Leaking Barrel Cap

[Steeley]

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.

So best bet, buy new seals or new valve

 

[Steeley]

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

I will have a look at that, I will remove the valve and possibly replace it

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

So best bet, buy new seals or new valve

Not necessarily. Search for “leaky kegs” and have a look through the posts. I covered this particular point in post #11 on that thread.

 

[Steeley]

Not necessarily. Search for “leaky kegs” and have a look through the posts. I covered this particular point in post #11 on that thread.

Thanks for that most helpful, I thought brewing my own beer would be stress less

 

[Buffers brewery]

Be aware that sometimes even new valves leak depending for how long and where they’ve been stored. Get a stock of replacement valve rubbers. You’ll need them!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Thanks for that most helpful, I thought brewing my own beer would be stress less

It will be, give yourself a little time, you’re learning a lot.

 

[Steeley]

It will be, give yourself a little time, you’re learning a lot.

Trying No doubt I will be on here again

 

[Buffers brewery]

Trying No doubt I will be on here again

Don’t give up @Steeley it is enjoyable as you get more experience. You might consider using S30 brewgas cylinder rather than the capsules as they are more controllable and better value for money. I’ve moved on and use corny gas posts on my KKs and use a 6kg CO2 cylinder, but that’s another story.

 

[Steeley]

Don’t give up @Steeley it is enjoyable as you get more experience. You might consider using S30 brewgas cylinder rather than the capsules as they are more controllable and better value for money. I’ve moved on and use corny gas posts on my KKs and use a 6kg CO2 cylinder, but that’s another story.

I am learning......slowly, but I don’t want to lose no more ale, I have got a Young’s bottom tap barrel to sort out yet, you wouldn’t, believe you could have som many issues.....all I want is a pint

 

[terrym]

I am learning......slowly, but I don’t want to lose no more ale, I have got a Young’s bottom tap barrel to sort out yet, you wouldn’t, believe you could have som many issues.....all I want is a pint

And that why about half of PB users give up on them.

 

[CD]

And that why about half of PB users give up on them.

While others persevere!

 

[Steeley]

It will be, give yourself a little time, you’re learning a lot.

Hazel wood brewery, just come across some of your pics on ‘leaky Kegs’, noticed that you had a pic of a tap wrapped in PTFE tape, just wondering, I am also having issues with. Young’s bottom tap PB, it keeps bubbling back into my beer and ruining it and it appears to be originating from the tap, I have changed the cap seal and smeared it with Vaseline, I have replace the tap and seal, smeared Vaseline on the rubber joint, but still getting it bubbling back, there is water in the barrel not beer, I was thinking of putting the PTFE tape around the threads of the tap and trying that see if that seals it, if it does I can then transfer the beer out of the KK into the Young’s barrel, then I can work on my KK and sort that out, oh the joys.

 

[CD]

Hazel wood brewery, just come across some of your pics on ‘leaky Kegs’, noticed that you had a pic of a tap wrapped in PTFE tape, just wondering, I am also having issues with. Young’s bottom tap PB, it keeps bubbling back into my beer and ruining it and it appears to be originating from the tap, I have changed the cap seal and smeared it with Vaseline, I have replace the tap and seal, smeared Vaseline on the rubber joint, but still getting it bubbling back, there is water in the barrel not beer, I was thinking of putting the PTFE tape around the threads of the tap and trying that see if that seals it, if it does I can then transfer the beer out of the KK into the Young’s barrel, then I can work on my KK and sort that out, oh the joys.

You shouldn’t have resort to using PTFE tape on either the tops or the taps of a PB. The sealing should be done by the rubber washers, and if there is a leak, then the fault is either with the washer itself or the faces it mates with.

Air bubbling in through the tap is usually caused by drawing beer off without replacing its volume with CO2. It will only go in if the pressure outside the barrel is more than it is inside it.

 

[Steeley]

You shouldn’t have resort to using PTFE tape on either the tops or the taps of a PB. The sealing should be done by the rubber washers, and if there is a leak, then the fault is either with the washer itself or the faces it mates with.

Air bubbling in through the tap is usually caused by drawing beer off without replacing its volume with CO2. It will only go in if the pressure outside the barrel is more than it is inside it.

