So I know that I am purchasing used kegs, but is their any expectation that I should have went they arrive?
The ones that I ordered have a little rust on the posts. Best off purchasing new posts?
Yes, you should expect them to be beaten up a little (minor dents, scratches, etc.). Some may have stickers. Some may need replacement parts. But they should pass a pressure test. Personally I would replace any parts that are rusty. Condition will vary depending on where you got them from. I purchased from merchants who stated that they cleaned and pressure tested the kegs.
First thing you should do upon receiving your new kegs is break them down (be sure to remove the poppet from each post), clean them very thoroughly (soak all of the removable parts in PBW overnight), replace all of the o-rings, reassemble and pressure test.
Now that you know what brand/model kegs you have, order replacement parts so you always have some on hand. Poppets and o-rings in particular. And if you didn’t pick up some lube, definitely do that and use it religiously on your dip tube and post o-rings. If you have a hard time getting any of your lids to seal, you can use it on those too. I’ve found Keg Connection
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Categories.bok?category=*Parts
to be a great resource for parts at a reasonable price. If you want to buy o-rings in bulk, here is a great resource: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/mcmaste … st-233086/
Not necessary, but I even replaced the plastic gas dip tube in my Firestone kegs as described here
.
Here
is a good video on how to repair/rebuild a keg.
The posts are stainless and should not rust. I have seen them coated with nasty old coke syrup and look rusted.
Unless they’ve been in contact with steel. I agree it could be syrup.
If it is surface rust, you might be able to remove it with a SS or nylon scrubber. Don’t use steel wool.
If it’s deeply imbedded or pitted, I would replace.
kcbeersnob, thanks for that video, I bought a SS diptube to replace plastic. Didn’t realize the different diameter.
Stainless steel stains (rusts) less. If it is rust, a stainless cleaner like Bar Keeper’s Friend should clean that up in no time.
There is definitely rust on the posts and on the lid. Is this something that I should address with the company or is used, used and I deal?
If you can’t get the rust off easily, it’s worth seeing if the merchant will replace the parts for you. They’ll probably take care of you. Take photos and attach them when you contact the seller.
I’ve cleaned several lids that were rusted. They were stored in a steel barrel and picked up the rust. Search the net for removing rust with electrolysis. After that, a soak in StarSan kept them from rusting again.
Might take a little finagling to do this with the post. But you should be able to do it.
OK next question (thanks everyone for answering all my questions.) I was cleaning out the last keg and there is a weld or solder. The keg was pressure tested and seemed to hold, but with out knowing more about the material used to fix it, should this be a concern?
Where is the weld? On a seam, or a crack?
The weld is on the side of the keg.
