Need help troubleshooting this keg

[welly2]

Cheers guys, I've just ordered some replacement disconnects (with MFL connections). Should have done that in the first place but couldn't quite figure them out when I saw them online.

 

[takai]

I had a similar thing recently where a poppet had kinked over slightly inside the post. Was enough that the pin wasnt pushing the valve down enough to release beer, but when you pushed down on the disconnect it would flow. Almost invisible to the naked eye.

Stripped it apart and chamfered the top of the poppet so it would centre better when returning.

 

[welly2]

Ok, so I'm at a bit of a loss with this. Got new disconnects for gas and beer lines. I've drilled my fridge and have the gas line coming out of the side of the fridge, so that gives me room for both kegs. I've got my gas cylinder on 12psi, the beer line is quite short - perhaps about 3ft long (I've got some extra beer line for when I have this all dialed in).

It's pretty much dribbling out. I've tried it with both my bronco tap and the new Perlick tap. I have two kegs with beer in them, one is more or less full - it's a recent brew and I've not had any out of the keg, the other should still have enough for at least a few schooners but probably more.

So, I guess it's either of two things - a lack of pressure or a blockage. I know that there's plenty of gas going into it as it's set on 12PSI (it's a Micromatic regulator) and when I pull the gas release pin, I'm getting loads of gas out of it. So it must be a blockage somewhere. Now, the beer line definitely is not iced up and there's no gunk in it because I took it out and disassembled the beer line - removed the disconnect and the tap - and so that is clean. So it can't be the beer line, which leaves two things - the dip tube and the beer out post.

I honestly don't see how it can be the dip tube in the first keg as I ran gas into it as suggested, a few days ago and I could hear the gas bubbling the beer so even if it was blocked, it was no longer blocked yet beer wasn't coming out. Which leaves the beer out post.

Question is as I have beer in the keg, am I safe to remove the beer out post to pull it apart and reassemble it? And am I safe to pull the dip tube out and clear that, on the off chance it's clogged up again?

Cheers!

 

[welly2]

Just in case I'm doing something stupid with this regulator, here's where it's at at the moment.

 

[welly2]

Also, is it possible that the line is too short? In my head, the shorter the line the more the pressure but I could be totally wrong here.

 

[welly2]

Other thoughts, the beer line comes out of the keg, drops down to the bottom of the fridge and then back up to the tap which is roughly the same level as the keg. Not sure if that is a problem? Should I have the beer line all at the same level? so maybe need to raise the beer line somehow?

 

[Benn]

I don't know much about kegging set ups but it sounds like a blocked/****** poppet? I'd try swapping the poppet with another one from a different keg that's working to try and identify the problem.

 

[welly2]

I don't know much about kegging set ups but it sounds like a blocked/****** poppet? I'd try swapping the poppet with another one from a different keg that's working to try and identify the problem.

Well, see that's the problem. I've got two kegs and they're both behaving the same way. I thought it might be possible that one keg is blocked but both? Well, I guess it's possible. That they're both pouring ridiculously slowly makes me think it might be something else but what, I don't know. The second one was recently purchased from Clever Brewing and is a used keg but with new posts and lids. I'm pretty much out of ideas! I'm sure it's something really simple I'm missing but ****** if I can figure out what. I think I'll have to find someone local to come and take a look and give me some ideas.

 

[Benn]

Does the keg with the new lid have a ring pull style purge? Is there plenty of pressure in the keg?

 

[welly2]

Does the keg with the new lid have a ring pull style purge? Is there plenty of pressure in the keg?

Both have ring pull purges. If I pull the purge on either of the kegs, I get a big hissing sound so I assume there's plenty of gas in them. What I find odd is the old keg was pouring and then it didn't. Now it could be the case that it's empty but I'd be surprised and when I lift it, it's got a bit of weight to it and certainly if I give it a quick slosh, I can hear liquid in it.

 

[Benn]

If your kegs have adequate pressure in them and your connections are new/solid then the fault must be between the beer outlet and the tap outlet. Once my kegs are pressurised I can turn the gas off and still pour beers, it just gets progressively slower.
Perhaps you could try holding your beer tap in the open/pouring position and manipulate the beer lines a bit and see if there is any effect on the beer flow?

 

[contrarian]

You can remove the beer dip tube and post while there is beer in the keg without any issues. I've had a similar problem where the beer post was clogged with hops. A simple rinse and a spray with sanitiser won't ruin your beer but might solve the problem.

It doesn't take much to clog a post/dip tube.

 

[Rambo]

Attach a beer disconnect to the keg without anything else (or a bit of beer line if you don't want get sprayed). If beer comes out the problem is the lines or tap. If not, the problem is with the keg or disconnect. Might help narrow down the problem. Was your beer dry/keg/cube hopped?

 

[Grott]

You say the problem is with both kegs, problem the same with both taps therefore I'd conclude its neither of these and must be the beer line. I run 4mm id lines a metre long no problems, so you must a have a blockage in the line itself. Can you make up another beer line?
Cheers

 

[dblunn]

If you have one of those carb caps you could half fill a PET bottle with water and then discharge it through the beer line. The flow rate will indicate if your problems lies in the tap/line/disconect assembly.
Dave

 

[Benn]

Ok this ones waaay outside the box...
Scuba regulators have High and Low pressure ports/"outlets"
The High pressure ports are for the pressure gauge and the low pressure ports are for your buoyancy compensator, drysuit inflator, demand valves etc etc.
If Co2 regs have a similar design with differing ports & pressures for the pressure gauges and the purge and gas out line then perhaps there's a possibility that when your reg was assembled the gauges and gas outs were put in arse about.

 

[welly2]

Both beers were dry hopped so could well be that some hop muck is clogging up the tubes. I'm going to take a look at it tonight. Bit frustrating but I'm sure it'll be something simple.

 

[dblunn]

Dry hopped! Could be crap in the taps or dip tube/popets

 

[Benn]

If that were the case with Co2 regs then I imagine they'd have different threads for High and Low pressure ports so they couldn't be threaded into the wrong port. I'll have a look at my spare reg tonight just out of interest.

 

[dblunn]

Also, if the wrong ports were used you would have bottle pressure in your gas lines, the lines would burst in an instant and the room would full of icy snow.