Wilko Barrel - stopped pouring

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ceepee

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Hello all,

New to all this.

I bought a Young's starter pack, and a Wilkinson plastic barrel.

Issue is that I went to pour some beer from the barrel, got about 2 pints out and then stopped pouring out - beer was fizzy so it did have co2 in it. Tried it again the next day and got a pint out, but stopped again :-(

Any suggestions please?

Thanks in advance.
 
Sounds like you don't have enough pressure in the barrel. The first half dozen or so pints should come frothing out like billy-o.

There are four tiny "feet" on the bottom of the barrel. When the barrel is under pressure the bottom of it will bulge and the feet will lift off the ground. If the feet are flat on the ground after you've only pulled three pints, chances are the barrel's not holding pressure.

It's probably because the cap isn't sealed properly and is slowly leaking CO2. Tightening it isn't the answer as this will deform the rubber seal and make it leak worse. If you remove the cap you'll probably be able to see where the seal has gone wonky. Remove the rubber seal, soak it in boiling water for a few mins to restore it to its original shape, smear both sides with a little Vaseline, pop it back into the cap and close up the barrel again, taking care not to overtighten as this is what tends to distort the seal in the first place. Finger tight is fine. It might also be worth adding some more priming sugar to the barrel while it's open. Then, wait two or three days for the yeast to go back to work.

If that doesn't help, let us know!

Barrels are a right pain!
 
How long was it in the barrel before you poured the first pint?

The barrel needs to be in the warm for at least 2 weeks, to gas up before you start taking beer out. Sounds like your seal is OK as you have gas, just not enough of it. As Speccy says, wait for the barrel to start deforming and turn more egg shaped, then you'll know if has enough gas. :thumb:
 
Thank-you for your reply.

It has been over 2 weeks before I poured my first pint. I have also checked the seal on the cap and it seems okay.

You say to leave it in a warm place, how long do I do this before I try again?

Also, did notice a few drops of beer was leaking from the spout when I poured my pints. Could that be the cause of the issue?

Thank you again!
 
Taps can drip a bit, so it's probably not that unless there's a big puddle on the floor. So, maybe leave it another week or two and see what happens. If the beer loses what fizz it's got you've definitely got a leak somewhere, with the cap being the prime suspect. (I've had endless trouble with mine.)
 
You say you've taken the cap off and checked the seal and it looked fine. You could only do this if you've got no pressure in there. I'm assuming you did prime the barrel with sugar or something after filling it? Normal amount is about 3 oz of sugar, well that's what I use. Also definitely put vaselene around the top of the barrel where it presses on the seal as this helps block up any small imperfections. Before you do that check that there aren't any major imperfections. If your cap has a pressure relief valve, basically a rubber ring covering a hole, check this is ok too. I took my band off and vaselene'd it all as well. In the past, with other barrels I've had to resort to blocking the pressure relief valve completely as they constantly leaked. A bit dodgy this - deffinitely make sure your brew has stopped fermenting before filling the barrel if you've done this !
 
My understanding is that the Vaseline lubricates the ring in the hope of stopping it snagging and getting pushed out of place as you tighten the cap. (Not that it helps with mine - they're constantly going wonky, and drive me mad.)
 
The bad news - these caps can be a real pain to seal.

The good news - once you get used to them and get a method that works for you, they are great, mine's been going strong for 3 years.

Here's what I do: I replaced the lid with one with an S30 valve and got a Hambleton Bard CO2 injector. As soon as it's filled with beer and sealed, I give it a quick squirt of CO2 and listen for any leaks. More often than not, there is a small leak and I need to tighten up the top a bit, or reverse or renew this lid washer, which can get deformed by over-tightening. I've also got a supply of spare lid washers off eBay.

Budget barrel lid with S30 valve:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/S30-VALVE...pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item3f31134c76

HB CO2 cylinder (my LHBS does re-fills for a fiver):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hambleton..._Home_Garden_Food_SM&var=&hash=item5ae373b49c
 
Thanks for the advise, I will leave in a warm place for another week or so and see what happens.

I checked the legs on the barrel last night and they are raised. Then poured another pint and you could see fizz in it - but again only one pint poured :-(
 
did it just stop pouring or did you get the dreaded "glug of doom?"
if it glugged, get some co2 in there quick!
 
The bad news - these caps can be a real pain to seal.

The good news - once you get used to them and get a method that works for you, they are great, mine's been going strong for 3 years.

Here's what I do: I replaced the lid with one with an S30 valve and got a Hambleton Bard CO2 injector. As soon as it's filled with beer and sealed, I give it a quick squirt of CO2 and listen for any leaks. More often than not, there is a small leak and I need to tighten up the top a bit, or reverse or renew this lid washer, which can get deformed by over-tightening. I've also got a supply of spare lid washers off eBay.

Budget barrel lid with S30 valve:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/S30-VALVE...pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item3f31134c76

HB CO2 cylinder (my LHBS does re-fills for a fiver):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hambleton..._Home_Garden_Food_SM&var=&hash=item5ae373b49c
Thanks for the advise!!!sorry dumb question...what is a LHBS?
 
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