Category Archives: Draft

Back in Stock! 5 Gallon Ball Lock Cornelius Kegs at MoreBeer – The Best Used Keg Deal Going on Right Now

ball lock keg

Used five gallon ball lock Cornelius keg from MoreBeer

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

A great price on an non-rebuilt Cornelius keg. You can purchase the rebuild kit and replace the gaskets yourself (very easy job) to save some money. These Cornelius kegs could have residual soda syrup inside and will need to be cleaned. To totally rebuild the keg you should also consider a new relief valve and poppets (part number listed below). PBW works as a great cleaner for eating away sticky residual soda residue. Kegs are sold “as is”.

The body connnects on a keg are the metal posts where the quick disconnects attach too. They should be removed for cleaning and sanitizing before each use. Kegs can come with either 11/16″ body connects or 7/8″ body connects. We sell deep sockets for the removal of either one. So if you do not have these sockets at home and want to make sure you can disassemble these Cornelius kegs you may want to purchase both sockets below. Then you will always be covered as your keg collection grows.

If you want a great deal on a 4 pack of kegs, check out our KEG430A.


 

  • These have been out of stock for a long time. As of this posting they’re available again and selling for just $54.99.
  • Shipping is free with a qualifying $59 order to many US addresses. Price, promotions and availability can change quickly.
  • Food Safe Replacement O-Rings: You’ll probably need (or want) to replace the o-rings in these kegs.  I recommend food grade silicone – Food Safe Replacement Keg O-Rings via Valuebrew – More Info

Check out my Hands on Review of this keg offering AND see my step by step process for rebuilding kegs that features this offering

Used Corny Keg – Ball Lock 5 gal. KEG430

The best used ball lock deal going on right now…

For quite a while AIH’s used ball lock offering has been my go-to for what I would consider to be the best generally available used keg deal around. The price on those has recently gone up (about $5) and more significantly, they very recently became ineligible for free shipping. For me, just the shipping change is a $14.58 price increase all by itself. Considering this and the fact that MoreBeer’s keg qualifies for free shipping and the current used keg environment, in my opinion, MoreBeer’s deal is the best thing going. MoreBeer has struggled to keep these in stock, so I’d say, get them while you can.

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources

MORE MoreBeer Deals!…

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. prod:b3keg430 tag:b3peroff tag:itsapageb3

1 lb TLC Tank and Line Cleaner – makes up to 16 gallons! – $9.95 + free prime ship

 

Sis Sweetwater Innovative Solutions Tank & Line Cleaner 1 lb

Tank & Line Cleaner 1 lb

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Versatile: TLC is a versatile cleaner and allows for both soak and low foam circulation cleaning. This product works at all temperatures.
  • Safe: This product is safe on skin, and has no noxious fumes, while maintaining the effectiveness of heavy-duty caustic cleaners.
  • Effective: TLC is effective at removing the toughest caked-on debris without scrubbing. It is non-corrosive and safe to use on soft metals.
  • Economical: TLC is an easy to use and economical choice for tank and line cleaning.

 

 

Dosing for this is 1 to 4 ounces per gallon. You can make up to 16 gallons of solution with 1 lb. If you use a half gallon per cleaning, that comes about to about 32 cleanings per lb.

3/28 11 AM 3/28 2:30 AM Central: This is selling for just $9.95. That’s the best historical third party Amazon price I found, notwithstanding Lightning Deals or coupons. Shipping is also free to many US addresses with Prime Membership [Try Prime for Free] or a qualifying order. Prices and availability can change quickly Check product page for current info – More About Prices

Tank & Line Cleaner 1 lb – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Related: Kegerator Draft Line Cleaning Options

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How Often Should I Clean My Kegerator Beer Lines?

Clean kegerator lines are a key part of serving delicious beer. Bacteria and mineral build in lines can cause off flavors, quick loss of head, under-carbonated beer due to rapid co2 loss and lack of legs forming on the inside of your beer glass.

How Often Should I Clean My Beer Lines?

The Draught Quality Beer Manual says… every two weeks.

That recommendation is for a commercial operation.  What about homebrewers?  We serve far fewer beer on our kegerators, but on the other hand, we can have been on tap and in lines 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Considering all of this, my recommendation is to clean home kegerator beer lines every 1 to 2 months.

