Show me your pin-valves!

[bc1993]

Hi,

I'm just starting out with home brewing. So far so go, got my first brew in my pressure barrel ... but it won't hold pressure. : (.
Now, I've read the "everything you need to know about pressure barrels" thread elsewhere on this forum. However, I am now
confident that the valves (I've tried 2) on my barrel are leaking at the threaded join between the main body and the small inner spigot. See attached photos.
This threaded join has no o-ring and no other mechanism to ensure a seal that I can see. Thus, I can't understand how it was ever intended to maintain a seal. It wasn't even
done up that tightly. It easily unscrewed. No wonder it leaked.
I can't find an other reference to an threaded inner part that unscrews on the interweb. Are my valves the same as everyone else's? I just can't understand how anyone could
get these things to work. If you can confirm for me that all pin-valves are assembled this way, or if they should be one-piece (as I would expect), that would be most helpful.
I'm wondering if a) I'm a muppet and have missed something obvious or b) the manufacturing company wanted to cut corners and make this out of two parts to save materials.
Thoughts appreciated.
BC

 

[Buffers brewery]

You shouldn't be able to unscrew that little spigot without some serious effort. I had to heat mine up when I wanted to unscrew mine.
That is where you're leaking. I'd suggest PTFE tape or thread lock.

 

[bc1993]

OK, I've concluded that the spigot should have been sealed with thread-locking compound. Seems like this was omitted (or nowhere near enough applied) but I've just bought some and re-screwed it with the sealant. Hopefully this will do the trick. Thanks.