Reconditioning a Cornelius Keg

By Chris aka:

Before we start.
Thanks for taking the time to have a look at this. Let me just say that this is a record of how I conducted my first keg reconditioning. Im not saying it is the best (or only) way to recondition a keg as Im sure, in the homebrewing tradition, others have found a method that works for them. This was the first time I had attempted to recondition a keg and to be brutally honest, its dead simple and a really easy way to save potentially 100s of dollars if you compare it what brand new kegs cost. Cheers, and I hope you get something out of it! Wakkatoo (Chris)

Cleaning the Keg

Pull the keg apart i.e. lid, posts, dip tubes and place all these pieces loose inside the keg in a cleaning solution to soak overnight. (I use 2 caps of unscented napisan and it seems to work quite well)

Cleaning the outside

I use some warm soapy water and a scourer. For the really tough marks / glue / labels or dried syrup I use this car cleaning product. It works a treat!!.

Glossary
PRV Pressure Release Valve HBS Home Brew Store

Replace rubber
Go to your local HBS and buy a reconditioning kit (about $15). This should contain a large O-ring for lid, 2 poppets, 2 tiny o-rings for dip tubes and 2 slightly larger o-rings for the beer and gas posts. Replace all the rubber (dont mix them up!!)

Corny Keg rebuild kit. About $15(aus) from local HBS

A note on lids
Lids like the one circled in red on the next slide have an older style PRV which are very hard to come by these days. As the more common PRVs do not fit the same hole as these PRVs you have two options if you find they leak gas: 1. Buy a whole new lid (approx $25 ea) 2. Do what I did (see later in this tutorial)

Older style Corny Lid

Put it back together

After all rubber has been replaced and the new poppets installed, replace dip tubes, posts (make sure they are tight), PRV and fix lid in place.

Pressure test #1
Connect the gas line and turn on the CO2. Burp the keg a couple of times and let the keg fill for about 30 secs. Remove gas line and find a quiet spot to sit with you beloved keg! Listen really carefully around lid, PRV and posts for any hissing. No hissing is a good sign!

Connecting the gas

Pressure Test #2
To be extra sure your keg isnt leaking use a small syringe or something similar to squirt water around all the seals. Bubbles will tell you have a leak (hard to see but they have been circled)

PRV Trouble
My old style PRV had a slow leak no matter what I did. Rather than buy a whole new lid.I made sure the washer was replaced and then I got some good old Gorilla Snot (Selleys No-More-Gaps). I havent had a problem since.

Costings
Four kegs off ebay:
Reconditioning Kits: Time and effort: Total cost per keg:

$201.40
$ 60.00 N/A $ 65.35 (how can you put a value on something you enjoy?)

I had napisan and the bug remover spray already at home. If you needed to purchase these the Napisan would cost about $5 for the same sized container but you would only use of it. The bug remover cost about $15 for the bottle but I estimate you could clean 15-20 kegs with it as a little goes a long way. All up it is very easy to recondition a keg for less than $70 each. You cant buy them that cheap and it is really easy to do!!

CHEERS!

Wakkatoo 2007