1st attempt at kegging and carbing

dazziep · May 24, 2017

Got to be honest I'm a little nervous I've messed it all up

I tried cleaning and sanitizing my corny with a milton tablet.
That was a nightmare to start with .. the black rubber stuff on the top of the keg just kept coming off and going everywhere.. the more I tried to clean it the blacker my hands got.. I put it all back together and wiped everything with a dettol surface wipe (I guessed if I'm safe to eat my dinner straight off my worktop after wiping with these then they wouldn't hurt ??)
I then never rinsed (as instructed on the milton packet) and just poured my beer in and set my CO2 to 12psi and just left it.
I'm also worried I didn't test that there's no co2 leaking out.. I guess I can just put washing up foam around connections to check??

dazziep · May 24, 2017

Oh things I forgot to add..
Yep I did pour the milton solution out first :)
And yep I did purge the keg. ( just a few blasts to be sure)
I've also just gone and covered top of keg in washing up bubbles to check for leak and then wiped it off with dettol wipe again..

JapanBrew · May 24, 2017

Sounds fine to me. I'd worry a tad bit about the Milton adding that homebrew twang. I had it a lot and couldn't put my finger on it but once I started using campden tabs before mashing to take out the chlorine and then switching to Starsan, it's gone. I think it's the chlorine doing something.
As for that black stuff, I have a few of my kegs that have that. Just have to be careful. It does make a mess. But I think you did fine. I usually add my co2 to the empty keg, as in pushing out the sanitizer, that will also sanitize the internal pipe and fittings.

Godsdog · May 24, 2017

dazziep said:
Got to be honest I'm a little nervous I've messed it all up
I tried cleaning and sanitizing my corny with a milton tablet.
That was a nightmare to start with .. the black rubber stuff on the top of the keg just kept coming off and going everywhere.. the more I tried to clean it the blacker my hands got.. I put it all back together and wiped everything with a dettol surface wipe (I guessed if I'm safe to eat my dinner straight off my worktop after wiping with these then they wouldn't hurt ??)
I then never rinsed (as instructed on the milton packet) and just poured my beer in and set my CO2 to 12psi and just left it.
I'm also worried I didn't test that there's no co2 leaking out.. I guess I can just put washing up foam around connections to check??

stop fretting this black stuff is a common problem with cornies fwiw I have a shop bought Milton spray bottle ready made for around a quid that's brilliant for testing the lid and connections for leaks and yup you don't need to rinse off Milton.take a chill pill and relax,it is very difficult to spoil a brew and I should know after 45 plus years with just one going down the drain.my sanatising isn't always the best either:thumb:

dazziep · May 25, 2017

Awesome cheers guys.. just worrying with it been my first one

Also not sure I'm carbonating it right??

I'm not in a massive rush for it to be ready so I looked at one of those charts and set temp to 4c (39f) and co2 at 12psi .. I didn't do the initial 20-30psi and rocking thing cos as I say I'm in no rush . But wondering now if I should have ..?? I suppose there is nothing stopping me still doing that ??

It would be nice for it to be ready for this bank hol weekend I guess :)

dan125 · May 25, 2017

I've never done the rocking thing but usually give the kegs a few days at 20ish psi to carb up before a cheeky sample - depends what style of beer it is I suppose and how fizzy you want it.

dazziep · May 25, 2017

cool, I might give that a try, just to speed things up a little :)

I don't really know the style of beer if I'm honest.. A friend brewed it for me (his own recipe brewed to my taste.. I told him what I like and he just mixed some stuff together :) - it's called dazzie bobbla

)

it tastes and looks a little bit like newkie brown, but there is a slight twang of caramely toffee type taste.. it's pretty awesome to be honest

JapanBrew · May 25, 2017

I mostly force carb by rocking but still let condition for at least a week.
I do 4 minutes of rocking at 40 psi for 10 liters . That gets it close. But, and I'm sure this is the main factor, the head space is very tight. I'm just guessing but I'd say that is less than 8% head space. If you had an ideal 20% head space you could do with less time. But my kegs hold 10 liters full and I fill them near that.

TheQuokka · May 25, 2017

I usually force carb as I only have a small freezer and need the beer in a hurry. :smile:

If not, you should still give the keg a shot around 25 psi or so to make sure the lid seals and there are no leaks. I use a starsan type phosphoric sanitiser, so there is always plenty of "foam" to show if I have any leaks.

But don't panic - it's really not as hard as it sounds, and you can always boost your pressure and rock a bit if it is under carbed.

Pawlo7671 · May 25, 2017

At this stage I wouldn't rock the keg as you might disturb any sediment thats settled out. Put the psi up to about 30 - 40 and leave 24 hours, sample, if its not fizzy enough then leave it longer. Remember to disconnect the c02, drop the pressure right down and vent the keg before setting serving pressure

dazziep · May 25, 2017

Actually the more I see how nice this weather is going to be this weekend the more I'm starting to think yeah I do want to rush it so it's ready to drink..

