Loss of pressure on barrel - advice needed please

[gbox82]

I have had a Coopers Original Stout in the keg for a month now (it was absolutely delicious after a week!), and just over a week ago I noticed that the pressure had dropped dramatically. Where the beer had previously come out of the barrel really quickly, resulting in a decent sized head it was now coming out more slowly with no head at all. The beer had also lost a little of its "life" (not that it was fizzy in the first place but it seems really dead now).

I wondered if I needed to connect up a CO2 canister to the top, which I did and noticed that there was a leak of gas from the cap at the top. Oh dear! That did improve the head for a day or two, but now its back to low pressure again...

So, i'm wondering what to do now. Should I take the cap off, re-lubricate and re-seal? I'm worried that would spoil the beer by allowing air in.

Any advice as to what to do would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Runwell-Steve]

I would take the cap off and reseal. Go easy on the grease, too much and it won't seal, you only want a light smear on the washer to help it slip into place. Personally I don't believe you should put any grease on the thread.

 

[beermaker]

I'd have the lid off, relube the seal and reseal and regas. I've done it before with no ill effects. Just make sure you have everything sanitised and to hand before you start so the exposure time is minimal. Gas up a little first and bleed it as this will put a blanket of CO2 on tge beer which, as its heavier than air, will help prevent oxidation. If you're worried about physical contaminants such as dust or getting in, you can always put a bit of tinfoil over the opening whilst you fettle the seal.

 

[gbox82]

Thanks for the quick responses, much appreciated!

 

[cnelsonplumber]

Plus 1 for the above. CO2 is heavier than air and will stay in the keg and blanket your beer if you re seal the lid without moving around to quickly.

 

[subfaction]

When you have the cap off, check the valve is tight. On all my PBs I've had to tighten the valve to avoid leaks.

 

[gbox82]

I took the cap off this afternoon and found that the ring was puckered (home brewing seems to be excellent for double entendres - either that or I have a juvenile mind!) so took it out of the cap and replaced it with a new one stolen from another cap. Re-lubricated and tightened gently to try and avoid over-tightening.

Gassed it up with a new CO2 canister and after hissing for several seconds (i'd imagine the CO2 being delivered into the keg) it stopped. So it looks like it has sealed up and i'm hoping that has solved the leak!

Thanks to everyone for their help on this, all very helpful

 

[winelight]

Great - sound like a result. This is a nice beer, just finishing a pint as I type, in fact.