Reconditioning / Rebuilding a Corney (Cornelius) Keg for Homebrew Use

August 31, 2022 Mike

Support the show, get your Colorado Brew Talk Gear at:
https://www.teepublic.com/user/colorado-brew-talk

Mike picked these kegs up at Adventures in Homebrewing. They go on sale periodically, so keep your eye out. Most homebrew stores carry them too, check the pricing before you order online, and we’ve also had success on craigslist and Facebook marketplace.

We couldn’t waste this perfect opportunity to show how Mike cleans / reconditions / rebuilds his kegs. Added bonus, you’ll see how to apply the food grade lubricant that’ll keep your keg sealed up nice and tight, as well as some footage of universal poppets in action. The only thing we skipped was soaking your parts in sanitizer. Don’t skip that step!

Let us know if you have any novel ways of cleaning / rebuilding your kegs, or if you think we’re doing something wrong.

Homebrew Finds has a whole page with steps to clean the outside of a keg, here’s a link:
https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2020/11/rebuilding-reconditioning-homebrew-kegs.html

The posts are most commonly 11/16″ and 7/8″, and you’ll want a 12 point deep socket for these. Less common are 11/16″ and 7/8″
When Jesse says he’s been known to sit on them, he lays them on their side, and sits on them to keep them from rolling while he’s applying pressure to the ratchet.