Need help troubleshooting this keg
- Thread starter welly2
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Grott
Beer Embalmer
So you think both kegs may have clogged dip tubes and posts? Seems unlikely, as stated I'd check the beer line first;
Cheers
Cheers
welly2
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I haven't a clue to be honest. I think it's unlikely too, but it's a starting point. And the beer line is definitely, 100% not clogged. I took it out last night and cleared it.grott said:
I was watching the beer come out of the keg last night (the beer line is clear tubing) and it was really struggling to come out. It looked like it had no pressure behind it but it could easily be that the beer out post is just not functioning correctly but I'd be amazed if both are like that.
Weizguy
Barley Bomber
I had the same thing a few months ago.welly2 said:
Plenty of pressure in the keg, as evidence by releasing the blow-off valve.
First the dip tube was blocked and the poppets were not closing properly or open enough to flow freely either, so I transferred it to another keg (assuming you have a spare).
Same thing happened with the replacement/refill keg, and the blockage appeared to be moved to the tap, as I was using a variable flow tap. Swapped to a full flow tap (brumby, IIRC) and all was fine after the line flushed all the hop sediment through.
Best of luck and good hunting.
Les
Charge Keg with gas.
Remove beer disconnect.
take keg outside somewhere
Depress beer out post poppet with a screwdriver.
If it sprays like the dockers in front of goal, should be an issue outside of the keg.
If not, issue is in keg and you will know where to look.
You have got your disconnects correctly fitted yeah? Lift collar and push firmly down to squash the poppet spring? Sorry had to ask!
Cheers,
D80
Remove beer disconnect.
take keg outside somewhere
Depress beer out post poppet with a screwdriver.
If it sprays like the dockers in front of goal, should be an issue outside of the keg.
If not, issue is in keg and you will know where to look.
You have got your disconnects correctly fitted yeah? Lift collar and push firmly down to squash the poppet spring? Sorry had to ask!
Cheers,
D80
welly2
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Cheers all, I'll give all these suggestions a go tonight!
Diesel, disconnects are fitted correctly and seem to be going into place fine. I got some new ones yesterday which should be spot on however same problem. I've got some new beer line which I'm going to try out tonight and so will replace the whole lot and have another go. Could be air leaking out of the disconnect fittings or anything. I'll just start from scratch and build it up again and see what occurs!
Diesel, disconnects are fitted correctly and seem to be going into place fine. I got some new ones yesterday which should be spot on however same problem. I've got some new beer line which I'm going to try out tonight and so will replace the whole lot and have another go. Could be air leaking out of the disconnect fittings or anything. I'll just start from scratch and build it up again and see what occurs!
Welly,
if you pull out the dip tube and posts etc, take photos of them before you change anything. Others here can have a look and might spot something amiss, missing o-ring or similar as an example.
If all else fails get your mates around and Siphon direct out of the keg. Big weekend! B)
Cheers,
D80
if you pull out the dip tube and posts etc, take photos of them before you change anything. Others here can have a look and might spot something amiss, missing o-ring or similar as an example.
If all else fails get your mates around and Siphon direct out of the keg. Big weekend! B)
Cheers,
D80
welly2
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I have beer!
This is a long story with tales of woe and violence.
I stripped the whole thing apart and started again. New beer line, new gas line, new disconnects. I tried most of the suggestions in this thread and miraculously, I managed to get beer out of both kegs. The first keg which is a Coopers ROTM, and was working previously, seemed to have a bit of crud in the post. I cleaned that out and removed the dip tube and that seemed to fix it. The second keg, I did the same thing although there wasn't any blockage. I suspect the beer out post poppet was out of align. However that's not half the story.
Aside from stinking of beer from beer spraying into my face and onto my clothes and everywhere - the cockroaches are going to have a field day in beer room.
First keg - I ran the gas line into the beer out line and squirted a load of gas into it. It bubbled away so assumed that was good. Unfortunately I ended up with the beer going back into the bloody regulator. I managed to run the gas so beer is now out of it but I'm still a bit concerned about it. It seems to be working fine however I bet this isn't the last I hear about that incident. I'm going to look into stripping the regulator (a Micromatic) and giving it a clean up, but it's working at the moment and seems to be working fine. Or perhaps I should just leave it and prepare to buy a second one. We shall see. I did remove the beer out post and dip tube, gave them a good cleaning and it seemed to all work.
Second keg - decided I wouldn't do what I did with the first keg. What I did do though, which was clever, was to remove the beer out post above a sink only for the poppet to drop out and into the plug hole. Basically, it was impossible to get out. So in a massive panic, I gave a local bloke who I bought a few bits from a while back, a call to see if he still had any kegging bits left and if he was home. Yes to both questions. Panic almost over. He was a superstar and lent me a couple of empty kegs in case I needed to transfer my second keg, and he had a spare beer out post although it was slightly knackered but, as I've found out, not knackered enough that it doesn't work fine. The lip at the top of the post is slightly bent on the edge, which I just snapped off and it works a treat.
So what works - I'm getting beer out of my kegs, but only through my bronco tap. The beer line is 2.5m long and I've got my gas at about 12psi. It's coming out great through the bronco tap, perhaps a little bit foamy but it settles.
I bought a Perlick 650SS tap the other day and fitted that to the fridge but buggered if I'm getting beer out of it. I took the Perlick off the fridge and checked to see if that was clogged up. What I did was blew into the shank and set the tap forward. I didn't get a lot of air coming out of the tap but adjusted the flow control back so it should have been wide open. Seems not to be the case. I'm expecting a second Perlick 650SS to arrive tomorrow so I will give that one a go and see if it makes any difference.
