Plastic pressure barrels?

[An Ankoù]

Wont the cheapest PBs be the most likely to fail early? They aren't exactly precision bits of kit. I had one that lasted all of 13 months which Youngs, to their credit, replaced although the replacement didn't last much longer. And how do you assess whether a PB is 'in good nick' especially if you are buying on-line?
I would have thought the OP would have been better looking at 5 litre kegs like you are doing.


If you buy a s/h PB off ebay you have no idea how its been treated, how many times its been overpressurised , or what state it's in, especially if you haven't seen it before you spend your hard earned. If you are going to buy a PB at least buy a new one that will give you 12 months service with the warranty, rather than something that fails the first time you use it.

True enough. I was thinking more of Wilkinson or buying through Gumtree.

 

[kelper]

If you buy a s/h PB off ebay you have no idea how it's been treated, how many times it's been overpressurised

King Kegs have a pressure relief valve. How can you over-pressurise them? Just asking.

 

[terrym]

King Kegs have a pressure relief valve. How can you over-pressurise them? Just asking.

Does that have a high tech rubber band like other PBs? I never relied on rubber bands on the PBs I had although that's academic now cos 3 of 4 PBs have failed.
And anyone who regularly takes their PB up to the point where the rubber band does allow gas to vent is overpressurising the PB in my view. You will have seen how they expand and contract under normal pressurisation /depressurisation let alone up to the limit of said rubber band. How many cycles of up the limit before something gives.
Just saying....

 

[kelper]

I never relied on rubber bands on the PBs I had

Please explain.. did you fit a proper relief valve or do you mean you never let the pressure rise? I'm keen to learn as you have been brewing a lot longer than me.

 

[Dave 666]

Hmm, so pretty much buy a new 1 to start with at least then?. And if possible buy local over mail order as I do have a close home brew store as well as a wilko. Though as a side note I am also considering replacing my fermentation buckets with fermentation barrels from new year to.

But out of those that pressure barrels that have failed with people, just what is the likely cause, not checking the seals & taps or simply to much pressure that it simply damages the barrels?. If the latter, is this where the king kegs could be more reliable?.

 

[kelper]

I suppose it all depends on your budget. If you have the dosh, buy new. If you buy locally and it fails within 12 months you have a good chance of getting some money back.

In the long term, I think we will all graduate to a Corny and lots of other gear. But a PB is a good start.

 

[Sandimas]

But out of those that pressure barrels that have failed with people, just what is the likely cause

Here's a list of the issues I've had, over a number of years

• Not retaining CO2 / poor seal (very common)
• Not retaining CO2 / seals have degraded and need replacing (easy fix)
  
• Leaking tap
• Float issues with top-tap kegs
• Beer going off

Mine are now gathering dust (2 x budget, 1 x King Keg). I've had various seal issues over the years, the only true way to know if it's sealed it to have some way of measuring the pressure as it builds up and/or injecting some CO2 just after closing up to listen for any hiss around the seals.

But I have another long-standing problem now - the beer goes off. I half-bottle and half-keg some batches, the stuff in the keg always goes off despite being under pressure, in all 3 kegs. I've deep cleaned and sanitised well but it still happens. Spent years and many forum posts trying to work out what is going on, to no avail. Hence giving up.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Look 30+ years ago I had rota kegs with a float and started again 10 years ago with plastic pressure barrels. There leak due to pressure build up and if you can watch regularly then you can relieve the pressure but for me I adandomed them for bottles. Now got back into barrels wth Cornelius kegs.

 

[terrym]

Please explain.. did you fit a proper relief valve or do you mean you never let the pressure rise? I'm keen to learn as you have been brewing a lot longer than me.

To answer you questions.....
1. No, I didn't fit another RV. I never tampered with the PBs I had. In my view that's unwise.
2. Strange question, 'did I never let the pressure rise?' Assuming the question is genuine, of course I let the pressure rise that's what a PB is for, but I never overprimed and allowed the RV to vent.
3. I'm glad we agree on something. Yes, I probably have been brewing for longer than yourself.
So to complete my contribution on this exchange I'm genuinely pleased you have had a positive experience with your King Kegs, and hope that you get many years of service from it/them. However for many like me PBs turn out to be a pita, due to leaks and/or ultimate premature failure, in spite of taking all reasonable steps to not abuse them, and for these reasons they are not worth the faff nor the initial investment. For me there are better ways of storing your beer.

 

[Dave 666]

Hmm, 1 tip I've come by is to use ptfe tape around the lids thread as its supposed to give a better seal for the lid at least?. I'll still give it a go as I'd like to get used to the idea of pressure barrels with the thought of switching to corny or other metal ones at some point in the next year or so. I've a tire pressure guage here somewhere so guess that could be used to check pressure I guess?.

And there is an issue with pressure, detected or not, how long would the beer still remain good for?.

 

[kelper]

Most pressure barrels won't have any way to check the pressure. I bought these caps. https://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliihoo-barrel-with-hole-valve-pressure-test-point-gauge-p-1516.html and re-used the brass valve.

 

[Dave 666]

Most pressure barrels won't have any way to check the pressure. I bought these caps. https://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliihoo-barrel-with-hole-valve-pressure-test-point-gauge-p-1516.html and re-used the brass valve.

