DISASTER! (or can it be saved)!

[BIGTRACTOR]

should never have trusted an old keg given to me!

the old keg i cleaned up, bought new rubbers etc has a leak! i've only just noticed that the smugglers i transfered to it a week or so again is trickling down the outside, (must have a hairline crack in the side). obviously it has only started leaking now the pressure is building up. and it is only just a small mark on the outside, it isn't actually trickling)

luckily i have a spare budget barrel, so can i transfer it over? i guess i'll need to degass, syphon very carefully and try not to oxidise and regass. is there anything else i should bear in mind!

bloody keg! thought it was too good to be true! i guess there is no way they can be repaired?, because it is obviously just a very small hairline crack.

[BIGTRACTOR]

funny, i've just dried the area off, and left it for half hour and its still completely dry.

so its only leaking at times. obviously its not reliable though and i'll be binning it as soon as i get the smugglers out !

[GTATTY]

sorry to hear BT

Let's hope you can rescue the Smugglers!

Graham

[BIGTRACTOR]

just realised, i've also got a king keg that has about a pint left of the coopers ipa. reckon i will try to put the smugglers in there, obviously i'll wash the lees out, but i shouldn't need to sterilise should i? it's already sterile, right?



i'm just thinking about the mechanics of it. how should i get beer from a top tap into another keg without oxidsing it? sucking on the end of the syphon tube is a no no i take it?

[Jim]

I would sterilise it, BT. It's too much of a chance to take.

[delboy]

You can start a syphon off without sucking it quite easily. Once you've sanitised the tube pour water into it while both ends are lifted (this causes the water to pool in the middle of the syphon). first put one end into your leaky barrel and then the other into the new barrel the water should pour out and at the same time case a suction thereby starting the syphon. (there will only be a small volume of water will enter the beer but if you are worried about it you could let it pour into something else until the beer starts to run through, then nip the tubing to stop the flow and place it in the barrel and release the tubing, sorted .

You could do a couple of test runs with a sink of water and a pan before you sanistise the tubing to get the hang of it.

It works well for me but then i've been using this method for a while to syphon the fish tank (you don't want to get a mouthful of tank water with poo )

[BIGTRACTOR]

cheers chaps, gonna tackle it today. i'l let you know how i get on!

[BIGTRACTOR]

well, i don't really understand it, there is a good pressure there but not a drop has leaked all weekend. i'm quite tempted to leave it alone , but keep a good eye on it.

[bitter_dave]

Are you sure it was a leak and not a spillage from earlier that you hadn't noticed?

[maxashton]

You could always slap some epoxy on over the top. The clear types are non porous so shouldn't be a problem for sanitiation if its smooth

[BIGTRACTOR]

i found the hairline crack when i was cleaning the barrel so i slapped some glue (2 tubes with hardener - brown coloured from a cheap shop - omly thing i had to hand) over it.

left it to harden, then a few days later you could see where either beer or the glue (same colour) had foamed and leaked out. and the glue has dissolved right over the crack.

it still isn't leaking anymore. i've just gone in the garage, squirted some co2 in the keg until the release valve started squeaking, but no leak from the barrel.

perhaps, inadvertantly i t has sealed itself? the leak obviously cant be too bad, so should i use some clear epoxy on it?(once its empty) gently sand around it? and do you mean the stuff used with fibreglass?

cheers

[BIGTRACTOR]

true i think i'll leave the smugglers in it, (as long as the pressure is higher on the inside - nothing can get inside? right?)

but i'll bin it after, (reason being, i've just bought a nelsons revenge and i'll need my 1 remaining budget barrel for that)