So close, but yet so far. At least I have beer and I must say, this dark IPA is possibly the best beer I've made yet so if nothing else, I've got that to take home from this whole debacle! I was so, so close to throwing in the towel this evening, saying **** that and going back to bottles. But I'm sure once I get it all dialed in, it'll be fine.
Talking of which, I need a top up.
This is a long story with tales of woe and violence.
I stripped the whole thing apart and started again. New beer line, new gas line, new disconnects. I tried most of the suggestions in this thread and miraculously, I managed to get beer out of both kegs. The first keg which is a Coopers ROTM, and was working previously, seemed to have a bit of crud in the post. I cleaned that out and removed the dip tube and that seemed to fix it. The second keg, I did the same thing although there wasn't any blockage. I suspect the beer out post poppet was out of align. However that's not half the story.
Aside from stinking of beer from beer spraying into my face and onto my clothes and everywhere - the cockroaches are going to have a field day in beer room.
First keg - I ran the gas line into the beer out line and squirted a load of gas into it. It bubbled away so assumed that was good. Unfortunately I ended up with the beer going back into the bloody regulator. I managed to run the gas so beer is now out of it but I'm still a bit concerned about it. It seems to be working fine however I bet this isn't the last I hear about that incident. I'm going to look into stripping the regulator (a Micromatic) and giving it a clean up, but it's working at the moment and seems to be working fine. Or perhaps I should just leave it and prepare to buy a second one. We shall see. I did remove the beer out post and dip tube, gave them a good cleaning and it seemed to all work.
Second keg - decided I wouldn't do what I did with the first keg. What I did do though, which was clever, was to remove the beer out post above a sink only for the poppet to drop out and into the plug hole. Basically, it was impossible to get out. So in a massive panic, I gave a local bloke who I bought a few bits from a while back, a call to see if he still had any kegging bits left and if he was home. Yes to both questions. Panic almost over. He was a superstar and lent me a couple of empty kegs in case I needed to transfer my second keg, and he had a spare beer out post although it was slightly knackered but, as I've found out, not knackered enough that it doesn't work fine. The lip at the top of the post is slightly bent on the edge, which I just snapped off and it works a treat.
So what works - I'm getting beer out of my kegs, but only through my bronco tap. The beer line is 2.5m long and I've got my gas at about 12psi. It's coming out great through the bronco tap, perhaps a little bit foamy but it settles.
I bought a Perlick 650SS tap the other day and fitted that to the fridge but buggered if I'm getting beer out of it. I took the Perlick off the fridge and checked to see if that was clogged up. What I did was blew into the shank and set the tap forward. I didn't get a lot of air coming out of the tap but adjusted the flow control back so it should have been wide open. Seems not to be the case. I'm expecting a second Perlick 650SS to arrive tomorrow so I will give that one a go and see if it makes any difference.
So close, but yet so far. At least I have beer and I must say, this dark IPA is possibly the best beer I've made yet so if nothing else, I've got that to take home from this whole debacle! I was so, so close to throwing in the towel this evening, saying **** that and going back to bottles. But I'm sure once I get it all dialed in, it'll be fine.
Talking of which, I need a top up.
I know it has been said before but double check you are not getting beer frozen in your lines. I have an old fridge set to 5 degrees but if i let my lines touch the refrigeration plate at the back of the fridge they will freeze. Therefore I zip tied them away. If u can get beer out of your bronco but not out of your high quality taps the first thing to suspect is the line or something blocked or frozen in it. Leave ur fridge off for a day and see if it works. If so, easiest fix ever 
welly2
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The lines are definitely, definitely not clogged frozen or clogged. They were freshly fitted tonight and haven't been in the fridge long enough to freeze. The beer is coming out of the Perlick but at a rate that I'd be there all night just for one schooner. In fact, I was able to suck beer out of the line when I pulled it off the Perlick. Absolutely, 100% not clogged. It must be a pressure thing or something on the Perlick that isn't open enough. But bizarrely enough the Bronco tap is working a treat, actually too well and I'm getting a bit too much foam although it does settle.Vrtigo said:I know it has been said before but double check you are not getting beer frozen in your lines. I have an old fridge set to 5 degrees but if i let my lines touch the refrigeration plate at the back of the fridge they will freeze. Therefore I zip tied them away. If u can get beer out of your bronco but not out of your high quality taps the first thing to suspect is the line or something blocked or frozen in it. Leave ur fridge off for a day and see if it works. If so, easiest fix ever
Danscraftbeer
Well-Known Member
Easiest fix is to get a bigger glass. Pint glass is cool. Then those frothies are just a half, with a big head.
Rocker1986
Well-Known Member
Did you fit the Perlick to the shank with the flow control lever in the right position? I dunno if it makes any difference really, but they do advise to have the flow control lever pointing forward horizontally when fitting to the shank. This way, when fully open it sits about 10 o'clock, closed it sits about 8 o'clock.
welly2
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Yeah, might have to do that. The bugger is brand new though, which is annoying but I'll take it apart and see what this other tap does when it arrives tomorrow.Diesel80 said:
It's bloody odd - I have the co2 set to about 6psi now and it comes out of the bronco tap without issue and the line is about 2.5m. The line on the Perlick line is easily half that. I even had the psi up to almost 20 and it was still not even pissing out. I'm getting different fittings on the new one - the one I've got installed is a barb fitting, the shank I've got coming with the new one has the John Guest fittings so who knows, maybe even the barb is blocked or something. We shall see what happens.
