How do you store your homebrew kegs when not in use? I would say there are three ways that homebrewers typically store kegs.

1. Closed and under pressure
2. Closed and no pressure
3. Open and no pressure

I’m going to go through each option with some pros and cons.

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Updated: October 18, 2024

This post will walk you through rebuilding your homebrew keg, step by step.  From de-labeling to cleaning to replacing warn out parts.

Limited Time Deal on Keg Repair Parts!

For a short time, Valuebrew is discounting most of their gear including bulk food grade o-rings (i

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Most offerings are silicone or EPDM 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 color coded Blue and Green post o-rings

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

Save  an EXTRA 15% when you spend $30 or more on select items at Valuebrew.  This stacks on top of existing discounts. Includes…

• Bulk Food Grade O-rings
• Custom Color Post O-Rings
• FDA Rated EPDM O-Rings!
• Universal Poppets
• Ball Lock Jumpers
• DuoTight Compatible Gear

Use coupon code DST with an order of $30 or more to get the deal

Great Deal on Kegs, Ready to Rebuild!

Scratch and Dent Ball Locks from cornykeg.com

These kegs hold pressure and work fine, but have some more significant dents. They may have a broken handle or loose rubber top or bottom or an excessive amount of labels. These are refurbished ball lock Pepsi Style kegs with all new orings and a manual pull-ring relief valve. Photo shows example kegs, but are priced each.

As of this posting these are on sale for $42.95. Check site for current price & availability.

SCRATCH & DENT PEPSI STYLE BALL LOCK KEG

Limited Time Availability Info… VB’s Universal Poppets are Back in Stock!

Universal Poppets via Valuebrew

More Info

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.

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.

Back in stock!  These have been out of stock for months. We’ll the full story is they came back in stock a few weeks ago, but sold out so quickly that I wasn’t able to get a post up. So, as of this update… they’re back in stock after months of being sold out!  Get them while you can.

Universal Poppets

What Does Reconditioned/Rebuilt Mean?

The short answer is probably… nothing.  I think reconditioned/rebuilt/refurbished are basically synonyms and there is no standard definition for any of these terms.

Here are the different definitions I’ve seen from different retailers via their offerings:

The short answer is probably… nothing.  I think reconditioned/rebuilt/refurbished are basically synonyms and there is no standard definition for any of these terms.

Here are the different definitions I’ve seen from different retailers via their offerings:

• The keg is untouched, but is in okay shape and holds pressure.  In this case, reconditioned means… the keg works.
• The keg has had been tested and had faulty parts replaced.  In this case, reconditioned means, we did the minimum to get the keg working.
• All o-rings have been replaced and any faulty parts have been replaced.  In this case, reconditioned means… reconditioned.
• All o-rings have been replaced and any faulty parts have been replaced and the keg has been cleaned.  In this case reconditioned means reconditioned and cleaned.

Examples of Keg Conditions from MoreBeer

• Used Cornelius Keg – Ball Lock 5 gal. KEG430 – these are raw kegs – no cleaning, no rebuild, sold “as is” < This is the keg offering that’s rebuilt in this post
• Rebuilt Used Corny Keg – Ball Lock 5 gal. KEG420 – cleaned and checked in house.  Gaskets are replaced as needed.  Pressure checked and guaranteed to hold pressure.
• Used Corny Keg Ball Lock 5 gal. – Pressure Tested KEG423 – these are cleaned, sanitized, de-labeled and refurbished by a third party service.  Pressure checked and guaranteed to hold pressure.

The takeaway is that it’s important to read descriptions when it comes to reconditioned/rebuilt/refurbished kegs.  The post walks through a complete rebuild process.

Limited Time Keg Deals!

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Ball Lock Kegs vs Pin Lock Kegs – What’s the Difference?

The containers we call Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs come from the soda industry.  Also called Cornelius Kegs, Corny Kegs and Corney Kegs, they were originally intended to store and distribute soda pre-mix.  The big soda companies decided on different style containers for their pre-mix.  Pepsi landed on the Ball Lock style while Coke uses the Pin Lock style.

Homebrewers have since re-purposed these as homebrew beer kegs.

Limited Time DEAL!

• HBF Reader Coupon!  As of this posting, coupon code HBF5OFF takes an additional 5% off.  
• With the coupon these are $47.45
• Pin Lock Post O-Rings in bulk!  Related: Ball Lock Keg O-Rings vs Pin Lock Keg O-Rings – are they the same?

Shipping is a flat rate no matter how much you order to many US addresses.

1 keg would be $57.44 shipped (a $42.01 savings vs Northern Brewer), 2 would be $52.44 shipped, 3 would be $50.78 shipped and 4 would be $49.45 shipped.

Pin Lock “Coke Style” Cornelius Keg – or Firestone, 5 Gallon, for Homebrew/Soda, Used | CLEANED

Good used pin locks have been hard to find…  When I started brewing pin locks were cheaper than ball locks, but that has changed. There’s been a real reversal in used keg pricing. Used pin locks have been tough to find in stock, especially at anything close to what I would call a good price. For example, see MoreBeer’s Pin Lock Offering. This is supply related. New pin lock kegs are not coming into the homebrewing market and we’ve finally hit an availability wall.

Compare: Used 5 Gal. Pin Lock Kegs KEG432– currently $84.99!

Announcing: NEW Pin Lock Kegs Now Available!

The availability of of used kegs has recently become an issue. See: Are Used Kegs Running Out?

This has been especially true of pin lock kegs, because new pin locks have not been coming on the market. To my knowledge no new pin lock offering was generally available to homebrewers. This has caused the price and availability of pin locks to be a serious issue. For example, MoreBeer’s Pin Lock offering has sky-rocketed to $85 per keg.

Well, today is a happy day… Announcing NEW Pin Lock Kegs from cornyieg.com

• CORNY KEG 5 GALLON PIN LOCK KEG – SS
• CORNY KEG 5 GALLON PIN LOCK KEG – SS – 2 PACK
• CORNY KEG 2.5 GALLON PIN LOCK KEG – SS
• CORNY KEG 2.5 GALLON PIN LOCK KEG – SS 2 PACK
• 3 GALLON PIN LOCK KEG – SS

First, It’s important to understand both do the same thing with slightly different and dimensions and features.  Note: All measurements in this post should be considered approximate.  There are different models and manufacturers of kegs.  Their sizes are generally about the same, but some kegs and manufacturers vary slightly.  There are several sizes of kegs available including 2.5, 3, 5, 10 and 15 gallons.  This post focuses on the commonly used 5 gallon size.

The first thing you’ll notice is dimensions – Pin Lock Kegs wider than Ball Lock kegs.  Ball Lock on Left, Pin Lock on Right.Left [Brand New 5 Gallon Ball Lock from AIH – Review] | Right [Used 5 Gallon Pin Lock] – Pin Locks are also shorter than Ball Lock Kegs.  Ball Lock on Left, Pin Lock on Right.  Both of these kegs have a ~5 gallon capacity.

Limited Time Keg Deals, Article Continues Below:

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