Leaking Barrel Cap

[Steeley]

Need a bit of advice, I have a couple of KK barrels, one of them is causing me issues, first time I used it, it was perfect, 2nd time I had an issue with to much head, but I got good advice from one of the guys on here and it was sorted, now I brewed the third time with the barrel,no pressure, I put a new cap seal in, I put PTFE tape around the threads, and tightened it up with my hand, then used a spanner to turn the cap an extra quarter of a turn, now any ideas.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Have you checked the Hambleton Bard connector for leaks? Either the pressure relief rubber band or the non-return rubber band are leaking most likely.

Image pinched from @kelper

 

[Steeley]

I have an S30 pin valve attached to my king keg, when I first noticed the problem with the pressure, I used a pin bulb to put some C2o in, that squirted out under the cap, I took the cap off, cleaned everything, I put some PTFE tape around the threads and smeared with Vaseline, re-tightened, first with my hand then a quarter of a turn to tighten, tried another pin bulb and noticed a leak from under the cap and dripping down the barrel, so I am doing something wrong.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Sounds like there is no seal between the barrel neck and the cap seal? If that’s the problem I would check the fit of your cap on your barrel. Try taking the cap off and take the large o ring seal out of it’s groove. Put a couple of dobs of Vaseline in the groove WITHOUT the seal and refit the cap and do it up until it stops. Undo the cap and inspect the Vaseline dobs. If the cap is fitting properly they should be sqidged flat and smeared around the whole groove. If the dobs are relatively untouched the cap is fouling on the barrel neck and stopping you from tightening it right up. Let me know your results.

 

[Steeley]

Sounds like there is no seal between the barrel neck and the cap seal? If that’s the problem I would check the fit of your cap on your barrel. Try taking the cap off and take the large o ring seal out of it’s groove. Put a couple of dobs of Vaseline in the groove WITHOUT the seal and refit the cap and do it up until it stops. Undo the cap and inspect the Vaseline dobs. If the cap is fitting properly they should be sqidged flat and smeared around the whole groove. If the dobs are relatively untouched the cap is fouling on the barrel neck and stopping you from tightening it right up. Let me know your results.
I will let you know, I am just

Sounds like there is no seal between the barrel neck and the cap seal? If that’s the problem I would check the fit of your cap on your barrel. Try taking the cap off and take the large o ring seal out of it’s groove. Put a couple of dobs of Vaseline in the groove WITHOUT the seal and refit the cap and do it up until it stops. Undo the cap and inspect the Vaseline dobs. If the cap is fitting properly they should be sqidged flat and smeared around the whole groove. If the dobs are relatively untouched the cap is fouling on the barrel neck and stopping you from tightening it right up. Let me know your results.

i will let you know, thanks very much for the information, I am just on with another barrel, but I will have a go at that within the hour

 

[terrym]

@Steeley
Why the double post?
The other was here, same subject
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/leaking-barrel-cap.89075/#post-937449Perhaps the forum magician @Chippy_Tea will combine them

 

[Steeley]

Sounds like there is no seal between the barrel neck and the cap seal? If that’s the problem I would check the fit of your cap on your barrel. Try taking the cap off and take the large o ring seal out of it’s groove. Put a couple of dobs of Vaseline in the groove WITHOUT the seal and refit the cap and do it up until it stops. Undo the cap and inspect the Vaseline dobs. If the cap is fitting properly they should be sqidged flat and smeared around the whole groove. If the dobs are relatively untouched the cap is fouling on the barrel neck and stopping you from tightening it right up. Let me know your results.

i will let you know, thanks very much for the information, I am just on with another barrel, but I will have a go at that within the hour

i have tried the 2 blobs of Vaseline, without the o ring , what I can see is two very small areas were the Vaseline has not been, weather I put enough on!!!,

 

[Steeley]

i have tried the 2 blobs of Vaseline, without the o ring , what I can see is two very small areas were the Vaseline has not been, weather I put enough on!!!,

 

[Buffers brewery]

I would’ve expected a smear of Vaseline around the whole groove if the barrel neck had made contact with the bottom of the groove although it appears to have spread it a bit. Have you flattened or fettled the neck face of the barrel? If you have, what can happen sometimes, depending on your method, is a burr builds up on the outside edge of the barrel face. A gentle file or sanding to create a gentle (but not too deep) chamfer on that edge might give you better engagement. Obvious question, the o ring seal isn’t damaged?

