O ring slip

beermonster

Hi I've had my second brew in the pressure barrel for about 4 weeks conditioning now, I went to try it and its flat as pancake upon investigation I found that part of the O ring on the cap has slipped from the top of the barrel and has become mis-shaped, I've tried a different O ring and it keeps happening each time I screw the top on, just before it gets tight it slips.................help....please

HBO_Staff

That's a little unusual, the white rubber ring on the inside of the cap that makes the seal as the cap screws down on to the barrel usually sits in a groove in the cap to hold it in place, the fact it moves might suggest that the groove the ring sits in might not be deep enough. A faulty rubber washer is not likely as you have tried a replacement and the chances of 2 having the same fault is unlikely, unless they have both been subject to extremes of temperature which might make them mis-shaped or shrink (possibly a dishwasher, etc).

If you have used Vaseline or something similar, a little would maybe help it stay in place, too much might cause it to move when the lid tightened down. The first thing to check would be that the rubber washer is correctly sitting in the groove and that the groove is deep enough to hold it, as that groove would usually stop it from being able to move when being tightened....

beermonster

I think I may have put too much vaseline on the o ring, which is causing it to to slip within the groove on the cap I'm going to try and get hold of a new o ring and try again, will effect the brew as I keep taking the cap off to try and seal it?

HBO_Staff

Just wipe the Vaseline off and clean the cap and it may solve it in that case. Whilst it is not ideal to keep removing the cap as this lets air in, it is much more important that you achieve the proper seal or the brew wont keep for long in the barrel. This is less critical in the early days as the brew will ferment on the priming sugar and produce pressure within the barrel and keep doing so as it continues to pressurise the barrel. If it has been a little while and the initial secondary ferment from the priming sugar will have been done, once you have the cap problem resolved, to make sure the barrel pressurises properly you could add a little more sugar to prime before it is sealed just to be sure, and then make sure that the barrel is airtight. A little Vaseline just around the thread of the cap will probably do the trick

beermonster

thanks, I've ordered a seal kit from yourselves today as the old one is too distorted, fingers crossed all will be well.