I've always had trouble getting my keggle ball valve to seal properly. I think adding another rubber gasket will help a lot. Can the red rubber gaskets from lowes work without poisoning me or is it necessary to buy high temp gaskets and do they have those at Lowes?
Depends on how/why/where it's leaking. Adding another O-ring shouldn't be necessary (though it's possible you may need to replace one if it's been overtightened & deformed). There's also this: "National Pipe Thread (NPT) National Pipe Thread (NPT) is a United States standard for tapered threads used on threaded pipes and fittings. In contrast to straight threads that are found on a bolt, a taper thread will pull tight and therefore make a fluid-tight seal. All pots, ball valves, thermometers, and other kettle accessories sold by AIH are NPT. When sealing NPT fittings into your kettle, you should use teflon tape. To use the Teflon tape, wrap the threaded portion of your fitting counter clock wise. You should make three rotations on the fitting. After applying sufficient tape to the threaded portion of the fitting, thread this into the pipe. The tape acts as a lubricant and does not need to be over tightened. Teflon tape ensures a seal while not over tightening a ball valve or thermometer while leaving them in a satisfactory position. Do not back off to straighten a fitting. If you go too far, take the fitting off, re-tape, and start over. If you feel you need more tape, add that with your second round." If you didn't tape it, try that first. If it's still leaking, then the o-ring might need replacement. Can't speak to the quality or materials available at Lowes, but they're probably ok as long as you can find the proper size and it's NSF-listed. Lots of homebrew shops also carry small parts like o-rings - so you could always try your LHS or one of the many online retailers.
I did not tape it. I willl try that. I also think I over tightened and deformed the gaskets that were provided with my ball valve.
But I've read about the rubber gaskets from hardware stores (similar material to the gaskets sold for grolsch style bottles) maybe not being safe at boiling temps?
I can't tell you if it's safe, because I don't know what material you'd be using. I wouldn't use the grolsch gaskets, fwiw. What you want is a food-grade high temp silicone. If your bulkhead nut has a groove on it, it's designed to seat against an o-ring, not a flat gasket. You can buy replacement O-rings at McMaster-Carr in bulk for around $0.35 each. One pkg is enough to last forever. The exact size/thickness you need is something the manufacturer of your bulkhead could probably tell you better than I could flying blind, but searching some of the forums, people seem to use either number 211 or 315. (both are nominally 13/16" ID, the latter is thicker). https://www.mcmaster.com/#1283n257/=15xsajr https://www.mcmaster.com/#1283n83/=15xsb6f [edited: fixed links to go directly to products ref. above instead of general o-ring index]
This is all great info and @DunkelFester hit everything on the head as usual. I'll add that if you over tighten the nut you will crush the o-ring. Sometimes you need to back off on the nut just a bit. Gaskets and O-rings have very close tolerances so don't be surprised if you have a slight leak no matter what,
I had the same problem on our HLT Keggle. Brew buddy got fed up one night, disassembled, beat the s**t out of that area on the keggle with a hammer until it was flat instead of round. Reassembled and no more leaks lol.