 

[Steeley]

I would’ve expected a smear of Vaseline around the whole groove if the barrel neck had made contact with the bottom of the groove although it appears to have spread it a bit. Have you flattened or fettled the neck face of the barrel? If you have, what can happen sometimes, depending on your method, is a burr builds up on the outside edge of the barrel face. A gentle file or sanding to create a gentle (but not too deep) chamfer on that edge might give you better engagement. Obvious question, the o ring seal isn’t damaged?

I have never fettled the neck face, reason being when I first used the barrel there were no issues with it, but obviously there is now, I have replaced the o ring in the cap, I might check the flatness of the neck, but do you think I am over tightening the cap and that is distorting it?.

 

[Buffers brewery]

From my own experience when I checked a brand new KK the neck face was not flat. Although I never checked to see if it would seal/leak I flattened it on the belief that it is more likely to seal. Check out my vid
I can't see how the seal could be distorted as it sits almost entirely in a groove. As far as overtightening goes, again I can't see how that would cause an obvious leak.
Going back to your original post, what was leaking from under the cap? Was the barrel full of....water? To the brim?

 

[Steeley]

From my own experience when I checked a brand new KK the neck face was not flat. Although I never checked to see if it would seal/leak I flattened it on the belief that it is more likely to seal. Check out my vid
I can't see how the seal could be distorted as it sits almost entirely in a groove. As far as overtightening goes, again I can't see how that would cause an obvious leak.
Going back to your original post, what was leaking from under the cap? Was the barrel full of....water? To the brim?

No, there was 40 pints in the barrel, with the gap between the cap and the beer, it had been left in the barrel for about 3 days before I checked it, that’s when I realised there was no pressure, I then used a pressure bulb to put some Co2 back into the system, as soon as I put it in, it came out.

 

[Buffers brewery]

So you had head space between your beer and the cap. What was running down the outside of the barrel from the cap do you think?

 

[Steeley]

So you had head space between your beer and the cap. What was running down the outside of the barrel from the cap do you think?

I thought it was beer when the Co2 went into the barrel there was either blow back through the valve or under the cap

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Do you happen to store one King Keg above the other? Is this one underneath? Have you checked for any leaks around the tap of the one on the top shelf?

 

[Buffers brewery]

as soon as I put it in, it came out

If it's leaking that fast and the cap seal is undamaged and tight down my bet is on either the non return rubber under the cap or the over pressure rubber. My experience of neck seal leaks is they tend to be slow.

 

[Steeley]

Do you happen to store one King Keg above the other? Is this one underneath? Have you checked for any leaks around the tap of the one on the top shelf?

No, I have a cellar and I have 2 shelves, top shelf I have 2 barrels, bottom shelf I have another barrel and my fermentation bucket, the king keg that I am now using I have a different float system no seal just push in back of the tap, but up to now no issues, the third barrel, well let’s not talk about that one

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Most likely is the non-return rubber on the injector blown off. Needs a cable-tie.

Other option, non-return rubber too long and needs trimming back a little. This would have been present from the start.

 

[Steeley]

Most likely is the non-return rubber on the injector blown off. Needs a cable-tie.

Other option, non-return rubber too long and needs trimming back a little. This would have been present from the start.

The barrel had no issues when I first use it, so are we talking about the rubber seal on the top of the cap below the valve

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The barrel had no issues when I first use it, so are we talking about the rubber seal on the top of the cap below the valve

Below. It lets the gas in and stops it coming out - unless you’ve blown it off when injecting CO2!