Thanks, so with the bubbling, the pressure inside the barrel is less than outside the barrel, causing the bubbling, which would mean, if I have put Co2 in the barrel, which I did, it’s leaking out, causing this issue, so there is a leak and I feel it’s the top cap, these so I have been told only need to be hand tight, not like the KK.

 

[CD]

You’ve got it. The tops can leak through the washer not being properly in place, being cracked, being distorted by overtightening, through the blow-off band being weak, through the cap itself being cracked, through the small rubber inlet band being misplaced, or because there is a blemish on the plastic surfaces the washers mate with. It just needs a bit of detective work. For starters spray some soapy water around the top and look for any bubbles after you’ve added a bit of CO2.

 

[Steeley]

You’ve got it. The tops can leak through the washer not being properly in place, being cracked, being distorted by overtightening, through the blow-off band being weak, through the cap itself being cracked, through the small rubber inlet band being misplaced, or because there is a blemish on the plastic surfaces the washers mate with. It just needs a bit of detective work. For starters spray some soapy water around the top and look for any bubbles after you’ve added a bit of CO2.

I will try that, there is not much else to check, but I will find the bugger, so can I just double check with you, the youngs keg cap only needs hand tightening and the KK needs hand tightening then a quarter of a turn more, to make sure it’s tight, thanks so much, Coffin Dodger, what a great name.

 

[CD]

I will try that, there is not much else to check, but I will find the bugger, so can I just double check with you, the youngs keg cap only needs hand tightening and the KK needs hand tightening then a quarter of a turn more, to make sure it’s tight, thanks so much, Coffin Dodger, what a great name.

Youngs only need tightening by hand. It’s a long time since I’ve had a King Keg, so follow others advice on them. I pinched the name from Terry Wogan, who used to call Radio 2 ‘The Coffin Dodger’s Network’! Mind you, the Queen’s Grandad was on the throne when I was born . . .

 

[terrym]

While others persevere!

Ah, perseverence.
Unfortunately it counts for little when the PB body splits or develop a hole, or a cap splits and you dont have a spare. I've had four like that, and an old Hambleton Bard that I was recently given which leaks at the main cap seal, and on which again perseverence has made no impression due as far as I can see to an inherently rubbish design concerning the manner by which the gasket seats between the cap and the PB top face, and I even made a better soft neoprene gasket which didn't work.
The bottom line is most want to just fill the PB with beer, and then drink from it. Not another time consuming hobby keeping it leaktight.

 

[Steeley]

Youngs only need tightening by hand. It’s a long time since I’ve had a King Keg, so follow others advice on them. I pinched the name from Terry Wogan, who used to call Radio 2 ‘The Coffin Dodger’s Network’! Mind you, the Queen’s Grandad was on the throne when I was born . . .

Carnt beat the old uns , my wife said to me leave your job , work for me , it will be like semi retirement, she lied, 68 this month, homebrew keeping me on my toes

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Hazel wood brewery, just come across some of your pics on ‘leaky Kegs’, noticed that you had a pic of a tap wrapped in PTFE tape, just wondering, I am also having issues with. Young’s bottom tap PB, it keeps bubbling back into my beer and ruining it and it appears to be originating from the tap, I have changed the cap seal and smeared it with Vaseline, I have replace the tap and seal, smeared Vaseline on the rubber joint, but still getting it bubbling back, there is water in the barrel not beer, I was thinking of putting the PTFE tape around the threads of the tap and trying that see if that seals it, if it does I can then transfer the beer out of the KK into the Young’s barrel, then I can work on my KK and sort that out, oh the joys.

I see you’ve had some responses already. I‘m no expert on Young’s kegs but I have a lot of experience with King Kegs. The bubbling back sounds like you’re sucking air into the keg as noted by CD. This is not a problem with the tap. The use of PTFE tape on King Keg taps is two-fold; to seal the thread and eliminate any seepage under pressure along the threads, and to enable you to further tighten the nut on the back of the tap without it jumping the threads - this is to eliminate the issue of beer squeezing past the tap seal under pressure. This has happened to many people and some have even reported beer literally spraying out.

The issue you have is the gas leaking out of the keg. When you inject CO2 does it immediately rush back out or does the gas leak over several minutes/hours?