This king keg will be the death of me!!!!

[Kinleycat]

Following on from my leaking king keg issues, I have now been and bought my third S30 cylinder.
It won't discharge any gas! :?
Add to that the cylinder got stuck to the inlet valve and unwinding it caused the nut on the underside of the lid to de thread and drop into the beer!! :? :?
I quickly sanitised my hand and went fishing for it and replaced it, although I now have no gas and probably infected my beer from the nut or my arm. :? :? :?
Even if the beer survives I think it's gonna be bye bye to the KK!! :sulk:

 

[PD]

Bottled beer....is good beer.....

sorry to hear of your problems, think I'll stick to bottles for a wee while

 

[Baz Chaz]

Bottled beer....is good beer.....

sorry to hear of your problems, think I'll stick to bottles for a wee while

I must admit I've never done anything other than bottle, I keep seeing various problems members have with different kegs casks etc and each time realise there are few problems with bottles once you've got a decent stock :idea:

 

[LeithR]

Just wanted to put in a favorable word for KK's.

I've been using my 3 for the last 12 years with little or no problems, Most of the problems I've had have been down to my own silliness like over-tightening the tap washers etc...

I regularly inspect them and always have Campden diluted in water in them when not in use just to keep them sweet.

I also bottle in part of most of my beers and agree with that lobby as well. Its good to have a stock available for periods when conditioning etc...

 

[Sandimas]

I feel for you brother

Nothing but problems with mine after the first 6 months. If it makes you feel any better, my CO2 canister rolled off the work surface and damaged the valve on landing, releasing all the CO2 - just as the LHBS was closed for a few days. :twisted:

I'm persevering with my keg but my confidence in them is shot, my preference now is to bottle and use the Wilcos budget keg when it's empty.

 

[ScottM]

Are you sure the s30 valve on the lid is the correct one for what you are using it for? There are 2 S30 valve types. I believe one is a pin valve and the other is plain. Pin valves are used for the piercing type cylinders and the plain ones are used for the larger pressure cylinders.

Sorry if I'm stating something really obvious to you but if you didn't know then it might be the issue :)

 

[peelman]

Sorry to hear about that.
Is that the Coopers English bitter in it??
Sounds like you have a bad keg there.. I think I would of drop kicked it over the hedge by now... :twisted:

 

[Kinleycat]

Are you sure the s30 valve on the lid is the correct one for what you are using it for? There are 2 S30 valve types. I believe one is a pin valve and the other is plain. Pin valves are used for the piercing type cylinders and the plain ones are used for the larger pressure cylinders.

Sorry if I'm stating something really obvious to you but if you didn't know then it might be the issue :)

Didn't know there was a difference so deffo not stating the obvious - well certainly not to me anyway.
I've got my cylinders from the same place each time - the same place I got the keg from.
I have noticed on this one though that its got a central bit which "rattles a bit" which I have not noticed previously, of course that's not to say they weren't the same.
Hopefully the LHBS will be open tomorrow (Good Friday) and I can resolve the matter.
I just hope the beer isn't contaminated.

 

[Kinleycat]

Sorry to hear about that.
Is that the Coopers English bitter in it??
Sounds like you have a bad keg there.. I think I would of drop kicked it over the hedge by now... :twisted:

It is I'm praying I haven't contaminated it.
Believe me if it wasn't full of beer I would have given it enough shoe to send it through the shed this afternoon!!!

 

[ScottM]

Here is the difference, not a great pic but hopefully it will give you an idea...

The one labeled "pin valve" is the one that gets used with the small single use sparklet co2 bulbs. The one labelled S30 is the one for the larger, refillable CO2 bottles.

 

[artyb]

Are you sure the s30 valve on the lid is the correct one for what you are using it for? There are 2 S30 valve types. I believe one is a pin valve and the other is plain. Pin valves are used for the piercing type cylinders and the plain ones are used for the larger pressure cylinders.

Sorry if I'm stating something really obvious to you but if you didn't know then it might be the issue :)

Didn't know there was a difference so deffo not stating the obvious - well certainly not to me anyway.
I've got my cylinders from the same place each time - the same place I got the keg from.
I have noticed on this one though that its got a central bit which "rattles a bit" which I have not noticed previously, of course that's not to say they weren't the same.
Hopefully the LHBS will be open tomorrow (Good Friday) and I can resolve the matter.
I just hope the beer isn't contaminated.

they rattle when there empty..

as there is no gas pressure on the valve..

it may or may not be the case .. :hmm:

 

[mikep42]

Hi guys,

I've got three King Kegs as well - one that is literally over a decade old, a brand new one, and one I got from a forum member secondhand.

So a good sample.

What I've noticed now that I've put a couple of brews through each of them, is that you need to pay attention to all of the possible problem points, and there are quite a few :- top lid seal, valve seal, tap seal and - most annoyingly - top-tap to float seal. The last one cost me a full cylinder of CO2 until I figured out what was going on. The symptom was a 'pulsing' in the flow from the tap, that eventually petered out with a flaccid hiss. If the push-fit seal between the internal pipe and the tap isn't 100%, what happens is you get a bit of beer, then a bit of gas leaking through the seal, then a bit of beer etc, etc.

I only finally sorted it by opening up the keg, taking out the tap and gubbins, plugging it all together until I got red-faced trying to blow down the tube, then gingerly putting it back into the keg and tightening all up again. The beer in question was finished rapidly after that as I doubt it would have kept well with the influx of oxygen and other contaminants.