So might do as you say and stick it up to 40 for 24 hours see what that does ..

dazziep · May 25, 2017

I think I have a leak

I turned gas up to 40 and could hear gas coming out

I've put washing up liquid suds all around tops and can't see no bubbles (except the obvious ones :) ) ok no bubbling..

I expected to hear the gas go in then stop when it reached 40psi which I heard but I also heard the hissing if gas coming back out (I'm sure I did)

I've turned the gas off now but have no idea now what to do

Godsdog · May 25, 2017

dazziep said:
I think I have a leak

I turned gas up to 40 and could hear gas coming out

I've put washing up liquid suds all around tops and can't see no bubbles (except the obvious ones :) ) ok no bubbling..

I expected to hear the gas go in then stop when it reached 40psi which I heard but I also heard the hissing if gas coming back out (I'm sure I did)

I've turned the gas off now but have no idea now what to do

if you tested for leaks and found none,fine,40 psi will take a bit of time to attain and could be what you are hearing the gas entering the keg,turn the reg down to around 20 and open the reg again and listen for the gas again,if there be no leaks you will hear nowt:thumb:

dazziep · May 26, 2017

I was up pretty late messing with dam thing and im sure i must have buggered it now

I panicked a little a just thought right I need to try and get this carbonated as quickly as possible now so set it to 40 and tried shaking (I know this is ignoring advise about not shaking .. sorry but I panicked..) and when beer hit the gas post I then heard the bubbling (not the nice bubbling of co2 entering the beer .. no **** bubbling of beer trying to escape out if my gas post) so sadly it is leaking

(that soap did idea obviously wasn't my best)

I then thought is best get all the co2 out and take the post off and put some plumbers tape round it. (Sorry forgot i tried to tighten it first but couldn't)
Pur it back on .. nope same problem

I then gave in and unplugged my co2 so it didn't all just leak out..

So I have no idea what state this beer is now in.. is it partially carbonated .
If so when I fix leak can I carry on without effecting it too much .. or is it going down the sink

please don't be 2nd one ..

henteaser · May 26, 2017

- Get the keg in a fridge / keezer
- Release all but 1-5 psi from the keg
- Pour a glass to assess the carbonation
- With the gas still on 1-5 psi, attack with a soapy detergent solution
- Lather it all over disconnects, all tubing, regulator connection - everything!
- Fix leak once found
- If beer too fizzy, leave on 1-5 for a few days
- If still flat, leave on 40 for another 12 hours and check again
- Once it's just right, reduce pressure down to 10 psi for serving

Good luck, hope you get it sorted!

dazziep · May 26, 2017

cool thanks for that, I'll give that a try.. I think a big part of the problem is that I can't tighten it properly with my adjustable wrench .. and I don't have the right size spanner (what ever that is), also I am scared of over tightening and damaging the thread, But I've seen vids where one guy puts a spanner on then another spanner on the end for extra torque .. do I really need it to be that tight??

henteaser · May 26, 2017

dazziep said:
cool thanks for that, I'll give that a try.. I think a big part of the problem is that I can't tighten it properly with my adjustable wrench .. and I don't have the right size spanner (what ever that is), also I am scared of over tightening and damaging the thread, But I've seen vids where one guy puts a spanner on then another spanner on the end for extra torque .. do I really need it to be that tight??

No, let the seal do its job. Hand tight then a firm, quarter turn with a wrench should be plenty.

You may need to depressurize and remove the lid to get better access to the posts as usually the pressure release valve and swing arm are in the way.

dazziep · May 26, 2017

of course yeah :) DOH I didn't even think about doing that.. yeah they are in the way :) I might depressurize it tonight, take the post off, stick more PTFE tape on.. put some vaseline on ??? (I've seen this somewhere .. is this a good idea ??) tighten it and try again .. hopeful the beer is still salvageable and I've not managed to get any nasties in there with all the messing and I can still get it pressurized ready for the bank hol weekend

dazziep · May 26, 2017

ok more messing this aft..

after getting the post on and off god knows how many times and using about 100 foot of PTFE I can no longer hear the gas (I haven't squirted everything though with soapy water yet though (just to be sure))

I got rid of all pressure in keg, took pressure right down to about 5, poured a glass and it was just pure foam

when it settled down it was a bit flat and also tasted and smelt a bit chemically

.. I bet that's my fault for too fussy about hygiene and constantly wiping with dettol wipes

hope that goes.

I've now set it to 40psi and will try again tomorrow..

any tips on stopping all that foam ??

Godsdog · May 26, 2017

dazziep said:
ok more messing this aft..

after getting the post on and off god knows how many times and using about 100 foot of PTFE I can no longer hear the gas (I haven't squirted everything though with soapy water yet though (just to be sure))

I got rid of all pressure in keg, took pressure right down to about 5, poured a glass and it was just pure foam

when it settled down it was a bit flat and also tasted and smelt a bit chemically .. I bet that's my fault for too fussy about hygiene and constantly wiping with dettol wipes hope that goes.

I've now set it to 40psi and will try again tomorrow..

any tips on stopping all that foam ??

I hope with all this faffing about lid off/ lid on multiple times that you are purging the O2 with CO2 every time or your gonna have sour beer and a drain job

1st attempt at kegging and carbing

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