Kegging problem & possible contamination

I think it's probably fine as long as it was sanitized pretty well.

I'd go ahead and change the seals on the keg though. Flipping them over, probably made a new "seat" for them to seal better with, but you could still get some leaks.

 

I would guess that it was probably more of a case of you taking it apart and putting it back together than the fact that you flipped the seal over. As long as it is holding pressure you are good to go.

Also I wouldn't worry about contamination. If it tastes good at 11.5% then it is unlikely that the tiny amount that was possibly dripping back in would cause any noticeable off flavors.

 

The beer will probably be fine, some the O-rings just get slightly deformed and flipping them helps the seat better. IN the future I would recommend using keg lube on ALL of your O-rings to prevent this problem from occurring again. It's cheap insurance.

 

"it was leaking from the seal and the poppit post"...those seals get cranked down a lot (erroniously). They're not even round after awhile when over-torqued.

Having to flip seals over means it's probably time for new seals.

 

This too, O-rings are cheap, if they're not sealing then change em. That said, some kegs leak even with new rings, and in such cases keg lube often helps. I use it on every seal every time regardless of the situation because it too is cheap and it's better than finding an empty gas tank or 5 gallons of beer on your floor due to a leaky seal.

 

O-rings are wear parts...keg lube will make them last longer and seal better...but even keg lube has it's limits when coupled with old/non-elastic o-rings and irregular sealing surfaces. Nothing worse (off course there is) than an empty CO2 tank due to inadequate maintenance (I'm guilty)

 

That's why I have a box with hundreds of O-rings in it and I change them regularly. I still apply keg lube to every seal evey time though.

 

Are the flat o-rings better? It seems like they would be.

 

The only O-rings I've seen that are flat are ones that have been used to the point of being deformed, all the new O-rings I've seen have been round and they just flatten out over time with use.

 

I think that there might be three different types, but I could be wrong. Two different types for sure. This site has the flat type listed as for Firestone ball-lock kegs. The top and sides are somewhat U-shaped. I tried to post a picture but it doesn't seem like you can post a link and a pic.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_40_271_560&products_id=10799

 

I stand corrected, I just have round ones and use them on all my kegs interchangably, wasn't aware that there are different rings for different kegs.