Pressure barrel woes

[Gilly_willy]

I bought a pressure barrel last year a cheap youngs one. 2 brews followed the same pattern, carbed up in airing cupboard for 2 weeks moved for cold conditioning for another 2 weeks... Started drawing off pints, did about 10 over a few nights then lost pressure, injected some co2 I drew off about 3 pints all fine then a couple of nights later lost pressure, injected more co2 drew off 3 more pints then glug of death again! I left it about a week, came to draw off more, it just glugged out... More co2 in all ok for 3 more pints... I gave up and binned the rest.
Tonight I put 3 co2 cartridges in the empty barrel and dunked it in the bath, gas escaped for about 10 mins from the rubber pressure release at the top and from the top of the handle on the tap. After 10 mins no more gas escaped from the handle but a bubble came every 3 minutes from the rubber valve.
On turning the handle there was still gas in the barrel coming through the tap, so I turned it off. I'm going to leave it overnight and try again in the morning... Has anyone else experienced anything like this at all, or any ideas?

 

[Ashley]

I bought a pressure barrel last year a cheap youngs one. 2 brews followed the same pattern, carbed up in airing cupboard for 2 weeks moved for cold conditioning for another 2 weeks... Started drawing off pints, did about 10 over a few nights then lost pressure, injected some co2 I drew off about 3 pints all fine then a couple of nights later lost pressure, injected more co2 drew off 3 more pints then glug of death again! I left it about a week, came to draw off more, it just glugged out... More co2 in all ok for 3 more pints... I gave up and binned the rest.
Tonight I put 3 co2 cartridges in the empty barrel and dunked it in the bath, gas escaped for about 10 mins from the rubber pressure release at the top and from the top of the handle on the tap. After 10 mins no more gas escaped from the handle but a bubble came every 3 minutes from the rubber valve.
On turning the handle there was still gas in the barrel coming through the tap, so I turned it off. I'm going to leave it overnight and try again in the morning... Has anyone else experienced anything like this at all, or any ideas?

Mate I have 4 PB's and to be honest they are like my Mrs. Fine one minute and throwing a strop the next. I have to say I have best results if I properly lay vase line around all the threads on the cap... like so all the threads are FULL of vase line. This doesn't always work though. I have come to loathe them. I much prefer bottles as they produce a better pint but they are a pain in the **** for other reasons.

reliable though

 

[Fil]

A PB is a budget tool, the rubber band prv's are not precise devices. but should hold 10-12psi.. sometimes the rubber bands can benefit from a bit of manipulation.. and replacements are available if letting too much out.

some folk have fitted car tyte valves in the lids or sometimes in the top of the body so a budget digital tyre pressure gauge can give an indication of the internal pressure, while the rubber isnt foodsafe as such its sitting above the beer not in it and as an added bonus its a easy way to vent off any captured air from filling befoer lumping it about.


check your pb top is flat, and be careful not to overtighten the lid, and ptfe tape wrapped round the thread could help seal if your still having probs after trying vasaline.

good luck..

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got a couple of those cheap youngs barrels. The first one I bought I've done 3 brews in - first brew got half way down and lost pressure so I reprimed with sugar and left it a week or two - that didn't run out of pressure all the way to the tap. Second brew I took more care with vaseline and not over tightening the cap (which distorts the seal in the cap and makes it leak) - that one kept pressure all the way down to the tap, which is how it's meant to be. Third brew again ran out of pressure just over half way down, I've reprimed and it's sat there waiting for me to try it again.
The second barrel is still on it's first brew. That was fun - I primed and filled the barrel and next morning there was a puddle all round it - leaking from round the tap where it screws in. Luckily I hadn't put it in the airing cupboard as I normally would as I had an FV in there already. So I tipped it on it's back and unscrewed the tap and wrapped the threads with PTFE tape. That cured the leaky tap. Now I'm about 1/3rd of the way through drinking it and the pressure has gone so I'm going to have to reprime it. It's a bit of a pain really. years ago I used to have PBs and they never ever leaked, nor were they expensive. Looking at the cap and seal and top of the barrel of these Youngs barrels and all I can say is they don't look to be very well designed! - big fat rubber seal that distorts and unseats itself easily, thin edge round the top opening of the barrel that doesn't even hit the seal in the cap in the centre of the rubber ring, so it almost guarantees that it's going to try to push the ring out of it's seat.

 

[philld]

I'd done 2 brews in a PB that were great, only needed a couple of Co2 bulbs to help keep pressure to the end, but 3rd brew which was ready to crack open on Xmas day last year was flat as anything, even a co2 bulb barely got a pint out, it was leaking badly, fitted a new lid I had spare but still leaked. I guess they just wear out after time!

Great tip about the lid tightening though, wouldn;t have thought of that.