Line Cleaning Options

Our Line Cleaning Builds:

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Ends Soon: Food Grade EPDM Keg LID O-Rings – 20% Off Coupon!

Keg Lid O-Rings - FDA Rated EPDM

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Most offerings are silicone with one Buna-N option.  Everything they carry is food grade, more info below.  They have some unique offerings like bulk pin lock size post o-rings, replacement universal poppet o-rings, bulk internal QD o-rings and Custom Color Coded Post O-rings – available in two colors schemes, gray & black (matches QD colors) and blue & green (blue for beer, green for gas),

EPDM for Homebrewers!

Valuebrew has announced the availability of bulk EPDM o-rings for homebrewers.  EPDM is a favorite of many pro brewers for certain applications. Until now, these have not been available to homebrewers, or at least easily available. EPDM has some real advantages over silicone. One of the big ones is a much lower permeability. That means they seal better and since they’re less porous they are more resistant to absorbing off-smells and off-flavors.

They are FDA Rated for food use and NSF61 certified. As of this posting, post, dip tube, lid and internal QD options are available in 10, 25 and 50 count options. Valuebrew has struggled mightily with availability and they’ve already made some indications of potential issues with new EPDM offerings. In particular, the lid o-ring description says they received a small shipment.

  • Valuebrew has struggled with availability on some of their options.  This has been particularly true of their keg lid o-rings.
  • As of this post, these are in stock.
  • For a limited time coupon code epdm20 takes 20% off EPDM lid o-rings and add-ons. This is the largest % off discount I can recall Valuebrew offering.

EPDM Keg Lid O-Rings – remember promo code epdm20

Related: Keg O-Ring Materials Selection

Reader Feedback!

Thanks to John for the feedback via Facebook!  Connect with HBF on Facebook & More

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Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Dual Stage Temp Controller [Kegerator or Fermentation] – on sale for $28

ITC-308 Dual Stage, Pre-Wired Digital Temperature Controller by Inkbird

ITC-308 Dual Stage, Pre-Wired Digital Temperature Controller by Inkbird

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • 🥇🥇【Easy to use】 Supports °C/°F display.
  • 🥇🥇【Dual relay】able to power refrigeration and heating equipment as conditions change.
  • 🥇🥇【Dual Display Window】Displays measured temperature and set temperature at the same time.
  • 🥇🥇【Buzzer Alarm】High and low temperature alarms are available when the temperature is over or the sensor experiences a malfunction.
  • 🥇🥇【Safety】Maximum output load: 1100W(110V). Customize temperature and compressor delay, protecting your refrigeration/heating equipment.

 

This controller can control both a heating and cooling device.  Alternatively, it can control a heating or a cooling device.

Use to control fermentation or kegerator temperatures. This is a great controller. Check out my Hands on Review

As of this posting, this is on sale for $28. Shipping is also free to many US addressesPrices, promotions and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info – More About Prices

Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller 2-Stage Outlet Thermostat Heating and Cooling Mode Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1100W – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

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25 x 1/4″ Nylon Flare Washers for 1/4 MFL Swivel Nuts… $6.95 + free shipping, see note

1/4 Inch Flare White Washer - 25 pack

1/4 inch flare washer (white) for 1/4 inch MFL tailpiece and swivel nut- 25 pack by Kegconnection

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

  • 25 pack of 1/4 inch flared white washers
  • These washers are perfect when fitting a swivel nut into MFL tailpieces as well as MFL disconnects
  • Protects against air loss and leaks by preventing metal to metal contact

 

3/27 9:30 PM Central: These are on sale for just $6.95. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info – More About Prices

NOTE: If you’re seeing a higher price try this link or look under the “Other Sellers on Amazon” section of the product page to see if this deal is still available.

1/4 inch flare washer (white) for 1/4 inch MFL tailpiece and swivel nut- 25 pack by Kegconnection – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources

Nukatap Tower Shanks – works with all beer faucets – on sale for.. $5.99 at William’s Brewing

Intertap Tower Shank

Nukatap Tower Shank from William’s Brewing

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

This stainless shank includes a stainless 3/16″ hose barb exit, and fits all standard 3″ diameter beer towers. Features a spring hole to hold the optional Intertap Faucet Spring, a stainless spring that works only with Nukatap/Intertap Shanks and Nukatap or Intertap Faucets to add a self closing function.

