Tales of woe, lessons learnt and a quick question

[Wilky]

Hello all,

My beer, 23 litres of Wherry, was happily sitting in the fermentation barrel until I saw that a large amount had escaped. Eek, a brewewrs worst nightmare.

I'm pretty sure that I didn't screw the tap on tight enough. Ironic really as I'm usually pretty heavy handed so purposfully didn't go really tight. I guess you can never screw too tightly. Ooh, Matron.

Thank goodness I kept it on the stone kitchen floor and not the carpted living room.

So, onto the question. Based on my picture, and the fact that it used to have 23 litres, can someone please give me a rough idea of how much I lost? I can't remember what it used to look like. It will be a funny story for the pub, when we're allowed back in them.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Honk]

Oh dear, it's enough to make a grown man cry.
Long time since I've used a keg like that so someone else can probably be more accurate, I'm guessing about half of it gone.

 

[peebee]

Firstly, turn the tap fully off! Those taps turn through 180°. Leaving them turned "off" through 90° might not be the reason for the leak but is asking for trouble (accidental tapping with foot or like).

Probably switch taps for next time. When I used to have taps like that (decades ago!) they would often leak about the swivel bit.

Unless you've cross-threaded the tap nut, it's probably tight enough. They'll have a rubber seal (on the outside between tap and barrel, not very good on inside between tap nut and barrel) which should seal hand-tight. Over-tightening plastic threads (or metal ones!) will cause the thread to fail.

 

[Wilky]

Thanks for your replies.

Ouch, losig half if tough to take. Indeed, I was not a happy man when I saw it. I need a beer but I don't have much to spare now :)

That makes sennse abiout the swivel bit. Maybe that was the cause. I'll upgrade the tap for next time.