Poor lid on cornie? Need something to help the seal?

[george151]

Hi there, I am using a cornie I got second hand for the first time. When I come to seal it, beer spurts through the lid to start with but with enough gas it usually holds. However, the next day the seal has gone again and it measures NO pressure. This has been going on for a week and I've tried adding vaseline to the rubber but to no avail. Is there anything anyone can recommend to improve the seal?

Another possibility is this was a particularly large batch (I had to dilute a lot to get the right starting gravity) so there is only about 5cm from the lid to the beer if that. Could it alternatively be that whatever gas I get into the headspace is being absorbed each day so that the pressure reduces enough to break the seal?

Any help gratefully received!

[Shadowknight]

Could possibly try putting something between the legs of the clip and the top of the keg so that the clip pulls the lid tighter to the top of the keg?
With a smear of PJ it might let it seal.

[barneey]

I no expert on cornies but I have noticed on one of mine if I dont get the thing squared up correctly it will not seal, I normally use as already stated PJ or vaseline to help seal. The only other thing I could think of is to try a new set of rubber sealing rings (assuming the top isnt damaged at all?).

[EccentricDyslexic]

Apparently u can get softer or larger o rings ...I have a link somewhere.....

[george151]

Cheers guys, I've actually just had another go at gassing it, and afterwards I was cleaning the top with some isopropanol when a drop landed on the 'connector dock' for the gas-in and I noticed bubbling gas coming up on one side through the gap between the inner and outer circle! I've found the leak I'd say and it doesn't look like it's the lid's fault.

I examined my older keg and the rubber O-ring on the connector is much looser on the new one, but would this be the reason for the leak? Isn't this O-ring just for the ball and socket of the connector to work better and makes no difference when the dock is bare?

I've no idea how to fix it if replacing the ring makes no difference, for now I've put on a fair bit of gaffer tape but that'll only slow it down at best and I suspect it's actually quite permeable!

[Kev888]

I saw the other thread on the gas post leak but missed this one. Yes a gas-post leek could look very like a lid having come unsealed so you've very likely tracked it down; the lids seal under pressure forcing them tight closed and so if the pressure drops for another reason the lid seal can break.

As you noticed, its sometimes a bit of a circular thing to get it the lids to seal enough to build up that pressure to begin with; some cornies seem better than others but a blast at 20-30psi will normally do it. Some of mine you have to wiggle the lid about slightly whilst blasting to help them along though, and occasionally a lid will seal one way around better than the other.

Cheers
Kev