Are most kegs universal?

[gregmosu]

I'm looking to start kegging my beer and so far, this is one of the cheapest options I've seen. But are these kegs pretty universal? Will I be sorry after I buy a pair of them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-gallon-5g...974?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f907dece

 

[jekeane]

Ball Lock, Pin Lock, and Sankey kegs are universal to themselves. In general you want to pick one of those styles and stick with that style as they all have different connectors. You choice should depend on what fits in your system and cost. I use ball locks because i got a good deal on them and so I can have up to 10 kegs serving of lagering in my chest freezer. I could only fit 7 pinlocks in the same space.

Ball Locks are taller and thinner (often the best fit quantity wise in chest freezers)

Pin Locks are Shorter and fatter (cheapest alternative)

Sankey are usually commercial kegs "misappropriated" for homebrewing. They can be the cheapest and possibly best alternative.

On a side note I purchased 6 kegs from the guy at that link. If you contact the company directly they sell them cheaper and the shipping is better. mceverdistrib.com I paid like $5 less per keg.

 

[gregmosu]

Ball Lock, Pin Lock, and Sankey kegs are universal to themselves. In general you want to pick one of those styles and stick with that style as they all have different connectors. You choice should depend on what fits in your system and cost. I use ball locks because i got a good deal on them and so I can have up to 10 kegs serving of lagering in my chest freezer. I could only fit 7 pinlocks in the same space.

Ball Locks are taller and thinner (often the best fit quantity wise in chest freezers)

Pin Locks are Shorter and fatter (cheapest alternative)

Sankey are usually commercial kegs "misappropriated" for homebrewing. They can be the cheapest and possibly best alternative.

On a side note I purchased 6 kegs from the guy at that link. If you contact the company directly they sell them cheaper and the shipping is better. mceverdistrib.com I paid like $5 less per keg.

I think the size and style are fine. My main concern is buying something that the CO2 tank might not hook up to and that the tap hoses may not connect to either. I guess if that's not a concern, then this one is probably fine for me.

 

[GreenSpyder]

That looks like a good deal, until you see they charge $25/keg for shipping ( to Denver). I had a hard time finding anything for less than $65 in decent condition here.

I just finished my kegerator today, spent $400 for two coneys, CO2 bottle, hose, regulator and fittings. I got the cheap-ass picnic tap valves, until I make my own double tap tower. Now I'm seeing how low the temp goes, so far 32.

I think the size and style are fine. My main concern is buying something that the CO2 tank might not hook up to and that the tap hoses may not connect to either. I guess if that's not a concern, then this one is probably fine for me.

Those connections are all universal. If you get a pin-style post, you can change it to a roller lock, no problem. All tap hoses are the same. Fortunately.

 

[gregmosu]

That looks like a good deal, until you see they charge $25/keg for shipping ( to Denver). I had a hard time finding anything for less than $65 in decent condition here.

I just finished my kegerator today, spent $400 for two coneys, CO2 bottle, hose, regulator and fittings. I got the cheap-ass picnic tap valves, until I make my own double tap tower. Now I'm seeing how low the temp goes, so far 32.


Those connections are all universal. If you get a pin-style post, you can change it to a roller lock, no problem. All tap hoses are the same. Fortunately.

Shoot!! The shipping cost kills this as a good deal. I have a buddy who I thinks does some kegging. I'm going to check with him and see what he did.

 

[GreenSpyder]

I just found out that a coney keg from a local liquor retailer only charges $30 deposit on a keg. That's about as cheap as it comes!!!!!

Edited post here.....I'M WRONG ABOUT THIS!!!!!!
I'll explain in a later post.

 

[day_trippr]

Aaaaand here we go again...

 

[Subdivisions]

I just found out that a coney keg from a local liquor retailer only charges $30 deposit on a keg. That's about as cheap as it comes!!!!!

They sell beer in cornies??

 

[GreenSpyder]

Argonaut Liquor in Denver, they call them "Torpedos". A friend at work confirmed via photo his came in a corny. $30 deposit.

Edited post:
I'M WRONG ABOUT THIS.
See later post.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Show a pic of the keg style, if ya' can............If a commercial brew, it's prolly' a Sanke.


Edit: Did you do a visual on this "corny" keg?

 

[gregmosu]

Still undecided on these kegs. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy brand new for now??? I"m as cheap as they come, but I don't wanna get ripped off.. or buy something I won't be happy with. Some of the prices I see are great, but add on shipping and it's not much of a deal.

 

[Gavin C]

Cornelius, Firestone, Challenger, Sanke, pin lock, ball lock.......

Pick one and stick with it. If buying used be sure to get specifics on the type or types.

 

[GreenSpyder]

I went to that Denver liquor store that say they have corny kegs filled from the brewers...Please skip the following paragraph, as it's only a rant.......

I explain on the phone "It's not a sanke tap, it has two posts on opposite sides of the top, which BTW the top and bottom are black rubber...." "Yeah, yeah, we have them!" I show a photo to my friend (an anesthesiologist) who bought a couple, and pointed out the couplings, "Yeah, that's what I got!". So I drive to down town Denver, on a friggin Saturday, potholes, mazes of one way streets, suicidal pedestrians, suicidal bicyclists, road construction everywhere, purchase a keg, because they won't let me see it first. The store has 14 checkout lanes, every one busy, and after 20 minutes, noone has brought the keg up. So he takes me to the back, and it's a 5.5 gallon with a sanke tap. He has not clue what a cornelius keg really is. I have to wait in line again to get my refund. Two managers show up and apologize profusely.

So the short version is.....NO ONE SELLS BEER IN A CORNY KEG. IT'S STRICTLY THE DOMAIN OF THE HOMEBREWER. AMEN.

I was able to get my corny filled at a local brewer, to hold me over until my homebrew is ready.

I'll have to look into converting my system to include a sanke tap. Youtube shows they're as easy to clean and fill, and I have two taps. I'm just not certain if a 5 gallon torpedo with a sanke tap will fit in my 'fridge.

So I apologize to anyone on the forum who may have taken the advise I gave earlier. I'm new at this, and I'm getting all kinds of bad information.