Category Archives: Keg Parts

12 x Keg Lid Replacement Feet – $7.99 + What’s the Problem with Bad Keg Lid Feet?

12 Pcs Keg Lid Feet, Plastic Keg Lid Feet Portable Replacement for Homebrew Beer Keg Parts Kegging Home Brewed Hardware Tool

Replacement Keg Lid Feet

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Easy to install, easy to use, prevent the liquid from dripping and waste.
  • Made of high quality plastic materials, it is durable to use.
  • Used to seal faucet mouth to prevent dust from entering the faucet, causing the faucet to be un and affecting the quality of the liquid in the keeg
  • Great for replacing the old lids that are bent, sunken, or leaking. Perfect for home brew use.
  • Compact size and portable, convenient storage, saving space.

 

Note from HBF: The pictured keg lid is not included.

Why does it matter?  I’ve found that overly warn, damaged or missing keg lid feet can cause a lid to leak.  When the lid is clamped in place the feet are engaged.  They put pressure on the top of the keg.  That pressure helps you get a good seal.

6/9 6 PM Central: These are on sale for $7.99.  Shipping is also free to many US addresses with Prime Membership [Try Prime for Free] or a qualifying orderPrices and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info – More About Prices

12 Pcs Keg Lid Feet, Plastic Keg Lid Feet Portable Replacement for Homebrew Beer Keg Parts Kegging Home Brewed Hardware Tool – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Availability: These are one of those items that seem to really come and go. If this is no longer available….

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Hands on Review: Kegland Hang Tab Keg Lids – works on ball lock & pin lock kegs + Limited Time DEAL

Kegland, based in Australia, produces a broad array of homebrewing gear. fermenters, electric brewing systems, loads of draft stuff (including DuoTight!) and lots more.


Limited Time Deal:

William’s Brewing Father’s Day Sale  discounts a bunch of gear for… Father’s Day. As of this posting, this is included in the mix and on sale for $14.99. Shipping is free or reasonably priced flat rate to addresses in the contiguous US depending on your order size for most items.

Keg Lid With Hang TabWilliam’s Brewing Father’s Day Sale


It’s obvious these folks are homebrewers at heart, because they’ve come up some really innovative stuff. The other thing they’ve generally done is hit really good price points. There is a balance between cost, features and quality and they seem to be hitting a lot of bullseyes.

This is a hands on look at their unique keg lid with integrated hang tag model KL02868.

Close of up of the lid. Reads… Caution Release Pressure to Remove Lid. Maximum Working Pressure 130 PSI.


Check Current Prices and Availability:

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Universal Poppets – 304 Stainless + Food Grade Silicone & RELIABLE O-Ring Replacements – Limited Time DEAL

universal poppets

Universal Poppets via Valuebrew

More Info

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

A Valuebrew Exclusive! Stainless Steel Universal Replacement Poppets with our Food Safe Silicone O-Rings.

These work with all standard Ball Lock and Pin Lock homebrew kegs.

Ever wonder what other universal poppet o-rings are made of? Us too, after all this is one of the most high contact o-rings in you draft beer setup. We took matters into our own hands and worked with our suppliers to source a 304 Stainless Steel + Food Grade Silicone option. Stainless steel construction on all the metal parts and premium quality food grade silicone for the o-ring.

Our pledge to you… Let’s face it, the stainless pieces in most universal replacement poppets should last a long, long time. How about the o-rings? Not so much… lost, broken, cracked, off smell. This is where our pledge comes in… we’ll always carry replacement o-rings for these universal poppets. No need to guess what size replacements to buy or completely replace your universal poppets because you don’t have a reliable source for replacements.


 

I use universal style poppets exclusively when rebuilding kegs. Finding the right OEM specific replacement poppets can be a chore. Beyond finding the right part number, these can be prohibitively expensive. Paying $10 to $14, or more, for an OEM poppet isn’t fun. In fact, if you really had to pay that, it may not even make sense to keep the keg.

I’ve long advocated to tossing OEM o-rings immediately. You don’t know what they’re made of, and you can’t get replacements. Replacing them immediately with a known quality o-ring and known part number before trimming to fit means you’ll be using the right materials and have a source for replacements.  See: Universal Poppet Tips & Tricks

Well… finally there’s an option that comes with quality o-rings made from the right materials out of the box!  Beyond that, Valuebrew has pledged to always carry replacement o-rings, so you’ll always have a source when the time comes for replacements.  Available in 5 and 10 packs with the option to add on a pack of replacement o-rings.

