What's your view on Plastic Pressure Barrels (PBs)?

[Hazelwood Brewery]

There seem to be few die hard KK supporters on here. Can't one of you write up a step by step Forum idiots guide as to how to make your KK PB work? There seem to be so many things you need to cover. I did one for the basic PB, before I found out what they were like. So if I can do it someone cleverer than me can cover KK PBs.

Perhaps just the one Terry.

My name? Mr King.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

If the reason for giving up is that it takes a little practice then we should all stop brewing - I’m still learning.


So I would say buy kegs, learn their foibles, and celebrate the beautiful ales they will give you in return.

Amen.

What should I do when the "foible" is the the PB has a hole in the join between the two halves? No beer ever even made it in!
I'll tell you what I did do. I got a corny, as they are made to last.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What should I do when the "foible" is the the PB has a hole in the join between the two halves? No beer ever even made it in!
I'll tell you what I did do. I got a corny, as they are made to last.

That’s not a “foible“, that’s a shoddy product and you have every right to shout at someone about that (probably not me though, I didn’t sell it to you and I can’t fix it for you).

I have no issue with corny kegs - enjoy if that’s your jam.

 

[Buffers brewery]

What should I do when the "foible" is the the PB has a hole in the join between the two halves? No beer ever even made it in!
I'll tell you what I did do. I got a corny, as they are made to last.

Out of interest, cos I can't find any reference to the make of your PB in any of your posts, what make?

 

[Buffers brewery]

As a King Keg owner and user, I am well aware of their ability to leak! While I have no experience of the barrel moulding leaking (splits or pinholes), I have experienced leaks around the cap assembly. I bought a new King Keg recently and made a YouTube video of me checking out the neck.



I didn’t check it out to see if it would seal, but it demonstrates the sealing face as delivered undulates and that is the challenge for the rubber o-ring seal. As the cap is tightened the high spots will compress first leaving the hollows with reduced compression. There’s probably a variation in this variation that means some kegs seal easier than others or require more/less grunt to get them to seal. Having achieved (perhaps) a seal you’re faced with the challenge of undoing a much lighter empty keg that just wants to dance around!

The other cause of leaks, and equally frustrating, is the HB valve with it’s slowly perishing rubber band valves and the rubber seal under it’s collar that gradually exudes under pressure. Cheap? Yes. Reliable? Not so (IMHO).
All need to be replaced with something more reliable and, yes, a bit more expensive. Then you will have a better chance at a serviceable product.

Having spent the best part of £80 on my first King Keg and S30 cylinder, I decided to see if I could fix it rather than right-off the £80 and spend another £200 or thereabouts on a Corny keg, regulator and CO2 cylinder.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

Out of interest, cos I can't find any reference to the make of your PB in any of your posts, what make?

It was this one, which looks like Youngs, though the barrel did not have a Youngs sticker on it.
https://www.brewstore.co.uk/23l-pressure-barrel-with-co2-injector-system-and-bulbs
I should credit Brew Store for their excellent customer service and swift refund.

 

[AnimatedGIF]

That’s not a “foible“, that’s a shoddy product and you have every right to shout at someone about that (probably not me though, I didn’t sell it to you and I can’t fix it for you).

I have no issue with corny kegs - enjoy if that’s your jam.

It would be interesting to see of those who have had issues, what they were i.e were they "user error", problems that could be fixed, or, as in my case, just plain defective from the outset.

 

[user 37839]

A very intersting poll and discussion.

I am a beginner and, at the moment, concentrating on cider but with the same problems as, apparently, many others. With my initial kit I bought a King Keg pressure barrel, because they seemed to be popular. However, my entire first brew disappeared beneath the floorboards because the tap leaked around the seal under pressure from secondary fermentation (the top was okay). The seller advised me to lubricate the seal with Vaseline with the same result, when testing with water and CO2 from a bulb. I am currently waiting for a new tap and will post the next test result in my own thread.

Can I assume Corny keg refers to Cornelius kegs?

 

[kelper]

because the tap leaked around the seal under pressure from secondary fermentation

Did you position the seal on the outside? I hold the tap at 'ten o'clock' while tightening the nut and then, still holding the nut, bring the tap to the 'twelve o'clock' position. This ensures tightness.

 

[terrym]

Can I assume Corny keg refers to Cornelius kegs?

