Heavy Keg Scratching

[PeteQ]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Every question I've had so far in regards to brewing has been answered atleast once on AHB but this I've searched and not found so apologies if I've missed it.

I've just started kegging and when i was pulling apart one of my kegs I found some HEAVY scratching probably from a grinder or dremel on the inside on the top weld of the keg. Is there any way i can cover it up maybe with some epoxy glue or something similar? Is it worth my while trying to fix it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[zabond]

Apart from having it polished at a metal polishers I'd leave it as is,looks like it's had a repair,if it holds pressure and doesn't leak all's fine

 

[JaseH]

Look's like its stuffed mate, give it to me and I'll dispose of it.

 

[PeteQ]

The thought of losing a BIAB to an infection makes me sick to the stomach... With a newborn brewing days are few and far between.

 

[PeteQ]

Thanks for your help guys

 

[zabond]

The thought of losing a BIAB to an infection makes me sick to the stomach... With a newborn brewing days are few and far between.

unless your fermenting & dispensing in it at the same time,with good sanitation where is the infection coming from?

 

[PeteQ]

From what I've read and been told by LHBS scratches in brewing gear hides all sorts of bad stuff. Being a pedantic cleaner and sanitiser i guess i just needed confirmation that it's all good!

Thanks again for your help

 

[Truman42]

Sorry to hijack the thread PeteQ,

I can buy a ball lock corny keg for $20 which has a pinhole in it.

I can get it repaired for free by a welding mob we use at work so is it worth buying? Any unforseen problems I might need to be aware of?

 

[Wolfy]

From what I've read and been told by LHBS scratches in brewing gear hides all sorts of bad stuff. Being a pedantic cleaner and sanitiser i guess i just needed confirmation that it's all good!

Scratches - especially in plastic (fermentors) can hinder the cleaning process and hence not allow complete sanitation.
Those scratches are often fairly deep where the cleaning solution/brush/cloth can't remove the dirt and debris then the sanitizing solution cannot penetrate into the scratch past the remaining dirt/debris.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but that area looks like it has been patched and polished, with no deep/large scratches, so with careful cleaning you should be fine (if anything the worry might be that it could rust). In addition since it's stainless you could sanitize with heat (Eg: soak it upside-down in boiling water) which should help clean and sanitize.

I can buy a ball lock corny keg for $20 which has a pinhole in it.

I can get it repaired for free by a welding mob we use at work so is it worth buying? Any unforseen problems I might need to be aware of?

KegKing often sell the kegs that don't pass their pressure tests for $10-20, they had 4-5 of them when I was there a while ago (but many got sold to a LHBS I was told).
I brought one, but cut it in half to use for something else, unless your welding mob can create sanitary welds, it has a risk of rust/sanitation/or breaking again.

 

[Truman42]

KegKing often sell the kegs that don't pass their pressure tests for $10-20, they had 4-5 of them when I was there a while ago (but many got sold to a LHBS I was told).
I brought one, but cut it in half to use for something else, unless your welding mob can create sanitary welds, it has a risk of rust/sanitation/or breaking again.

Thats exactly who I was buying it from. What exactly are sanitary welds? They do deal with stainless welding all the time so I thought to fill a pinhole would be okay as it would be sanitised each time I sanitise the keg.

I also brought a second hand reg for $40.00

 

[Wolfy]

Thats exactly who I was buying it from. What exactly are sanitary welds? They do deal with stainless welding all the time so I thought to fill a pinhole would be okay as it would be sanitised each time I sanitise the keg.

I also brought a second hand reg for $40.00

I'm no expert (hopefully someone else can give a better answer) but the insides of keg-type-welds are smooth/flat with no bumps/crevices/holes/cracks/seams that make it difficult to clean and sanitize (and can be points for rusting).

 

[JaseH]

Just chuck some of this in your next brew when transferring to the keg

 

[PeteQ]

The patch is definitely NOT polished! They are extremely deep grind marks but it looks like the patch was atleast half decent from the outside. Why they had to grind it so much on the inside is beyond me? It looks like the keg had been sitting around for a long time and also had some residual liquids in it so maybe the rust won't be an issue?

I'll keep my eye on it and see if it does end up rusting. Maybe do a pressure test on the keg as well?

$40 for a reg, nice work!

 

[Wolfy]

I'll keep my eye on it and see if it does end up rusting. Maybe do a pressure test on the keg as well?

If it is something you have recently purchased from a shop, I presume that they'd exchange it for another one without any issue.

 

[pk.sax]

At the 4-10C most sensible home brewers keep their kegs, what are the chances of infecting a beer in a keg like that which was cleaned well and sanitised before beer transfer?

There are shiteload of yeast in the keg. They love everything sugary in that beer btw.

 

[PeteQ]

Unfortunately bought this one off ebay...

I believe my sanitation is right up to scratch so hopefully it should be fine. I was hoping to alternate 3 kegs in and out of my kegerator (which only fits 2 kegs) but I'll have to see how this one goes and maybe just condition in the secondary for as long as necessary before racking to keg.

Maybe upgrade to a bigger kegerator with tax return and baby bonus money???

 

[Rowy]

Mate I reckon your keg will be fine. Just clean and sanitize and good luck with the bub :icon_cheers:

 

[jlm]

I have a couple of kegs with the same problem, I use them as transfer kegs for filtering.....However I'm working at a large yoghurt making factory at the moment and have been picking the brains of the stainless guys there (and getting some choice brewery mods done too...) and on this topic I was advised to hit it with a drill mounted bristle brush (like so:thing) to remove any corrosion, then a similarly mounted polishing wheel before applying "Pickling Paste" which re-passivates the stainless. I forget what that means...there's a appendix in the back of How to Brew that covers this sort of thing (and also a few AHB'ers who do this stuff for a living who may chip in). All in all though I served many kegs of beer out of mine before I had enough numbers to bench mine as serving kegs.

 

[PeteQ]

If i do find any corrosion on the keg i will follow your guide Jim, cheers.

Thanks Rowy, we need all the help we can get. The big guy doesn't seem to like sleep as much as us...

Thank you all for your help, it is definitely MUCH appreciated!

 

[adraine]

Thats exactly who I was buying it from. What exactly are sanitary welds? They do deal with stainless welding all the time so I thought to fill a pinhole would be okay as it would be sanitised each time I sanitise the keg.

I also brought a second hand reg for $40.00

Sanitary welds are basically a weld with no perosity in the weld. This is achieved by shielding the weld with argon gas to eliminate any oxygen causing oxidisation in the weld. The weld must be shielded front and back if you have any burn through.
Hope this helps and is not confusing.
Cheers Adam.