I think that bottling is probably the best route if you have the patience, but King Kegs - when they work well - are great for those of us who are more time or patience challenged. Possibly the best compromise might be a KK with a pressure gauge on top. That way you can see whether it is holding gas or not without having to open anything up. I've seen a couple of lids on e-bay with pressure gauges on them, I'm tempted to give one a go.

Hope that helps someone....

 

[winelight]

Years ago I used kegs a lot and they were a real pain with leaking cylinders lids taps and so on. But recently I bought a cheapy Wilko keg and made a real effort to do the tap up as tightly as possible, with the threads and washer well greased up with vaseline. The injector design on these is very simple, much simpler than what I've had in the past, with nothing really to leak. Also of course I put the lid on very tightly and well greased.

It worked perfectly. Carbonation took it half way down, one cylinder lasted just about to the last couple of pints.

When it comes to kegs, the simpler the better. Any joint or seal is a potential leak point. I would have thought adding a pressure gauge or anything else is just going to add another leak.

The washers on the tap and lid get compressed, and the tighter you do them up, which you have to do of course, the more that will happen. They won't last long.

I much prefer to bottle, to be honest, I like the look of a collection of bottles, I like the action of opening and pouring a bottle, it's fun to do the labels (up to a point), you can give them away, but I will still keg a basic bitter that's really just for me to drink.

 

[Kinleycat]

Here is the difference, not a great pic but hopefully it will give you an idea...

The one labeled "pin valve" is the one that gets used with the small single use sparklet co2 bulbs. The one labelled S30 is the one for the larger, refillable CO2 bottles.

I get you now, it's deffo a S30 valve.
I thought you meant the S30 cylinders had two different fittings.
I think the problem lies with the cylinder. :thumb:

 

[springtime]

I sympathise with you squire.
I haven't has any experience with king kegs but have had numerouse problems with economy barrels. So much so that it made me decide to go with cornies.
Haven't looked back since and there is the added advantage that as they only take 19 ltrs you have to bottle the remaining 6 to 7 bottles. This has meant that I've accumulated quite a variety of bottled beers which are ideal to give away as presents or use them myself as backup if necessary.
:

 

[wigwamheed]

I sympathise with you squire.
I haven't has any experience with king kegs but have had numerouse problems with economy barrels. So much so that it made me decide to go with cornies.
Haven't looked back since and there is the added advantage that as they only take 19 ltrs you have to bottle the remaining 6 to 7 bottles. This has meant that I've accumulated quite a variety of bottled beers which are ideal to give away as presents or use them myself as backup if necessary.
:

Or for entering in the comp at tst!!!

 

[Robbo100]

I used to use KKs but have moved to bottles after lots of problems.

My biggest frustration, other than the occasional leak, is that it is very difficult to pour the "perfect pint". It is only ever 4 inches of head or completely flat. I have always wondered if fitting a different tap might make a difference?

With bottles you get a perfectly repeatable pint every time from first to last. Bottles are also much more transportable and you can give individual pints to friends with ease. The main problem with bottles is that they are an absolute pain to sterilise and fill and it adds at least an hour to the process of moving beer into its conditioning vessel.

My main issue with the KK was that the O ring in the lid would get stretched and would pop out of the grove when the lid was being tightened resulting in a guaranteed leak. The best solution to this was to put the O ring in the freezer for 10 mins to shrink it before then popping it into the lid and putting the lid on the KK. This worked every time!

 

[Kinleycat]

S30 cylinder swapped and we are still holding pressure, the beer also generated done of its own overnight.
I just hope my James Herriot-esque retrieval of the nut from the bottom of the keg and the brief presence of oxygen hasn't killed the brew!! :pray:

 

[Kinleycat]

Hi guys,

I've got three King Kegs as well - one that is literally over a decade old, a brand new one, and one I got from a forum member secondhand.

So a good sample.

What I've noticed now that I've put a couple of brews through each of them, is that you need to pay attention to all of the possible problem points, and there are quite a few :- top lid seal, valve seal, tap seal and - most annoyingly - top-tap to float seal. The last one cost me a full cylinder of CO2 until I figured out what was going on. The symptom was a 'pulsing' in the flow from the tap, that eventually petered out with a flaccid hiss. If the push-fit seal between the internal pipe and the tap isn't 100%, what happens is you get a bit of beer, then a bit of gas leaking through the seal, then a bit of beer etc, etc.

I only finally sorted it by opening up the keg, taking out the tap and gubbins, plugging it all together until I got red-faced trying to blow down the tube, then gingerly putting it back into the keg and tightening all up again. The beer in question was finished rapidly after that as I doubt it would have kept well with the influx of oxygen and other contaminants.

I think that bottling is probably the best route if you have the patience, but King Kegs - when they work well - are great for those of us who are more time or patience challenged. Possibly the best compromise might be a KK with a pressure gauge on top. That way you can see whether it is holding gas or not without having to open anything up. I've seen a couple of lids on e-bay with pressure gauges on them, I'm tempted to give one a go.

Hope that helps someone....

Fitted a gauge to mine and it is a deffo improvement and gives you a bit of something to go on, rather than blindly adding CO2.
I thing bottled beers and Cornied Lager and cider is the future though.

 

[Markus]

Sympathise big time Kinley. Mine has been a nightmare so far. It's defo a pin valve tho if it's anything like my TT King Keg. I use little 8g gas bulbs which actually work really well and are only 3 or 4 quid for 10. Gas is the only problem I haven't had yet with my KK.

I'm brewing a dark ale right now which will be the last chance saloon for my KK. Also fitted a pressure gauge which is a fanstatic idea. I'll give the keg every chance and test it with just gas and then gas and water before putting this new brew in.