My start up equipment-it's a little confusing...

[Dazlerisepic]

Try gluing the durex on lol
I am ok with the sealks on the valves I bought tap washers from poundland and got about 5 which fit perfect :)
Its the rubber seal for the cap on the keg I just can't get it back in, any tricks to it?

 

[Dutto]

.........
Its the rubber seal for the cap on the keg I just can't get it back in, any tricks to it?

Vaseline allows it to slide into the gap and provides a bit of adhesion and a seal as well. My good lady has much more slender fingers than I do so you might do as I do. i.e. Hand it to her and look helpless. Works every time!

If the "O" ring keeps falling out when you turn it over to screw on to the PB then stick it in the fridge to thicken up the Vaseline and get it to grip a bit better.

BTW don't fret about cleaning the Vaseline off. I've never had it give an off-taste to the beer so all I do is spray it with StarSan to sanitise it.

 

[Dazlerisepic]

its in the fridge now, I will give it a whirl :)

 

[Dazlerisepic]

I give up!

It just wont go in so can some kind sole please tell me where I can buy a replacement lid that wont cost the earth?
Its for a Rotokeg so the lid is 4 inch will one fit for a kingkeg or any other keg, its an old but good keg so I don't want to spend a fortune and it needs to have the oring fitted? I hope someone can point me in the right direction :)

 

[Dutto]

Hmmmm!

It's a worry that the "O" ring won't go in but an even bigger worry is if anyone recommends a cap and then you discover that you have wasted a few quid on a cap that has the wrong thread!

However, there's one here that is supposed to fit a King Keg AND a Rotokeg ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JPAVQCM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

... but at £21.99 it is eye-watering expensive (even with free delivery)!

It may just be the incentive you need to have another attempt at fitting the "O" ring you already have!

 

[spiney63]

Soak it in boiling water so it regains its shape 5 mins should be enough

 

[Dazlerisepic]

I know it's nearly the price of a cheap keg, I have siliconed it instead what are the chances of it sealing :) 50/50

 

[Dutto]

That looks okay!

You can always test it by sticking a CO2 capsule in and leaving it for a couple of days.

If you don't hear anything "whistling" and gat anything blowing out of the tap after two days then it's sealing fine ...

... and you've saved £21.99!

 

[Dazlerisepic]

I could if I had CO2 lol.
I was planning on adding more sugar when the pressure dropped.
I have placed the cap on and blown up the tap and it seems ok :)
I am going to try Geordies bitter I quess I might be drinking flat bitter for a few months if it doesnt work

 

[Cwrw666]

The only problem with this method is that to prime a PB with enough sugar to produce enough pressure to drive all of the gas out of the PB means that you have "gassy" beer; which is something I hate!

Don't understand this at all. I was talking about getting the pressure back up after you've run out of pressure halfway down the barrel. The barrel is already full of CO2, you just need to generate enough more so you can continue serving beer. I usually use 3 oz. just like when I originally primed the barrel. Gives enough pressure to match typical pub beer.

 

[Dutto]

I could if I had CO2 lol.
I was planning on adding more sugar when the pressure dropped.
I have placed the cap on and blown up the tap and it seems ok :)
I am going to try Geordies bitter I quess I might be drinking flat bitter for a few months if it doesnt work

In the photo you showed the cap had two connections on it.

The left-hand one is an S30 connection that allows 8g CO2 capsules to used to inject CO2 into the barrel to maintain pressure!

So that I could use ordinary air when I ran out of CO2 I cobbled up this bit of kit ...

... and used an ordinary bike pump.

It will actually fit either of the two injection points shown in your photographs!

 

[Dutto]

Don't understand this at all. I was talking about getting the pressure back up after you've run out of pressure halfway down the barrel. The barrel is already full of CO2, you just need to generate enough more so you can continue serving beer. I usually use 3 oz. just like when I originally primed the barrel. Gives enough pressure to match typical pub beer.

Why not use the system above and save the wait?

Taking the cap off to add more sugar and then waiting for a brew to recarbonate is a real pain and there is enough CO2 in the space above the brew in a half-empty keg to drive it back into the brew.

 

[stan.distortion]

For the o-ring, is there any chance it's simply the wrong size? Could be for an earlier model or simply a mistake by the supplier but if you've got a seals supplier in your area it shouldn't be too expensive to get one that fits.

They'll usually know what material is suitable but if there's any doubt go with "viton", it's the expensive option but even so it should be less than a fiver. If there's nothing for "seals" in the yellow pages try "bearings" (most bearing suppliers also do a wide range of seals).

 

[Dazlerisepic]

In the photo you showed the cap had two connections on it.

The left-hand one is an S30 connection that allows 8g CO2 capsules to used to inject CO2 into the barrel to maintain pressure!

So that I could use ordinary air when I ran out of CO2 I cobbled up this bit of kit ...

View attachment 15482

View attachment 15483

... and used an ordinary bike pump.

It will actually fit either of the two injection points shown in your photographs!

looking at this, I think a car tyre valve could be ised really easy then if the lid thickness is similar to that of a car rim, I wonder if this is an easier way to get the pressure back up, will the air not contaminate the beer?

 

[Dutto]

looking at this, I think a car tyre valve could be ised really easy then if the lid thickness is similar to that of a car rim, I wonder if this is an easier way to get the pressure back up, will the air not contaminate the beer?

The tyre valve fits just fine. I got some of these ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DJVDMVA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

... drilled out a 10mm hole and fitted them with a hard plastic washer and an 'O' ring on the inside and an 'O' ring and a SS washer on the outside.

I'm afraid that when I used the bike pump to pump air into the PB's I only did it to 10 litre PB's; and they didn't last long enough to get "oxygenated"! (Plus there is a blanket of CO2 on the top of the brew to reduce the chances.)

I have now set up a CO2 system that uses a Sodastream bottle. I use the end of the bike pump attached to a CO2 line to the PB as and when required. Here's the set-up.

CO2 from a Sodastream Bottle via a small Pressure Regulator ...

... is connected to the bike pump head via a low pressure tube ...

... and applied whenever the PB runs out of CO2.

I only put 5psi into the PBs because I hate a "gassy" brew; but the PB's are generally rated to 15psi if you need a higher carbonation.

Enjoy.

BTW

I found an old (about 50 years) CO2 pressure control valve on an old Bulmers PB. It doesn't just whack the CO2 into the PB like the ones on the S30 injection points. It's designed to be installed and left on the PB all the time. It still works!

 

[Dazlerisepic]

I have a sodastream bottle and machine sat in the cupboard that could be sacrificed but I do like the valve idea, I like simple :)