I bought two used kegs from another local homebrewer a month ago. I recall that one of them was pressurized when I bought it, but from lack of experience, I didn't pay attention to the fact that the other wasn't. The pressurized one had a funny-looking pressure relief valve, so I figured he just paid more attention to that one to prove it wasn't broken. Today I cleaned out the other to fill, turned it upside down, and star san freely leaks out. The mouth is bent out of shape somehow and doesn't seal against the lid. I tried to pry it into place or add teflon tape but no luck. Before I hunt the guy down and attempt to get a refund, is there any easy fix for the mouth shape? (I read something about keg lube but I'm worried the gap is too big for that) Is there any other use for a corny keg that doesn't seal such that it'd be worth keeping anyway?
Have you tried to see if it will hold pressure? Even if it does, I'm not sure I'd trust it with brew long-term, but if it will hold pressure, you might consider using it to dry-hop or clear with.
What JohnSnowNW says. The seal on a Corny is from the pressure on the inside forcing the lid o-ring to flatten. Obviously a big gap can not be sealed, but tiny slivers of openings may be okay (my Corny's leak starsan when unpressurized). I would go ahead and get a new o-ring and pump away . . . it's worth a shot of CO2. Also, you shouldn't expect any Corny's to seal until you get above 4 psi. You'll end up with a squirt bottle of starsan (aka - leak detector) by your kegerator . . . may as well set that up now. EDIT: Keg lube doesn't directly improve the sealing of your keg. Its job is to preserve the life of the o-ring . . . essentially it moisturizes and prevents cracks, which is a good thing. But a big gob of lube will not help you here.
It looks pretty out of round (actually out of oval) in a couple of spots. I've had moderate success with *gently* hammering the top back into shape on a few 'bargain' kegs. An upholsterer's hammer is about the right size, though obviously not made for the task. One of them still needs about 40psi to establish the initial seal; it does hold the seal when I back off to normal pressure though. If this keg was super cheap you might not want to put much effort into it. It could still be used for lagering, heat sanitizing of small stuff, etc. edit: if it was not super cheap, definitely try to get a refund.
I'll test the seal with CO2 once I've got the other one carbed up some more. Thanks! It was $45, so cheaper than retail but still not cheap.
Try replacing O-rings. Try fiddling with the main seal to make sure it is seated well. And apply pressure to it and then see if it leaks. I've had the experience in which liquid leaks but as the pressure gets raised, the O-rings seat themselves better and hold pressure. Good luck. Troubleshooting kegs annoys the crap out of me, but I have always been able to solve the problem.
I have a few that leak starsan when not pressurized, but they work fine when they are. You might (or might not) also find that the lid seats better if you turn it 180 degrees. Stacked tolerances and all that.
Another trick is to bend the legs on the lid clamp down slightly to apply more pressure to the o-ring. Or put shims under the feet - pennies work well for this.
Some used kegs I purchased had lid o-rings that had taken on a flattened cross section. Replacing those and the other 4 o-rings was part of my reconditioning routine. Another thing I have done is purchase a new lid for a problem keg, and that worked. As Vikeman said, tolerances do add up.
I too have a few that leak with no pressure when putting Starsan in them. Even a few that I have to remind myself to turn the lid the other way, and it seals perfectly then. Worth a shot, and if not, then I would try and return it if you don't think you can get it work out.
I always thought any keg could potentially leak when not being pressurized (despite the condition). I've always "seated" the keg even if I wasn't going to keep it hooked to the Co2. As others have said, trying pressurizing it with a new o-ring. Keg lube is also helpful.
One of these oversized O-rings worked for me. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/OVERSIZE-KEG-LID-SEALING-O-RING-P58C298.aspx
I don't think it's the lid, since both lids work on the good keg and neither work on that one. A combination of pennies under the lid legs, some hammering, and 30psi looks to have sealed it, I'm going to check it again tomorrow to see if it's still holding. Thanks, all.
