King Kegs

[Adam]

I have got a couple of King Kegs off of my Uncle. They haven't been used for a decade and i am trying to get one of them working.

This is my first time with any keg, been bottling odd brews up until now.

Leaving sanitiser overnight is part of my plan but there are a few snags.






I only have one float (not a big issue as i only need one keg operational to begin).

One of the taps is in two pieces, should it be? Is there a trick to getting the other one open.

I want to clean all the bits, fill with sanitiser and pressurise both to see if the seals are alright.

Its my first beer,so i don't want kegs to spoil it, would i be better off pet bottling the beer and using the keg first on a TC or something else?

smiles
adam

[Horden Hillbilly]

I only have one float

If you do not have a local home brew shop you can buy them from Here, Item no. 11 on this page.

You will need to change the rubber seals on the valves as well. They do tend to strech after a while & they will certainly will not hold the pressure in the barrel if they have been left on the valves for 10 years. You can get these Here, Items no. 1, 2 & 3 are the ones you need for a complete set.

I would also consider changing the large "O" ring in the cap. They are item no. 4 on the same page as the above link for the valve seals.

[Adam]

my current sanitiser options are Bruclens, Chempro SDP and Dr Johnsons' Sterilising Fluid.

I'm not sure what VWP is the abbreviation/acronym for.

Is oxyclean something i will find in the cleaning aisle at ASDa or Sainsburys?

Got the other tap head off... they're both filthy... using a sponge for the gunge okay?

Odd but i've been to both Daab's and Horden's websites today at different points.

Horden. I have a complete set of King Keg rubbers around here somewhere, hoping to get float and other rubbers when i work out what i want to order online aswell as these essentials.

smiles
adam

[Adam]

so an oxycleaner that is unscented and preferably doesn't have any blue crystals in it.

Thanks

smiles
adam

[Adam]

Got into town first thing this morning and bought Oxicleaners.




Got the blue one for £1
30% Sodium Percarbonate
30%Sodium Carbonate
smelled unscented to me, and at the price i could always use it for other cleaning jobs.

Kept looking in shops until i made it back to Wilkinsons and found the pink one for £1.99
30% Oxygen based bleaching agents
it is fragrance free, chlorine free and dye free.

Also picked up a new spray bottle to deliver it to outside of kegs.
Will use the pink one this evening unless anyone says that its not the right stuff.

smiles
adam

[Adam]

i cleaned the king kegs in the oxi and think that it went well. I avoided the bleach step (the stuff is a little scary).

Keg really cleaned up, as did all fittings. Thorough rinse.

And now i have my first kegged beer (will post in beer kit section).

smiles and thanks
adam

[Adam]

Doh!
Monkey!
and a head full of expletives.

so the oxyclean will have cleaned and not sanitised?
looks like my first beer kit is unlikely to be drinkable then.
at least i will make the yeast slurry into something else...
a religious man would pray... i'm not religious so that just leaves drink.

smiles
adam

[Adam]

its too late to worry...

decision made that even though i should be doing other things i have to salvage something from this in case of the worst so i am sterilising my equipment to to a 15 litre run of TC on Ale Yeast.

occasionally i am a lucky man so its wait and see with the beer, if its thumbs up excellent, if its thumbs down it is one more thing to talk about when i am recruiting new homebrewers.

{Me to new <well even newer than me> brewer} "Sit yourself down for this tale of woe, and follow not the steps that led me to this destination....

smiles
adam