Wilko Co2 injector - problems!!

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4444244

4444244

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Hello,

Following pressure problems in one of my kegs (ie not enough, as discussed on a previous thread of mine), I was advised to try a Co2 injector.

I ordered an injector/cap with valve set from Wilko and also bought 8 gas bulbs. I swapped the regular cap over to the Co2 one and tried to inject the Co2 in the normal way (or so I thought - there are no instructions)

From what I can see, the gas bulb barely touches the pin in the valve - I assume this pin is supposed to pierce the bulb, but it doesn't quite reach even when the injector is fully screwed. I did notice that this pin seems to be loose and actually 'drops' to a lower level when the cap in is place.

Is something glaringly obvious that I'm doing wrong here, as i can't figure out how the get this gas out of the bulb via this valve.

Thanks in advance and hope this all makes sense!!
 
did you get the bulbs from Wilkos? I bought some from e-bay that wouldn`t work as they were a few mm too small. try putting a wogde of paper in the tube to force the bulb down a bit. Oh, and my advice if you are going to use bulbs is to buy one of the bulb holders with steel threads.
 
What beerhunter said. It's a common fault on wilkos bulb holders, also the threads are plastic so can easily cross thread. Better to buy one with metal threads
 
Hello chaps,

Thanks for the advice. I may try the 'bodged' suggestion first of forcing the bulb down a bit with paper or something else and see where we go from there.

If truth be told, the Co2 injector method is not one that I want to do on a regular basis. I think it's safe to say that I did not add enough sugar to this keg, hence the initial problem. In future, I'd rather have my beer carbonated and pressurised naturally, but we shall see!

If for any reason the Co2 injector method continues to fail - is it now too late to carbonate my beer with sugar? It's been in the keg for about 1 month now and what I've managed to get out tastes totally fine, albiet flat.
 
I don't think you'll have much joy carbonating your beer using CO2 bulbs. They're really meant just for keeping the keg pressurised so the beer pours smoothly and the tap doesn't suck air in. The beer itself won't absorb much of the gas. Also, if you use a bulb when the keg's full to the brim, most of the gas will come straight back out through the pressure relief valve.

Best thing would be to open her up and add a new batch of priming sugar - the yeast should come back to life even after a month.
 
You know what, I think that's what I'm going to try (ie the sugar). If it doesn't work, then I'll just have to write it off. I did make 8 bottles which worked fine, so not the end of the world.

I still have the receipt for the Co2 cap, so will return it as faulty. I'm sure I'll at least get an exchange (maybe another beer kit me thinks!) ;)

Massive thanks again - this forum has been such a wealth of knowledge!!

:cheers:
 
Just a thought - when you pop it open to re-prime, check that the seals are seated properly when you put the cap back on. I had a problem with a barrel not pressurizing and the problem was the seal not lining up so it couldn't hold the pressure.

Good luck!
 
Just tested this after 1 week of re-priming as advised. I'm pleased to say that this method worked, so very happy!

Looks a little cloudy, so I'm guessing it'll clear in a cooler room. Tasted fine to me (even after having just cleaned my teeth!!)

Thanks again for the advice, glad I managed to save this.
 

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