The shank itself fits all beer faucets, but the self closing function is only possible with Intertap Faucets and the Nukatap Faucet Spring. This does not fit Duotight fittings, it has a hose barb for 3/16″ or 1/4″ beer tubing.

 

This shank itself fits all beer faucets, but the self closing function is only possible with Intertap Faucets and the Nukatap Faucet Spring.

  • This is included in the mix and on sale for just $5.99.
  • Shipping is free or reasonably priced flat rate to addresses in the contiguous US depending on your order size for most items.

Nukatap Tower Shank

Visit William’s Brewing – Web Only Clearance Sale

More: Recent William’s Brewing Finds

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. tag:wmsmii25pump

Hands on Review: Valuebrew’s EPDM Keg O-Rings + Limited Time Deal

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.


Limited Time Deal, Review Continues Below:

EPDM for Homebrewers!

Valuebrew has announced the availability of bulk EPDM o-rings for homebrewers.  EPDM is a favorite of many pro brewers for certain applications. Until now, these have not been available to homebrewers, or at least easily available. EPDM has some real advantages over silicone. One of the big ones is a much lower permeability. That means they seal better and since they’re less porous they are more resistant to absorbing off-smells and off-flavors.

They are FDA Rated for food use and NSF61 certified. As of this posting, post, dip tube, lid and internal QD options are available in 10, 25 and 50 count options. Valuebrew has struggled mightily with availability and they’ve already made some indications of potential issues with new EPDM offerings. In particular, the lid o-ring description says they received a small shipment.

  • Valuebrew has struggled with availability on some of their options.  This has been particularly true of their keg lid o-rings.
  • As of this post, these are in stock.
  • For a limited time coupon code epdm20 takes 20% off EPDM lid o-rings and add-ons. This is the largest % off discount I can recall Valuebrew offering.

EPDM Keg Lid O-Rings – remember promo code epdm20


In the world of homebrewing, you can surround yourself by as little or as much science as you want. O-rings, seals, and gaskets come in different varieties in homebrewing. The most commonly found material is silicone, and it’s often elevated as the “best” material. As with most things, there are benefits/drawbacks to each different type of material. Silicone has a very wide temperature range, making a good gasket seal choice at cold temperatures, as well as at hot/boiling temperatures. Its high flexibility makes it well-suited to sealing uneven gaps or perhaps non-ideal sealing surfaces.

Some Old Dip Tube O-rings Were in Rough Shape

However, one of its drawbacks is it does not handle acid-based cleaners well, so Star San sanitizing can deteriorate the material. The occasional sanitizing spray might not be a significant degradation, but you definitely don’t want to soak silicone parts in Star San for extended periods of time. When you’re dealing with the cold side like fermentors or kegs, you’ll be sanitizing frequently, and this compatibility might be a consideration for you.


Check Current Price & Availability, Review Continues Below:

Note that Valuebrew has regularly struggled keeping products in stock. If something you’re looking for is out of stock, connect with us and we’ll keep you up to date on availability issues.


Another aspect of silicone that’s pertinent to cold side operation is its ability to allow oxygen to pass through it. It’s difficult to find good, standardized comparisons of material alone between silicone and EPDM because there are so many factors involved like additives in the material, thickness of material, temperature, pressure, etc. I was able to find one research paper (link below) that tested common dimension TC gaskets with different materials, and it showed the Oxygen permeability of silicone was roughly 25x as high as EPDM. So for those long durations of either sitting in your fermentor, or even longer in your keg, EPDM is the better choice to minimize oxygen mixing in through the seals. On kegs, the biggest pathway is of course the keg lid, but there are also O-ring gaskets on the dip tube, gas & liquid posts, and even inside the disconnect housing itself.

Keg lid o-rings



Hands on Review

I hadn’t changed my keg O-rings since the kegs were new, which had been several years. I got a full set of EPDM O-rings that ValueBrew offered- keg lid, keg post, dip tube, and internal QD. The feel of the EPDM material was notably different. It wasn’t stiff, but was relatively stiffer than super-compliant silicone O-rings. The material had a very high-quality feel- smooth with a slightly waxy texture. It definitely had the feel of quality.

