Pressure Barrel Advice

[sjacksonuk]

Hi All,

I've had a trawl through this forum however I can't seem to find what I'm looking for, please forgive me if I've missed it!

In the past I have used a preassure barrel for my brew however I have had rather inconsistent results with the carbonation. Sometimes I would have good carbonation but after a couple of pints the barrel starts to 'gulp'. To compensate this, I purchased small Co2 canniesters but this only works for so long.

Am I missing a trick or is this something to expect with a fairly basic preassure barrel? Any advice welcome.

 

[chuffer]

I had same problem even after following advice re using PTFE tape, Vaseline, avoiding overtightening etc but still didn't get as good results as I have from bottles

 

[simon12]

With priming you should be able to dispense the whole barrel with 1 or 2 of the small cylinders added if you only dispense a couple of pints after each one something is leaking but only slightly otherwise it would just be flat and dispense fine. Thinking about it it sounds like the over pressure release valve is likely releasing it at far to low pressure. What barrel do you have?

 

[sjacksonuk]

With priming you should be able to dispense the whole barrel with 1 or 2 of the small cylinders added if you only dispense a couple of pints after each one something is leaking but only slightly otherwise it would just be flat and dispense fine. Thinking about it it sounds like the over pressure release valve is likely releasing it at far to low pressure. What barrel do you have?

This is the type of barrel and valve I use.

In the past I've changed the rubber seals and even added lubricant on the threads for the cap and tap.

 

[Sandimas]

Am I missing a trick or is this something to expect with a fairly basic preassure barrel?

Yes you are - if you're only getting a pint or two out then getting the "gulp", you're losing gas. Probably via the lid seal, which can get distorted. The only way to test for sure is to give it a quick squirt of gas at the time of priming and closing the lid, and listen for any leaks. It's a fine balance between too loose vs too tight, get it wrong and you will have a leak. Having said that, once you've mastered those barrels they are fine - I've had one going for 5 years.

 

[GermLish]

The only way to test for sure is to give it a quick squirt of gas at the time of priming and closing the lid, and listen for any leaks.

soap water is easier to spot leaks

 

[sjacksonuk]

Yes you are - if you're only getting a pint or two out then getting the "gulp", you're losing gas. Probably via the lid seal, which can get distorted. The only way to test for sure is to give it a quick squirt of gas at the time of priming and closing the lid, and listen for any leaks. It's a fine balance between too loose vs too tight, get it wrong and you will have a leak. Having said that, once you've mastered those barrels they are fine - I've had one going for 5 years.

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

 

[steveshep8676]

I sell these stainless steel 5 litre growlers if your looking for that kind of thing, there's a co2 cartridge connector as shown in the image. If you need more information please get in touch
[email protected]

 

[stevey]

Use plenty of ptfe tape around the tap and lid threads, and a little vaseline on the seals. Do not overtighten, which is very easy to do when using vaseline. Just finger tight is probably plenty. Do all this before you put any beer into it and inject a capsule of gas to test if its gas tight. I always walk away and leave it for an hour or so, on returning; just open the tap and release the gas. You will know if its gas tight then.
Do NOT try to remove the lid until you have opened the tap. I did this with a king keg once and made a hole in the ceiling, would have been nasty if my face was in the way.
Prime as normal the gas produced will maintain pressure for a while, as soon as the flow starts to slow down; inject a capsule. Try to avoid glugging. I usually use about 4 capsules for 23 litres, depending on how fast I drink it.
Hope this helps.

 

[Graz]

Unfortunately I've also found it a bit hit and miss over the years. I own three King Kegs, the last but one brew I drank was an Young's American APA, got the majority of it out of the pressure barrel and only had to add one or two bulbs for the last few pints. The current brew in a different King Keg lost pressure after about 5 pints I've been squirting in CO2 bulbs since to get the rest out.

Now I've no idea if the barrel is leaking slightly (but not enough to lose all pressure) or it just didn't secondary ferment very well?

I should probably start taking notes as to which of my barrels seem to hold the pressure and which don't. I replaced all the valves with stainless ones and seals a while back. Always smear on a bit of Vaseline and usually find it best to do up the lid hand tight then give it a 1/4 to 1/2 turn with the cap spanner. Just till it feels tight enough, don't over tighten as that can distort the O ring and you'll get leaks that way.

I really out to investigate a local pub gas supplier. Wouldn't annoy me so much if I had 6kg of CO2 at my disposal.

 

[terrym]

You could buy a basic cap without the injector assembly and use that to test your barrel joint . These cost about ��£3.50, and come with a simple pressure relief device. Use that to test your barrel joint. You will then have a spare if it works. I use these since I don't bother with CO2 bulbs. I just use priming sugar and then reprime if/when the pressure gives up.
Also have a look at the surface of the barrel top where it mates up to the rubber gasket. They are usually not flat due to the moulding process. If it's not flat then carefully remove all the high spots by going round evenly and gently with a file.
And the comment that stevey made about removing the cap without first venting the barrel is worth repeating. :thumb:

 

[Redron]

I use King Keg barrels and the Hambleton Bard cylinders, gave up with the expensive co2 bulbs years ago.
I can normally get through half a keg before I have to give a little squirt of gas, you will know when it needs gas as the flow will slow down gradually before it air locks and starts to glug, which is not good as it will disturb the sediment that you have waited patiently to settle....
As others have said, do not over tighten the cap. I did this once and wondered why I had flat beer, only to discover I had completely distorted the cap seal. Hand tight does it for me, though I use 4inch caps that have lugs on so I can get some purchase, but I still don't lean on them.
Get it right and kegging beer is much quicker and easier than bottling. That said, I do still bottle sometimes.
Persevere and you will get it right.
Good luck

 

[chuffer]

This is the type of barrel and valve I use.
View attachment 6260
In the past I've changed the rubber seals and even added lubricant on the threads for the cap and tap.

this is the same model I've been having trouble with, will take terrym's advice and check that the moulding process hasn't led to any uneven finish on the top of the plastic

 

[Cwrw666]

I've had a couple of budget pressure barrels and both have developed cracks - one up round the neck of the barrel and the other in the seam where the two halves are stuck together. Both above the level of beer so although I binned the first I still use the second as a secondary before bottling.
These things are so badly made it's a wonder any of them work at all...

 

[terrym]

I've had a couple of budget pressure barrels and both have developed cracks - one up round the neck of the barrel and the other in the seam where the two halves are stuck together. Both above the level of beer so although I binned the first I still use the second as a secondary before bottling.
These things are so badly made it's a wonder any of them work at all...

You might be right, however, on the other hand, I am using one (which I was given) which is date stamped 1980!

 

[chuffer]

they clearly don't make 'em like they used to...