Universal Poppets

Save 15%, w/Qualifying Order… 

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Choose from silicone, buna-n and even EPDM.  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 color coded Blue and Green post o-rings

Some of these offerings are featured in our Keg Rebuild How-To

Valuebrew is discounting bulk food grade o-rings, DuoTight Compatible Gear, Universal Poppets and ball lock jumpers by an EXTRA 15% when you spend $30 or more.  This stacks on top of existing discounts. Use coupon code fathersday

Remember coupon code fathersday with an order of $30 or more

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

Valuebrew Father’s Day Sale – Save on Bulk O-Rings – includes custom colors, Ball Lock Jumpers, Universal Poppets & More

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Choose from silicone, buna-n and even EPDM.  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 color coded Blue and Green post o-rings

Some of these offerings are featured in our Keg Rebuild How-To

Valuebrew is discounting bulk food grade o-rings, DuoTight Compatible Gear, Universal Poppets and ball lock jumpers by an EXTRA 15% when you spend $30 or more.  This stacks on top of existing discounts. Use coupon code fathersday

Remember coupon code fathersday with an order of $30 or more

Reader Feedback!

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

More about food safe materials:

For whatever reason, it’s difficult to find food safe keg o-rings.  Maybe some of the o-rings that are available are food safe, but very few are actually labeled as such.

The fact is we’re putting beer (food) in our kegs and we should be using food safe materials whenever we can.  More Info: Food Safe Replacement Keg O-Rings

Featured in Our Keg Rebuild Post!

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

Our Top Draft Resources

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

Brand New Corny Keg Lids… $14.98 via MoreBeer Father’s Day Sale

New Corny Keg Lid KEG440A

Brand New Keg Lids from MoreBeer

Note from HBF: One difference between Pin Lock and Ball Lock kegs is the type of lids that come with each.  Ball Locks, generally, have a manual PRV valve, while Pin Locks do not.  Ball Lock style lids are, in my opinion, superior because the manual PRV allows you to easily vent your keg as needed.  The good news is that, for standard kegs, the lids are the same size and can be interchanged.  That means you can use a Ball Lock style lid in a Pin Lock Keg.

Father’s Day Sale…

MoreBeer has a huge Dads and Grads sale going on. Save on kegerators, BrewZilla, Fermzilla, Wine Kits and lots more.

Dad’s & Grads Sale!

This is included in the mix and on sale for $14.98. Get Free Shipping: Shipping is free with a qualifying $59 order to many US addresses

Some filler item ideas to help you qualify for free shipping… PBW, Sale Items (shows most popular deals first), Kit of the Week, Hop Market (shows most popular deals first)

New Corny Keg Lid KEG440A

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Floating Dip Tube on sale for $12.99, best price + free prime ship & my explanation of how these work

Conical and All Rounder fermenter/keg Ball Float Silicone Dip Tube,304SS Ball Float and Silicone Dip Tube,draw from the Liquid at the top of the tank

Conical and All Rounder fermenter/keg Ball Float Silicone Dip Tube,304SS Ball Float and Silicone Dip Tube,draw from the Liquid at the top of the tank

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • For the beverage out,you'll have a silicone dip tube with stainless steel float, allowing you to always draw from the clearest beer at the top of the tank.
  • 5/16"Silicone Dip,you can connect your faucet/sampling valve or other devices.
  • The silicone dip tube is 31" long. It will work perfectly as is for the 55L FermZilla. For the 27L model we recommend cutting the dip tube shorter to remove unwanted slack.
  • WIDE USE,if you want draw from the Liquid at the top of the tank.
  • Made of 304SS.

 

6/4 1:30 AM: These are on sale for $12.99. 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

Conical and All Rounder fermenter/keg Ball Float Silicone Dip Tube,304SS Ball Float and Silicone Dip Tube,draw from the Liquid at the top of the tank – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

My explanation of how this works…

When we carbonate a keg, pressure is being applied to the keg from the top, via the head space. Beer at the top carbonates first. That carbonation works it’s way down the keg. I’m sure there’s also some movement in the keg that helps to mix things up and distribute carbonation. But just sitting there, I think that mixing is a slow process. However it all works, practically speaking, the beer at the top carbonates more quickly compared to the beer at the bottom. This allows you to serve from the top accessing the more carbonated portion of the keg. It’s also a benefit for clarity because trub settles out heading downward. You can see this stratification in a glass carboy. As the beer starts to clear, the top clears first. I don’t think if this is exactly accurate, but I picture carbonation happening with the same sort of stratification until the beer reaches equilibrium and is equally carbonated throughout.

