I recently purchased my first new keg from northern brewer. My ball lock disconnects are very tough to put on and take off. I think the ball locks are too tight. It also serves very slowly with pressure at 12 psi. I have never had this issue with any of my used kegs and hope that there is an easy way to remedy this. If anyone else had come across this issue any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I have a couple of kegs that have posts that are tough to connect. I just put some food grade lube on those and it helps. Not sure what to think of your slow pour at 12 PSI.
Have to ask this…
Do you have the liquid disconnect on the OUT post and the gas disconnect on the IN post? If not, this could be the “tough to connect” issue. The disconnects are different as to their connection to their respective keg posts.
Not sure if the liquid disonnect on the gas IN post would cause a pressure problem, however.
[quote=“irod”]Have to ask this…
Do you have the liquid disconnect on the OUT post and the gas disconnect on the IN post? If not, this could be the “tough to connect” issue. The disconnects are different as to their connection to their respective keg posts.
Not sure if the liquid disonnect on the gas IN post would cause a pressure problem, however.[/quote]
If this were the case I believe they’d only get foam on the pour.
The disconnects are connected to the correct posts. It really seems like the springs are far too tight on the locks making it very tough to lock them in. I also think this is why the pour is slow as the locks are having trouble depressing the poppet for gas in and beer out.
I’ve had slow pours and no pours on more than one occasion. It always happens when I disconnect the liquid out for several days and reconnect it. The only resolution I find is to depressurize the keg then disassemble the liquid out valve, clean and reassemble. The beer can get really sticky and gummy around the poppet, stopping the flow.
Paul
Paul,
This is a brand new stainless keg from NB so I know that is not the issue. After I finish with the beer in the keg I am going to take it apart and see if I can’t break the springs in a bit.
Just a thought…
If you have taken apart either gas or liquid disconnects (the fittings on the ends of the gas and liquid hoses) it is possible to get the small “plunger” fitting back in upside down.
Is it possible you took apart the liquid out disconnect and got the plunger piece reinstalled incorrectly?
TJ, did you ever get a satisfactory resolution? What you describe is exactly the problem I’m having with two new NB kegs. It’s only on the liquid post. Gas side locks down fine.
Check for a groove in the wrench flat of the liquid out post. If there is one there (like the gas side) you have two gas posts.
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Sounds like two gas posts like @voltron says. Sometimes instead of the groove the gas post will have a crazy twelve point pattern 7/8 rather than a normal hex head 7/8.