Looks like a handy replacement lid that.

 

[Dave 666]

So, I got a pressure barrel yesterday ready to put my Irish Stout into. Just a cheap one from Wilko for now to play with to see how it goes, OK I know some might never touch these cheap ones but hay ho.

Anyway whilst is seems OK, already well lubricated on the lid and washer seel in the lid is actually the flat type than round unlike wilkos fermentation barrel lids which are round. Anyway, whilst I got the little 8g gas bulb pack same time to top up any co2 as and when required. What the instructions don't say is what type of valve in on the wilko barrels?. Not that I guess its a major issue, but I don't know what type of co2 bulb holder is required for it as wilko don't have any in store and don't even list them online which is surprising!. So would any 8g co2 bulb holder for home brewing work or is there a specific type for the wilko pressure barrels?.

 

[Clint]

I think my Wilko is the "pin" type. I'm not at home ATM so can't check for you.
I've had mine for a couple of years and only problem I found was the "green" bulb holder I had for the c02 didn't quite tighten down...I had to jam a bit of card above the bulb to get it to pierce.
I have bought a new lid for it since but not used it yet ..a king keg 4"??
The barrel is ok ..like others it needs fettling to set it up right...
Remove any burrs and high spots in the lid,lubricate the seals etc. I also put a few wraps of PTFE round the thread.

 

[Dave 666]

I think my Wilko is the "pin" type. I'm not at home ATM so can't check for you.
I've had mine for a couple of years and only problem I found was the "green" bulb holder I had for the c02 didn't quite tighten down...I had to jam a bit of card above the bulb to get it to pierce.
I have bought a new lid for it since but not used it yet ..a king keg 4"??
The barrel is ok ..like others it needs fettling to set it up right...
Remove any burrs and high spots in the lid,lubricate the seals etc. I also put a few wraps of PTFE round the thread.

Yeah, the PTFE tape was bought before the barrel was. But 1 of the the reviews on wilkos website (be it going back some time) suggest you can't buy compatible lids for the Wilko pressure barrels?. If the 4" king keg lids do fit then happy days. Another tip I came by was to use either a fine nail file or fine sand paper to smooth out the rim of the barrel if you can feel any lumps on it.

 

[Clint]

Yeah file the lid if it needs it...I hope the lid fits! I've got a stout that's taking ages to finish... I'll take a reading in a bit and see where it is..

 

[Dave 666]

I was just going to ask about my Coopers Irish stout, been fermenting at lower than ideal temps for 19 days now and whilst not seeming to bubble through the airlock any more the reading yesterday was 1.012. This seems a little higher that the 1.008-1.010 I was aiming for but if that's stuck or finished at 1.012 (will take the second reading later) that's still a respectable 4.1% abv minus what any priming sugar adds, 0.4%?.

OK, after looking I still can't be fully sure what valve's wilko use in their pressure barrels to know what bulb holder I need to order. Fairly certain it's a pin valve looking at the lid, but not familiar with them to be sure or if the type of bulb holder really matters?.

But going forwards I'm looking at if an adapter to use a soda stream bottle on this barrel is available and possible?. Anyways, here is a pic of the valve in the hope that it can be identified for sure.

 

[prog99]

But you'll need hoses, connectors a regulator and a CO2 bottle as well. And a dispenser.

No you don't, its possible to fit an s30 valve to them. I don't have space for the extra gubbins so its how mine are setup.

 

[Dave 666]

So, 2 days ago I put the Coopers Irish Stout in the wilko pressure barrel. And today I went to test it, not because I ever thought it ready but more to check the pressure & thankfully it may well have saved the batch. First draw, no pressure at all and even slowed to a trickle as I filled the half pint glass, this is despite adding more than enough sugar for priming. OK, I know it would never be lightly carbonated after 2 days, but more a pressure test. So I then added 1 of the 8g C2o bulbs to then hear pressure leaking from the lid!!!, wtf, as tight as, pre coated with Vaseline and the barrel thread PTFE tape wrapped. Then tried loosening, no movement (so oh **** locked the thread) to get slight & slow movement opening to note the original mark. Then tightening again to get to the same point and barrel slides on surface so thought screwed up somewhere!. Then putting more effort in I get maybe 3 cm tighter from original position.

Then I add a second Co2 bulb to then hear gas\pressure coming from the valve this time and not the lid. Bloody hell maybe a dodgy valve!. Then think, well plenty of priming sugar & a second Co2 bulb so draw a glass, Jesus, sprayed the bloody wall such was the pressure. Tried a second (half pint) glass & then a third to get the hang of the pressure. So, it now after a tweak, looks to be retaining the pressure and pulls a decent glass.

The Wilko pressure barrel is basic, but with a little testing and work is decent and seems to do the job if you work with it and get tighter thank you think the lid can go.

 

[Clint]

I kegged the stout a few days ago,I swapped the Wilco lid for a king keg...it seems to fit ok although it does seem to tighten too definitely as in there’s not much tweaking to be had...I did put a bit of ptfe round the thread though. The tap won’t swap out with a spare new one I had because the new ones thread is too long. I too am wondering if this set up is holding pressure.