Brand spanking new to kegging

[Brew Engineer]

I got three 5 ga corny kegs last night, for FREE!!! They're used, and smell like cola, but I'm pretty pleased with myself, and the guy who gave them to me.

But now what do I do with them? I don't know the first thing about these kegs, other than they aren't pin locks. I know there's a LOT of great information on this forum, but its spread out over a lot of different posts. Does anyone know of a good resource on what I need to do first?

Best methods of cleaning, replacing O-rings, should I shorten the dip tube? How do I cut the dip tube if I even should? etc.?

Surely some home brewer has set up a "how to" site with everything you need???

I'm going to stop by a semi-local homebrew shop and ask lots of questions this weekend, but any good tips for a new kegger?

Thanks guys! Its only taken me 3 months to complete stage one of my "sneak a keggerater past my wife" plan.

Step 2: CO2 tank
Step 3: Fridge/freezer
Step 4: Taps
Step 5: relax and drink!!!

[yellowcolumbia]

Congrats!
Here's a good link on the overall kegging system, other than it is in Canadian.
http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Soda-Kegs

Buy your o-rings from Mcmaster, MUCH cheaper.
See this thread for the part numbers.
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8277

[TampaBrew]

This guy has some good tips on carbonation and force carbing:
http://www.spearfishingspuc.org/dean/carbonation.html

I bought a lot of pieces for my kegerator from here including a good price on a CO2 bottle:
http://www.micromatic.com/

Key to kegging is a balanced system. Line length to pressure balance. You can find tons of resources on that online.

[Brew Engineer]

This is a good start, thanks. I'm sure I'll post more questions as I come to them.

Right now all I have are the three kegs. No fridge, no CO2 system, nothing. Next week I hope to get a tank and tubing/fittings/etc.

[DannyW]

The basics are well documented all over the place, so I'll share with you some tiny nuggets that I've learned.

Use the threaded disconnects, not the barbed ones. You will spend a little more in hardware, but the convenience over time of having everything hooked up with what is essentially a "quick-enough" disconnect is well worth it. KEG600 and KEG604 at morebeer is what I'm talking about to go with KEG720 and KEG730 ball lock disconnects.

For dispensing line, get 3/16" Super Vinyl from Superior Products http://superprod.com. It is thick walled, high resistance stuff that will make balancing much easier. It also stays flexible at cold temps and does not absorb flavors or aromas.

Build or buy a keg pressure tester like FIL42A. Make sure every keg has its own shutoff valve and backflow preventer. May you never have to deal with beer blown back up your gas lines!

[Mylo]

Get all new o-rings, and two new poppets for them immediately. Unscrew and inspect the pressure relief valve. If the rubber on the bottom of it is scuffed up, you might want to replace that too (they are expen$ive). Get yourself some Sanitary silicone lube at your LHBS - you'll need it. You will need 2 small o-rings for the dip tubes, 2 for the post tops, and one big one for the lid. Make a note (or take a picture of which post is where) If they are "Cornelius" brand, then the gas in post will have little notches. Give them a good cleaning with some warm PBW solution. I also use this time to give the outside a good cleaning. I remove all labels and adhesive. Boil all the small stuff. Lube up all the o-rings, poppets, and PRV with the silicone lube, and reassemble. Be careful with the threads on the posts - a few people have ruined there kegs by cross-threading. If they don't go on easily by hand, then give the threads a scrub with a brass wire brush and try again.

When they are totally reassembled, you might want to clean up the rubber top and bottom if they are really filthy or oxydized. I have used some 0000 fine steel wool restore the rubber to new condition. Just make sure you rinse any steel wool dust away completely. Finally, pressure test them with a normal, 12 PSI of pressure and some soapy solution. Pay special attention to seams, dents and dings for pinholes.

Welcome to the life-changing rite of passage of kegging homebrew, brotha!


Mylo

[Bugeater]

Here are all my bookmarked links to kegging.

http://hbd.org/clubs/franklin/public_ht ... lance.html
http://hbd.org/carboy/ballkegclean.htm
http://www.ipass.net/%7Empdixon/Homebrew/Lubricants.htm
http://www.ipass.net/mpdixon/KegThreadSizes.htm
http://www.hbd.org/carboy/kegpresstester.htm
http://www.ebrew.com/primarynews/ct_car ... _chart.htm
http://www.shagg.net/brewing/?p=10
http://cruisenews.net/brewing/kegging/index.php
http://kegman.net/balance.html
http://www.schwedhelm.net/brew/freezerator.html
http://www.homebrew.com/pdfs/CO2chart.pdf
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f76/h ... 11162.html


This should keep you occupied for a few hours.

If you still have any questions on kegging, ask away and the BN army can supply you with a couple hundred conflicting opinions.

Great score there! Have fun.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[Brew Engineer]

WOW!! Thanks Bug! I know how I'll be spending my Saturday morning!