Howdy all,
Last night I had removed my liquid line from a full keg because I had planned on replacing the line later that day due to a leak. In my entire time with a draft setup I can’t say that I’ve ever let a pressurized keg sit without the liquid line on, until now. But, when I went back to check on it some hours later, it has purged all liquid from the keg into the bottom of my keezer. The beer did not appear to come from the bottom of the the post itself, but from the little center piece on top. The poppet I think it’s called. Is this normal behavior for a pressurized keg without the liquid line attached? Or could it be a bad o-ring within the post itself?
It is a ball valve keg and was set to 12 psi. The temp was set to 43 (°F).
Any info is greatly appreciated. 
It shouldn’t leak. Take that post apart could be bad o ring or maybe something got stuck in it causing it not to seal properly.
Thanks for the reply.
I will definitely check it out tomorrow after I attempt to clean up that massive mess. I’ve yet to ask my lhbs, but do they typically carry those internal parts?
Inside the post is a poppet valve, and I’ve found that they are the item I second most often need to replace on my kegs. That is probably your problem. I store my kegs unhooked up and pressurized, and they don’t ever leak - except when I have a bad poppet.
Check first for anything that is keeping that poppet stuck open, and examine the rubber ring on the poppet (which unfortunately is not an o-ring, so if it is not in good shape you will need to replace the whole poppet). If everything looks good, you could try a bit of food-grade silicon grease. If you are not using that already, you should be.
By the way, the most common part that I need to replace is the -109 O-rings that seal the gap between the dip tubes and the posts.
I had a leak caused by a bad o ring on the outside of the post but that was when the line was attached so that’s not what happened to you. Just putting it out there.
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]Inside the post is a poppet valve, and I’ve found that they are the item I second most often need to replace on my kegs. That is probably your problem. I store my kegs unhooked up and pressurized, and they don’t ever leak - except when I have a bad poppet.
Check first for anything that is keeping that poppet stuck open, and examine the rubber ring on the poppet (which unfortunately is not an o-ring, so if it is not in good shape you will need to replace the whole poppet). If everything looks good, you could try a bit of food-grade silicon grease. If you are not using that already, you should be.
By the way, the most common part that I need to replace is the -109 O-rings that seal the gap between the dip tubes and the posts.[/quote]
I had one seeping a bit around the poppet. Used food grade lube on the poppet o-ring and that seemed to help. Glad you posted this as it reminded me that I meant to get a few poppets to have around just in case!
This just happened to me… twice… in a row… and I’m not kiddin’. :oops: Poppet got stuck open on one. Second I forgot to tighten the swivel nut to the disconnect.
All O-rings and entire poppet replaced after a thorough cleaning. I did find a very tiny piece of what appears to be plastic(?) stuck to the wall of the post, but even if that was not it I’d rather be safe than sorry. I filled the keg with water and pressure tested. No noticeable leaks with soapy water. For the time being I’ve converted the keezer to a fermentation chamber, but once that is all finished I hope to be back in business.
Thank you all for the great advice! :cheers:
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