Aside from the feel and visual review, I wanted to get some “data” on how the O-rings performed. The biggest draw of EPDM for me was the low oxygen permeability. But this is hard to objectively measure, and simply tasting a beer would likewise be prone to other differences overshadowing oxygen pickup. I had a Milwaukee MW600 DO meter, but the level of oxygen uptake that could allow oxidation reactions to happen is below the threshold of measurement for the meter. Not to mention that once oxygen is available and goes through oxidation reactions with the beer, it’s no longer pure oxygen to be measured by such a meter. I gave it a try anyway. I did a side-by-side keg test with two kegs filled with water. One keg had a set of silicone O-rings, the other the EPDM O-rings. The kegs were first purged by filling with water completely and pushing that out with CO2. Then they were filled with water in through the dip tube until completely full again, and then 0.5 gallons of water pushed out with CO2 so both kegs had the same amount of headspace. Measurement with my MW600 showed indetectable DO at the start of my test, the two checkpoints in between, and at the end of a month. Not surprising since staling reactions happen at a lower level of DO than the MW600 can detect, but it does tell me that silicone O-rings aren’t a complete disaster.

Keg Post O-Rings

The other test I did was a pressurized test to look for leaks. For this I used 6 kegs that were retrofitted with EPDM O-rings that I had recently cleaned and purged. I pressurized them all to just over 10 psi of CO2 from my tank and let them sit at basement temperature (65F). I went back and checked them all for pressure loss using a Spunding Valve. With multiple checks over a one-week period, only one of them had any pressure loss.

Dip Tube O-rings

For that keg, I was able to see it was leaking quite significantly from the bottom of the liquid out keg post. Tightening the post had no effect, and swapping to another EPDM O-ring (plus keg lube on the O-ring) also had no effect. I then got my calipers out and started measuring O-ring thickness. I’ll preface these numbers with the disclaimer that measuring thickness of a compliant material with a handheld gauge is problematic. That said, I found the original dip tube O-rings I had removed from my kegs all measured about 2.8 mm thick and one measured 2.4 mm. New parts from the EPDM bag (including the ones that were leaking on my keg) measured 2.4 mm. I happened to have a keg O-ring replacement kit, and that O-ring measured 3.0 mm. I swapped that 3.0 mm O-ring onto the diptube and my pressure leak was gone, and the keg held pressure for my 1-week test.

Internal QD O-rings



My research indicated the most common cross-section thickness of these O-rings is 3/32”, which is 2.38 mm. So the EPDM rings were a standard thickness. The keg I was using it on was a keg I bought new probably 5 years ago, so it was in good shape. It was not a used reconditioned keg that had seen a lot of use & abuse in the field serving Pepsi at some random diner. It just happened to need a slightly thicker O-ring. Lesson learned for me here was to always do a pressure test like this, and not just assume all new O-rings are going to be better than the old O-rings they’re replacing.

Pressure Holding Test with Spunding – Related: Hands on Review: Kegland BlowTie Spunding Valve – Build a Spunding Valve! – How and Why

The final evaluation I did was on a rehabbed pin lock keg that I had bought used, converted over to ball lock by my LHBS. When I got that keg, I found it had a slow leak through the lid, and upon closer examination, I found the lip of the opening had a slight dent in it. I had previously bought a silicone O-ring for this lid, as I had heard that silicone was more compliant, and would deal with this sort of thing better. I wasn’t sure if these EPDM O-rings would handle that, but the keg held pressure with the EPDM lid O-ring the same as the other kegs.

Conclusions

In conclusion, I found the ValueBrew EPDM O-rings to be of high quality. My leak tests showed that the O-rings worked well, but it wasn’t a complete guarantee, so you need to test it on your specific kegs. And although I didn’t have the right equipment to characterize the benefit EPDM has over Silicone when it comes to oxygen permeability, the science is there to back it up. And one less thing to spoil my hoppy beers sounds like a good idea to me!

Check Current Price & Availability, Review Continues Below:

Note that Valuebrew has regularly struggled keeping products in stock. If something you’re looking for is out of stock, connect with us and we’ll keep you up to date on availability issues.

Also: Hands on Review: Valuebrew Stainless Steel Ball Lock Jumpers – Works with Liquid AND Gas

Vauebrew Carries Custom Green and Blue Post O-Rings

Rebuild Your Used Kegs

Keg Deals!

keg deals

Everything For Your Kegerator!

Keg Reviews!

