be easiest to use.

 

[Nunfa1]

Another tip I read that works well is to leave the tap open as you fill the keg with beer. This helps to submerge the float to avoid the problem above. Just remember to turn the tap off after you've filled the keg.

 

[The Ginger Ninja]

Cheers for that pjbiker. I'l give it a go on mine. Might try and weigh it down a bit too, not sure what with though?

Thanks again

 

[Runwell-Steve]

I get on fine with King Keg Top Taps, and will be keping my 2 to compliment my cornies, all my Bottom Taps Kegs will be sent to a new home.

One tip is to turn the tap on fully when you want a pint.

If you only turn it on a little bit you will get a pint of froth, but turn it on fully and it will be much better.

I actually like the fact that when I get near the bottom of the keg I don't have to start tipping them up to get the last few pints out, like you do with Bottom Tap kegs.

 

[pjbiker]

Cheers for that pjbiker. I'l give it a go on mine. Might try and weigh it down a bit too, not sure what with though?

Thanks again

Yeah, I didn't manage to think of anything either so didn't do it. Maybe wrap some copper cable around it?

 

[edwarddo]

i have a massive leak problem with my new top tap KK, i fill with gas and with in about 20 seconds it seems to have all gone, ideas (yes the lid is on and the valve is secured and the tap is off etc) vasceliened the filler plug etc

 

[GavH]

Bought a KK top tap last month and fitted the Brewgas Sparkler tap. Finally established today that co2 is leaking from around the seal between the keg and the tap. Anyone got any ideas how to cure this? I made sure it is as tight as it can be (or as I can get it) before squirting more co2 but it's still leaking. Very frustrating.

 

[GavH]

Thanks jb, some really useful pointers there. Much appreciated.

 

[evanvine]

7, Make sure you prime correctly...its no good putting 85g of sugar in the barrel and then syphoning your beer on top. The priming sugar has to be evenly dissolved throughout the beer

This is the only point I disagree with, the yeast will find the sugar no matter what.

 

[GavH]

So let me just be clear: to keg around 20-23 litres (depending on the kit); prime with appropriate amount of sugar (or whatever) then squirt 2 x 8g co2 carts in. Warm place for a fortnight then colder place for another fortnight. End result: however many pintsof beer suitably carbonated and drinkable.

How many co2 carts are folks using to go through, say, 40 pints for a TOP TAP KK?

How do you test the pressure during the early stages? Just dispense a small amount to guage how quickly it comes out?

The way I feel at the moment, 1 × KK TT with a Sparkler tap might be going up for sale.

 

[Sandimas]

I'm having nothing but problems with mine too, spent the last year or so trying to track down a slow leak :shock: Fine when gassed up but very slowly loses pressure, over a few days. Identified various faulty seals and pressure release valve, but even after fixing them it's still leaking. Borrowed an alternative tap and lid, still slowly leaks. Tried gassing it right up and tracking the leak down with soapy water, but no joy.

Think it'll be going down the tip after Xmas. :evil: Xmas brew in a cheapo Wilko keg, which has been much more reliable.

 

[Underground Joe]

I fill the clear cylinder float thingy about a third full with Starsan or pre boiled water so that the float sits slightly lower in the beer.