Mini Keg Discussion / Mods / Show Off - Dedicated Thread

[Liam_snorkel]

Did your bad reg have a bronze ish coloured serial number on the lowest layer of the body?

No serial number

 

[Coldspace]

Ok, just got home from camping and rinsed out my 3 minis that I've had issues with my beers while away. I've filled them up with tap water and added 3 spoons of percarb to each for an overnight soak as done in the past.

I got my 4th mini out of shed and borrowed a friends inspection camera and the images are similar to bradsbrew. Spot weld where handles are each with say 1-2 mm rust spot at each weld. I wiped my finger around the inside and didn't get any black stuff from this keg but will get some rice tommoz and do rice test on all 4 kegs. Will also run the camera around the inside of these kegs when I empty them tommoz.

I'm then thinking of buying some diggers crystals the same as Batz put up and doing what brad did and soak them with it, then rinse well with really hot water and leave to air dry for a day, then maybe fill 2 of the worst metallic ones I've had and try them in a couple of weeks. Hopefully not to waste another carton equilivant of beer.

Prob all we can do ATM and see how time goes.

No idea on all this metal chemistry but is this aoxcylic crystals etc supposed to clean the rust off and then prevent further rust with the term passivation? That's been mentioned.

If this works then I'd be happy, if not then I'll be chasing a refund/exchange ,I will be calling ATHB to see what they say tomm before going down this pathway.

Any others have more ideas or any of the retailers following this thread have any reports back from the manufacturers?

Cheers

 

[Pistolpete01]

I ordered two 5L kegs from Beerkat on back order in mid March. I recieved them last Tuesday and washed with warm water and dishwashing liquid followed by a Starsan rinse. Filled one from a 19l keg of mid strength ale on Wednesday to have a little play. Reg seems good and beer was fine Wednesday night, by Friday it had developed a slight metallic taste and by tonight it was completely undrinkable.

I will tip the rest of the keg tonight and give it a proper soak in sodium perc and refill when I get back from work on Friday.

Please ad me to the PM with the spreadsheet.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[[email protected]]

Hey Gentlemen,

Just a quick update regarding Metalic taste in kegs.

I have organised XRF materials recognition testing for random stock kegs across our range, I have also requested a couple of tainted kegs back for destructive testing.

XRF reading will determine the exact materials being used in the manufacture of the kegs, once we are confident in our materials this should help us determine a way forward with Passivation or Electro cleaning the kegs. I have sourced a Perth based company who we will work closely with to identify whats happening with the metallic taste coming from this batch of kegs.

Basic discussion are pointing to potential passivation or electro cleaning issues. I will be getting a couple of kegs from the March batch re passivated and electropolished. I will then conduct a test on all three kegs, as packed, passivated and electropolished.

I hope to have some results to show early next week.

I have been away working for a couple of week. During this period, I have had a saison and American IPA sitting in a range of kegs and growlers. These have been kegged now for several weeks. I poured sample glasses from all of these kegs over the weekend and found none of the detailed issues. These kegs I have been using for several months now and have not seen this problem here. We are s
till on the side of batch issue from supplier.

I will transfer a 5 ltr batch to current stock keg and sample over the next week to see if I can get the metallic results.

Our Chinese supplier has sent a test keg for review.

We hope this helps, we will overcome this frustrating problem to help ensure we all have an awesome robust legging system.

We appreciate everyone's patents and hope to have a resolution soon.

Cheers

Graham Boyd

 

[Zorco]

exemplary

 

[nosco]

exemplary

Indeed.

 

[Coldspace]

Great info, I'll hold off on doing anything more than my perc rinse...

Cheers

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Keen for these robust leggings

 

[Yob]

Cheers

My man..

anecdotal,

I emptied my 4lt ones, one of them smelled a bit weird... then I realized it had my 'suspicious stout' in it.. no feedback other that it didnt taste any weirder that the ****** up **** I put in it...

neither of them displayed any issues, I'm tryin really hard to finish my Imperial Cider and the RIS from my other 'in use mini's' so I can see if anything is amiss.. got help me though, they are both half full... but I havnt noticed any ill...

I'll keep pushing at it though... for the team..

 

[[email protected]]

Keen for these robust leggings

Yeah mate i've also put my order in for some robust leggings :blink:

 

[[email protected]]

Extract:

The good news is they all match 304 18/8 stainless steel. I was concerned with some of the magnetic ones so payed additional attention to those. The results make me feel a little more comfortable now. I will attach some photos of the scan results of 3 kegs and a growler. All other unassociated products checked out well, so happy with these results.

Using a WiFi HD720p Endoscope camera, Ive looked at the weld quality inside several kegs and growlers, these all check out really well, the welds look clean, the spots you see are from toe handle spot welds these are normal weld marks no cause for concern with these.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

the welds and seam look different to mine. The spot welds on mine are black in the centre of the brown circle, and the seam weld has blue/brown colour along each side.

View attachment 96739View attachment 96740View attachment 96741

 

[user 31093]

Rather than a complete repost, here's my setup

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/94050-mini-keg-esky-build/?p=1450089

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Pics. Best I could do with phone camera

 

[mstrelan]

^ That's what mine looks like.

