I kegged my Cascadian Dark Ale and could not purge the air from the keg as the relief valve on my ball lock keg appears to be toast and not working. To add to this it's not one of the universal plastic top relief valves you can get at the Brew shops and just unscrew. It looks to be all metal and screws into the whole body of the lid with no ring just a meal piece to pull to relieve. When I Google for pictures of what I have it appears to be one of the old Firestones relief valves that is attached to the keg lid. I did not have a spare or available keg (lesson learned) so I kegged the beer and was unable to purge the air and the beer oxidized on me to no surprise. I'm trying to find replacement parts for this relief valve but it looks different from my other relief valves that just unscrew. This one screws into the whole lid and doesn't have the universal plastic top the screws out. Do I need to buy a new keg lid or are parts available somewhere? Can't find anything online with NG, OBK or Everwood.
Thanks, Derek
Pressure Relief Valve
- Woody
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
Hit the keg with co2 and release the gas in port and repeat. Pin lock kegs have no manual relief.
Sandy
Sandy
- Woody
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
This is a ball lock keg not a pin and has a relief valve which just stopped working.
- LiverDance
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
ddwood94 wrote:This is a ball lock keg not a pin and has a relief valve which just stopped working.
Yes but you can purge the air out though the gas in post. Fill with co2, remove ball lock, purge with a screwdriver by pressing down on the post then repeat till you are satisfied the 02 has be purged. I believe this is what Sandy is getting at, he has to do this every time because pin lock kegs have no co2 relief valve. if you need spare parts, NG in burnside has a bunch kicking around, maybe even an replacement lid.
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.
- Woody
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
I get what you guys are saying. I'll check NG when in the city next for parts. Thank you both. Wish I asked this last week before I kegged without purging. My first AG beer and it tastes like shit. Lessons learned and good to know about purging via the post. Young grass hopper says thanks to the Yodas.
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
I crack the lid while purging on pin locks.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. 

- Woody
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
Another good idea! Thanks.
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Re: Pressure Relief Valve
I have 2 dedicated coke keg conecters with 2" of tubing on them that I used soley for the purpose of purging. I have seen so many of those lid valves fail.
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