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5 Universal Poppets by Learn to Brew – $7.39 + Universal Poppet Tips & Tricks

Learn to Brew 5 Piece Cornelius Type Universal Poppet Valve Draft Beer Parts Fits Ball Lock Keg Post

5 universal keg poppets by Learn to Brew

More Info

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

  • Stainless steel construction
  • Replaceable O-rings
  • It contains pack of 5
  • Universal fitment
  • Will fit almost any style of soda keg

From HBF: 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.  prod:B0152I53HY

 

Compare: These are worth a hard look if they’re in stock. They feature 304 SS + Food Grade Silicone construction. The supplier has also committed to always carrying replacement o-rings.

2/9 4:30 AM Central: These are selling for $7.39. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly Check product page for current info – More About Prices

Also Consider: Universal Poppets via Valuebrew – about the same price excluding shipping

Learn to Brew 5 Piece Cornelius Type Universal Poppet Valve Draft Beer Parts Fits Ball Lock Keg Post – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Or… Also Consider: Universal Poppets – 304 Stainless + Food Grade Silicone! & Reliable O-Ring Replacements

universal poppetsValuebrew has released a 304 Stainless Steel + Food Grade Silicone Universal Poppet option!

I’ve long advocated for tossing OEM o-rings. I’m excited that there’s finally there’s an option that comes with quality o-rings made from the right materials out of the box! Beyond that, Valuebrew has pledged to always carry replacement o-rings, so you’ll always have a source when the time comes for replacements.

FLOTit 2.0 – Double Filter Floating Dip Tube, Made in USA – $29 + Free Shipping & Hands on Review

FLOTit 2.0 - No Beer Left Behind Floating Dip Tube with Double Filter Inlet (DFI) of 500/300 micron for always clear beer. Made in USA

FLOTit 2.0 – No Beer Left Behind Floating Dip Tube with Double Filter Inlet (DFI) of 500/300 micron for always clear beer. Made in USA

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • NO-ARM-IN-KEG - connections are made outside the keg
  • NO DRY HOPPING BAG or TUBE needed - The Double Filter 500 & 300 micron mesh keeps the poppet unclogged
  • NO BEER WASTE - The Double Filter Inlet of 500 & 300 stainless steel micron mesh let you enjoy the very first pour instead of dumping it
  • NO ADDED WEIGHT is needed to keep it from sucking in foam
  • NO BEER LEFT BEHIND - little beer is left on the yeast cake at the end

 

6/2 1:30 AM Central: This is selling for $29. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly Check product page for current info – More About Prices

FLOTit 2.0 – No Beer Left Behind Floating Dip Tube with Double Filter Inlet (DFI) of 500/300 micron for always clear beer. Made in USA – note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Check out our In Depth Hands on Review of FLOTit 2.0

My explanation of how this works…

When we carbonate a keg, pressure is being applied to the keg from the top, via the head space. Beer at the top carbonates first. That carbonation works it’s way down the keg. I’m sure there’s also some movement in the keg that helps to mix things up and distribute carbonation. But just sitting there, I think that mixing is a slow process. However it all works, practically speaking, the beer at the top carbonates more quickly compared to the beer at the bottom. This allows you to serve from the top accessing the more carbonated portion of the keg. It’s also a benefit for clarity because trub settles out heading downward. You can see this stratification in a glass carboy. As the beer starts to clear, the top clears first. I don’t think if this is exactly accurate, but I picture carbonation happening with the same sort of stratification until the beer reaches equilibrium and is equally carbonated throughout.

Continue reading

Ends Today: Valuebrew Memorial Day Sale – Save on Bulk O-Rings – includes custom colors, Ball Lock Jumpers, Universal Poppets & More

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Choose from silicone, buna-n and even EPDM.  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 color coded Blue and Green post o-rings

Some of these offerings are featured in our Keg Rebuild How-To

Valuebrew is discounting bulk food grade o-rings, DuoTight Compatible Gear, Universal Poppets and ball lock jumpers by an EXTRA 15% when you spend $30 or more.  This stacks on top of existing discounts. Use coupon code memday23.

Remember coupon code memday23 with an order of $30 or more

Reader Feedback!

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

More about food safe materials:

For whatever reason, it’s difficult to find food safe keg o-rings.  Maybe some of the o-rings that are available are food safe, but very few are actually labeled as such.

The fact is we’re putting beer (food) in our kegs and we should be using food safe materials whenever we can.  More Info: Food Safe Replacement Keg O-Rings

Featured in Our Keg Rebuild Post!

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

Our Top Draft Resources

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

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:

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Choose from silicone, buna-n and even EPDM.  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 color coded Blue and Green post o-rings

Some of these offerings are featured in our Keg Rebuild How-To

Valuebrew is discounting bulk food grade o-rings, DuoTight Compatible Gear, Universal Poppets and ball lock jumpers by an EXTRA 15% when you spend $30 or more.  This stacks on top of existing discounts. Use coupon code memday23.

Remember coupon code memday23 with an order of $30 or more


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