 

[Batz]

Rather than a complete repost, here's my setup

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/94050-mini-keg-esky-build/?p=1450089

Did you recently buy that esky? and if so where and what brand is it? Really like that set up and would love to do something similar.

Batz


Edit: K-Mart esky? Saw it on the other post.

 

[peteru]

Yeah, the vertical weld on mine is similar to Liam_snorkel, only probably a bit worse.

 

[Coalminer]

My 6 kegs have those same spot weld marks where the handles are attached
BUT then again those same dark spots are in all 4 of my Aginox oil drum fermenters where the handles are attached and they don't give me any trouble

 

[user 31093]

Mine have fairly similar looking welds too, I did spot a couple of dents on the inside of the metal but hard to tell if there's an issue at the moment. Few other minor spots too but my cornies get these too.

90 minutes in hot perc solution, it lightly bubbled the WHOLE time but the solution came out of the kegs as clear as it went in.

 

[brianman]

Mine have fairly similar looking welds too, I did spot a couple of dents on the inside of the metal but hard to tell if there's an issue at the moment. Few other minor spots too but my cornies get these too.

90 minutes in hot perc solution, it lightly bubbled the WHOLE time but the solution came out of the kegs as clear as it went in.

I don't have any emptys at the moment, have had the rust/metallic odour/flavor and used EDTA, within 1/2hr the odd flavour has gone and the beer is ok. Will have to see if the EDTA treated kegs stay clear, in any case have an EDTA solution ready for rinsing any suspect or all kegs.

 

[Batz]

I don't believe the dark spots will do any harm, my first 3v system had these. I think you will find it is more from the heat generated during welding.
My kettle had a large dark mark around the welded nipples, I did use pickling paste on these and never had any rust develop. I bet my MLT and kettle are still going strong without issues.

 

[user 31093]

Did you recently buy that esky? and if so where and what brand is it? Really like that set up and would love to do something similar.

Batz


Edit: K-Mart esky? Saw it on the other post.

Yeah Kmart, was on clearance at the time but worth giving it a look if they still have any. Being kmart it'd be some generic thing so some other store might have taken up the line.

With the steel disconnects there's more head space than I'd planned for, also a little more free space in general than I'd expected, the height is really the main constraint here...

I did figure though if you can't get one both as high and compact as this you could actually just use these heads instead of the double ball lock, not quite as versatile but ultimately and might have some other challenges but reckon it'd be a suitable outcome.

Other thing being the gas bottle, height on that was my biggest challenge.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I don't believe the dark spots will do any harm, my first 3v system had these. I think you will find it is more from the heat generated during welding.
My kettle had a large dark mark around the welded nipples, I did use pickling paste on these and never had any rust develop. I bet my MLT and kettle are still going strong without issues.

the off flavours develop after 1-2 weeks contact time. Do you mash for over a week?

If it is purely due to heat, why do some appear black, and some not, when they're made in the same production facility from the same materials?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned somewere in the 53 pages. I'd expect it has been thought of.

To use the regulator you get with the mini keg combo as a spunding valve? For pressure fermenting.
Obviously with no co2 bulb fitted it works that way and probably a lot better than the standard KK version that can be a bit fiddly and undependable for accuracy etc.
Of course you cant risk any blow off krausen going through. I will be using a mini keg as the collecting chamber for high krausen yeast with a spunding valve for pressure fermenting and playing with my new bewt mini kegs it just dawned on me.

Or is it just a bad idea? to allow co2 produced from fermenting to go backwards through this regulator? As in beer residue collecting in the regulator? Then again Its basically the same price as the KK version anyhow......What say you?

 

[peteru]

I wouldn't expect a regulator hooked up back to front to work properly.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

I didn't either but I'm testing the experiment right now.
Obviously you void your warranty if you stuff up and ruin your regulator.

The only reason I got the idea is I was assembling 3 of them and had parts over the table etc. Connected the (reg with no co2 bulb) to a pressurized mini keg. I heard the hissing and then turned down the reg, stops releasing. Turn up the reg and releases again etc.
But it is backwards. I don't think it works for accuracy. Obviously the valve is only designed to work one direction etc, -_-
Forget about this idea folks.
Don't do it.

 

[[email protected]]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned somewere in the 53 pages. I'd expect it has been thought of.

To use the regulator you get with the mini keg combo as a spunding valve? For pressure fermenting.
Obviously with no co2 bulb fitted it works that way and probably a lot better than the standard KK version that can be a bit fiddly and undependable for accuracy etc.
Of course you cant risk any blow off krausen going through. I will be using a mini keg as the collecting chamber for high krausen yeast with a spunding valve for pressure fermenting and playing with my new bewt mini kegs it just dawned on me.

Or is it just a bad idea? to allow co2 produced from fermenting to go backwards through this regulator? As in beer residue collecting in the regulator? Then again Its basically the same price as the KK version anyhow......What say you?

You'd really want to avoid any residue back through the regulator that would void warranty, I will try get you a photo of Fat-fish Brewing spunding valve, pretty cool.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Silly question but what is this piece for? Was in with the regulator box.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Its a spare.

:unsure:

It fits in the bottom of the regulator were you screw in the bulb. Not sure why yet I have disgraced myself and not read the instructions back to front yuno totally over confident.

Its a spare.

 

[LiquidGold]

Pretty sure its an adapter for a different size bulb