Old Boots Pressure Barrel: Refurb it or chuck it?

[StuAlban]

I've got hold of my dad's old Boots barrel from the 80s. It has been in his garage for years and the smell inside when I opened it was terrible!
Is it even worth thinking about refurbishing it (maybe a new tap and lid) or should I not take the risk and just buy a new one?
I'm not even sure how to use these things with CO2 cannisters etc but I'm sure there's a thread on here if I can find it.
Cheers,
Stu.

 

[hedgerow pete]

i get them all the time as my "new" barrels the one i picked up last week was full of cider and not opened for years, strip the tap out and chuck it, they are easy enough to refurb i your sort of pennies, just split down and clean and replace the rubber washer when you unscrew it,

i replace the whole tap and i allso replace the lids gasket as well, i see yours has no co2 valve so i would add that as well just incase i want it later,

total refurb cost is about a tenner which is a third of the price of a new one, to clean it i use quarter of a bottle of thin asda bleach (38p) and water for two days, flush through and start with the scrubbing the insides, after that another day with a load of oxyaction to help things along,

if there is still the unshiftable waste i use two things, one is a bucket of plastic granules but i find pasta and or rice works just as well ( no water) and just keep shaking it to use the granules as the scrubber, or a normal green scrubbing pad wrapped around a broom handle and stuck in place with a drawing pin also works too.


if the worst comes to the worst i will pop along and collect it for the hedgerow brewery :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[StuAlban]

Thanks Pete. I'm going to try and get it back into working order then. Just two questions: 1) How can I make sure that the replacement tap and lid gasket will fit? Is there another current brand which is the same or are the sizes universal? 2) Is a green scrubbing pad going to scratch the inside and leave places for nasties to grow?

 

[Eric_S]

Don't use a scourer - that would scratch the insides - rice or pasta will work fine but it is hard work. A bottle brush might do the trick?

 

[hedgerow pete]

i use plastic granules from a plastic factory, i would use rice and or pasta, a kilo bag will do and just keep rolling it about,

almost all taps for pressure barrels are screw in only as the barrel has a thick piece which is threaded, grab hold of the base of the tap as the tap its self spin around any way as normall and then unscrew, i have found almost all without fail are 3/4 BSPT so almost any will fit, i have yet to find one that wont work, out of intrest did you realise that since its 3/4 BSPT if you were to go to a plumbers merchant they have threaded taps with 3/4 male threads that will also screw in!

the seal just buy any 4" lid seal it will fit if its a larger say 6" seal to shorten it just cut and super glue back the ends together,

the brass cap on top of the barrel will unscrew and then just install the gas valve one.

it sounds hard but its very simple, if your really really worried take it into the local home brew shop and say, "it old, me want new bits, you supply" and a tap and seal and gas valve will come over the counter for you, but expect to pay for the good service and effort to sort you out properly

 

[StuAlban]

I really should have taken the tap off to look before making the post but now that I have I can see that the whole in the barrel is not threaded.
The tap was made by Waddington & Duval Ltd and is split so definitely needs replacing.
I have one exactly the same in fact which came with the Youngs Fermentation Bucket I bought from my LHBS. Not sure if that was supplied by Youngs or fitted 'aftermarket' by the LHBS.
I don't need this tap on my FV as I have swapped if for the one which came with the Littler Bottler I am using.
The lid has a perished rubber insert which I have now removed. I'm still unsure if/how I can fit a gas valve to this lid.

 

[jonnymorris]

Bin it and buy a new one.

I'd be surprised if you're ever going to get the thing properly clean, you're going to need a new lid with pressure valve regardless (c.£15) and for c.£30 you can buy a new, clean King Keg with top tap and carrying handle that'll probably hold the pressure better than this old thing.

p.s. if you do stick with it, you don't need a thread on your tap hole.