Food Grade Keg O-rings in Bulk!

bulk keg orings

 

More Homebrew Finds!

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources!

By Brad Probert.  Check out Brad’s website – beersnobby.com

Special Thanks to Valuebrew for providing the o-ringst used for evaluation in this review.

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.  review:vbepdm tag:tpru tag:watch

Keg O-Ring Materials Selection! – EPDM, Silicone and Buna-N? – Limited Time Deal on EPDM

See More About O-Rings in our Keg Rebuild Post – Jump To: Replacing O-Rings

Selecting the Right Material for Keg O-Rings

I would venture a guess that Silicone and Buna-N are the two most commonly used compounds for keg o-rings. EPDM, which has been the choice of professionals for a long time, is probably a distant third, but coming on strong since they’ve become more accessible to homebrewers.

This post is going to take a look at all three, with the goal of helping your choose the right material for your application.


Limited Time Deal:

EPDM for Homebrewers!

Valuebrew has announced the availability of bulk EPDM o-rings for homebrewers.  EPDM is a favorite of many pro brewers for certain applications. Until now, these have not been available to homebrewers, or at least easily available. EPDM has some real advantages over silicone. One of the big ones is a much lower permeability. That means they seal better and since they’re less porous they are more resistant to absorbing off-smells and off-flavors.

They are FDA Rated for food use and NSF61 certified. As of this posting, post, dip tube, lid and internal QD options are available in 10, 25 and 50 count options. Valuebrew has struggled mightily with availability and they’ve already made some indications of potential issues with new EPDM offerings. In particular, the lid o-ring description says they received a small shipment.

  • Valuebrew has struggled with availability on some of their options.  This has been particularly true of their keg lid o-rings.
  • As of this post, these are in stock.
  • For a limited time coupon code epdm20 takes 20% off EPDM lid o-rings and add-ons. This is the largest % off discount I can recall Valuebrew offering.

EPDM Keg Lid O-Rings – remember promo code epdm20


But first things first, let’s talk about food safe materials…

Food Safe Materials for Keg O-Rings?

Most of the o-rings that are marketed to homebrewers do not claim to be food safe.

In my experience, it’s extremely difficult to find offerings that claim to be safe for food contact.  Maybe some of the o-rings that are available are food safe, but very few are actually labeled as such.

But why?  One possible reason… they aren’t food safe.  Beyond that, one industry insider I spoke with said suppliers have a potential problem with fulfillment.  Since many options and materials are available, It’s difficult for some distributors or sellers to guarantee you’re getting a food safe option.

  • Just because an o-ring is marketed for use in a keg doesn’t automatically mean that the materials and production processes used are food safe.
  •  If you think about it from a random supplier or manufacturer’s perspective… they don’t know what you’re putting in your keg, maybe it’s not even food.  The problem that we, as homebrewers, have is is… beer is food and meant for human consumption.
  • You cannot say all o-rings made from [fill in material here] are food safe.  Certain quality standards and processes are required.

One notable supplier features all food safe o-ring offerings.

Generally speaking, food safe o-rings may cost a little more, but, we’re, generally, only talking a few cents per o-ring.  It’s worth it.

If you’re using your keg for anything food related (beer=food)… My recommendation is to purchase o-rings made out of material safe for food contact.

Compound Selection – Comparing EPDM, Silicone and Buna-N

Terminology

  • Compression Set Resistance – A measurement of the ability of a substance to return to it’s original thickness after long term compression.
  • Compressibility – How well can a material compress to make a quality seal? This is related to hardness, but practically it’s not exactly the same thing. Most keg o-rings are the same hardness, 70A, yet we see Silicone sealing better than Buna-N.
  • Permeability – How well can well can air or oxygen transverse a compound. This is measured in different ways, I’m going to generalize labeling materials excellent or good.
  • Typical Durometer – A measurement of the hardness of a material

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Our Huge Collection of DuoTight and EVABarrier Resources! – Expanded, Now… 16 Reviews & Resources

duotight evabarrier reviewKegland’s DuoTight Fittings are designed to work with EVABarrier Double Wall Tubing.  They offer quick, reliable connections, easy implementation, a variety of fitting options and feature amazing versatility.  They’re also, generally speaking, very well priced.  DuoTights are push to connect fittings and require no tubing clamps.

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