Yes

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I gave up on plastic barrel (not KK) when I joined this forum back in August 2019 and discovered Cornies. The PB's leak from the tap thread and the tap inself during 2 fermentation so if we were going away for a week or more I had to leave it on the draining board. The threads on these barrels are tapered with no back nut but they do hAve a washer. The pressure release does not work. I would recommend people not to buy as would you be happy to buy a car that is 50% reliable and leaks oil on your drive way. Fair enough if you've got one that works or you've reengineered then fine but don't buy a new one. Buy cheap and you'll buy twice.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

A very intersting poll and discussion.

I am a beginner and, at the moment, concentrating on cider but with the same problems as, apparently, many others. With my initial kit I bought a King Keg pressure barrel, because they seemed to be popular. However, my entire first brew disappeared beneath the floorboards because the tap leaked around the seal under pressure from secondary fermentation (the top was okay). The seller advised me to lubricate the seal with Vaseline with the same result, when testing with water and CO2 from a bulb. I am currently waiting for a new tap and will post the next test result in my own thread.

Can I assume Corny keg refers to Cornelius kegs?

Vaseline won’t help at all in this scenario. The rubber washer needs a good squeeze so the tap fixing nut has to be tight. To achieve this you will need to wrap 15-20 turns of PTFE tape round the tap thread or the nut will jump the threads as you tighten it.

 

[user 37839]

Vaseline won’t help at all in this scenario. The rubber washer needs a good squeeze so the tap fixing nut has to be tight. To achieve this you will need to wrap 15-20 turns of PTFE tape round the tap thread or the nut will jump the threads as you tighten it.

I tried the tape and THEN it jumped.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I tried the tape and THEN it jumped.

When at first you don't succeed try, try, try again then give up.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I tried the tape and THEN it jumped.

Maybe the threads were already damaged from previous attempts? Maybe not enough PTFE tape?

 

[Spratt]

For me the biggest advantage of king kegs is that I can still carry on brewing 23L brews without having to bottle the surplus from the 19L that a corny holds. I also like being able to see how much is left in the keg without having to get scales to weigh the corny or count the number of pints drawn off.

I guess I'm the perfect example of the split in the poll, I have two cornies and two king kegs. I've had leaks from both. Rather ignominiously on about the third time I used my cornies I lost about 3/4 of my new gas bottle in one night because the lid hadn't sealed properly. I also have a third "dead" corny bought 2nd hand which leaks around the weld where the post thread is. When cornies work well they are good............ but then so are KKs!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

For me the biggest advantage of king kegs is that I can still carry on brewing 23L brews without having to bottle the surplus from the 19L that a corny holds. I also like being able to see how much is left in the keg without having to get scales to weigh the corny or count the number of pints drawn off.

I guess I'm the perfect example of the split in the poll, I have two cornies and two king kegs. I've had leaks from both. Rather ignominiously on about the third time I used my cornies I lost about 3/4 of my new gas bottle in one night because the lid hadn't sealed properly. I also have a third "dead" corny bought 2nd hand which leaks around the weld where the post thread is. When cornies work well they are good............ but then so are KKs!

I also like the 23 litre batch size - just enough to make it worthwhile!

Being able to see the beer level is mixed blessings - I can instantly see how much is left and I start getting anxious when it’s less than half full!

 

[Timberwolf]

What should I do when the "foible" is the the PB has a hole in the join between the two halves? No beer ever even made it in!
I'll tell you what I did do. I got a corny, as they are made to last.

And cornies have no problems, ever!!!

 

[Timberwolf]

A very intersting poll and discussion.

I am a beginner and, at the moment, concentrating on cider but with the same problems as, apparently, many others. With my initial kit I bought a King Keg pressure barrel, because they seemed to be popular. However, my entire first brew disappeared beneath the floorboards because the tap leaked around the seal under pressure from secondary fermentation (the top was okay). The seller advised me to lubricate the seal with Vaseline with the same result, when testing with water and CO2 from a bulb. I am currently waiting for a new tap and will post the next test result in my own thread.

Can I assume Corny keg refers to Cornelius kegs?

I have three king kegs. On all three I have changed the taps to ball valves, copper pipe and tank connectors;, They look good and simply don't leak.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I have three king kegs. On all three I have changed the taps to ball valves, copper pipe and tank connectors;, They look good and simply don't leak.

Got a pic?