Corney Keg for Low wine storage

[Deplorable]

MOD EDIT: Split from Here

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First time running on the electric element, and not on the kitchen stove. Wish me luck.

I had to click on the picture. in the small picture it alomst looked like a galvanized pail turned into a boiler. Once I saw it large I realized what it was. LOL

[MooseMan]

IMG_3311.jpeg
First time running on the electric element, and not on the kitchen stove. Wish me luck.

Much better with all element Steve, you're not tied to I've place now.

Stripping direct to a corny is what I should be doing.
What do you do about the o rings?
Hope you don't mind me asking.

[Steve Broady]

What do you do about the o rings?
Hope you don't mind me asking.

PTFE gasket material.

[MooseMan]

Ah ok got you.
I was assuming a ptfe tape wrap of the big o ring, but wasn't sure about all the little ones.
I'm tempted to try finding SS threaded blanks for the gas and beer ports.

Edit: I suppose you could trim and screw in a cork to each hole actually!

[Deplorable]

Ah ok got you.
I was assuming a ptfe tape wrap of the big o ring, but wasn't sure about all the little ones.
I'm tempted to try finding SS threaded blanks for the gas and beer ports.

Edit: I suppose you could trim and screw in a cork to each hole actually!

My lid o-ring is the same as pictured. I dont run any o-rings on the in and out ports. I just let it breath, and don't store it on its side. I used to strip into one, but now I just strip into my big 30 quart pot. My Corny kegs hold feints, or spirits destined for a barrel once full.

[MooseMan]

My lid o-ring is the same as pictured. I dont run any o-rings on the in and out ports. I just let it breath, and don't store it on its side. I used to strip into one, but now I just strip into my big 30 quart pot. My Corny kegs hold feints, or spirits destined for a barrel once full.

So when you say let it breathe, you aren't concerned with evaporation at all?
Or is it only short term storage in cornys?

[Deplorable]

I'm not concerned with it.
Long term feints might be a build up over a year to 18 months. Anything that going to evaporate out of that little air gap is immeasurable. The tubes are in and caps are on, there is just no o-ring in them.
If I'm working on filling a 5 gallon barrel, the longest anything is in there is a few months before its full and transferred to a barrel.

[Deplorable]

Thanks Mods, this was going off topic.

[Steve Broady]

Thanks Mods, this was going off topic.

Agreed. I was hesitant to reply because of that.

I’ve been storing some low wines for about a year or so now. I just opened the lid to check on them this morning, and there’s definitely a little condensation on the inside. Given that, I’ll go to keep some kind of seal there. However, I have been wondering about making a deal out of either copper tubing or oak, to reduce the need for PTFE.

[MooseMan]

Very much obliged to the moderator who split this topic out for us, and Steve I apologise for derailing it with the questions.

I went to bed thinking about this, as I have lots of cornys from beer and cider exploits, and I'm filling up all my glass with stripped low wines and running out of shelves!

I'm going away for 2 days with the Mrs, but when I get back I'm gonna try something that's formed in my head.
I'll post the results here.

[Yummyrum]

I’m trying to keep the “Pics of your Rig only” , just that ….. pics …… ‘cause we all like them
General banter will be periodically be removed

But then ,along comes something like this . Worth making a new topic .

Be good to hear your ideas Moose

[MooseMan]

Thank you Yummyrum.

Ok so I had an hour this morning.

My original thought process was to take a piece of oak, trace out the shape of a corny lid and cut that out on the bandsaw, smooth to shape and rout a groove around the edge just like the original lid.
That would then have a wind of PTFE around the edge.
For the in/out ports I was going to cut/turn little round plugs of oak and force thread them on the lathe with an ancient imperial tap set I've got.

I bought a few cornys years ago, that have plastic lids with the hinge assembly screwed on, which is what gave me the idea to make a fully functioning oak lid.

I would not have even attempted that this morning as I don't have time.
Then I thought, posting pics and describing how to go about making it, is no use at all to anyone who doesn't have the MC's/tools or skills to make something like that.

So, I decided to stick with the old PTFE wrapped o ring, simple, quick and anyone can do it.
Then in the interest of keeping it as easy to do as possible so anyone with a corny can do the same, I took a post off and had a look and a think...
The diameter of the dip tubes looked familiar!

An 8mm stainless bolt, with a few, slightly tapered wraps of PTFE, is a lovely push fit. Voila!

I'm using the cornys with stainless lids for this, obviously.

So all you really need to make a corny safe for spirit storage, is some PTFE tape and a couple of 8mm bolts.

[MooseMan]

Just to add, I also have a couple of lids with the PRV welded up, even better.

[Wildcats]

That should work well MooseMan. I have been looking everywhere for some Corney kegs. Just haven't found any for a good price yet. But I hope to soon. I will be using some of your ideas and methods for mine as well. Thanks for sharing.

[rubberduck71]

That should work well MooseMan. I have been looking everywhere for some Corney kegs. Just haven't found any for a good price yet. But I hope to soon. I will be using some of your ideas and methods for mine as well. Thanks for sharing.

Adventures in Homebrewing online you can get used ones for $35-40 when they're on sale, but you'll have to buy a set of 4. Free shipping though!

[Deplorable]

That should work well MooseMan. I have been looking everywhere for some Corney kegs. Just haven't found any for a good price yet. But I hope to soon. I will be using some of your ideas and methods for mine as well. Thanks for sharing.

What's your definition of a good price? The ones with the rubber bumpers on both ends usually go for about $30 used around here. the ones without the black rubber handles seem to fetch a few dollars more for used ones.
I prefer them without the rubber handles on top because it makes then easier to pour from. The last one I got, I traded a couple of bottles of my whiskey for.

[Wildcats]

That should work well MooseMan. I have been looking everywhere for some Corney kegs. Just haven't found any for a good price yet. But I hope to soon. I will be using some of your ideas and methods for mine as well. Thanks for sharing.

Adventures in Homebrewing online you can get used ones for $35-40 when they're on sale, but you'll have to buy a set of 4. Free shipping though!

I was just looking at those last night. I know I could use 4 of em... But the wife doesn't think so .. ended up ordering 4 more 1 gal glass jugs for now.. still on the lookout for my first Corney kegs though.

@ Deplorable. Yeah that's what they go for around here too. 30 to 40$... I just haven't been able to find anything locally. Will continue the search...

[rubberduck71]

That should work well MooseMan. I have been looking everywhere for some Corney kegs. Just haven't found any for a good price yet. But I hope to soon. I will be using some of your ideas and methods for mine as well. Thanks for sharing.

Adventures in Homebrewing online you can get used ones for $35-40 when they're on sale, but you'll have to buy a set of 4. Free shipping though!

I was just looking at those last night. I know I could use 4 of em... But the wife doesn't think so .. ended up ordering 4 more 1 gal glass jugs for now.. still on the lookout for my first Corney kegs though.

@ Deplorable. Yeah that's what they go for around here too. 30 to 40$... I just haven't been able to find anything locally. Will continue the search...

Holy crap -- I just looked and DAY-UM they got expensive...

[MooseMan]

I started thinking about corny lid modifications to help pouring as they are a pain to pour from cleanly.

So I thought, maybe I could drill out the lid and solder in a Tri clamp port...

First Google result was this!

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMItv6E

[Jabman]

I am planning to store low wines in kegs as well. However, the seals make me wonder, and I'm also considering how to pour them. I'm not very worried about the small gaskets since I hardly see them touching any liquid, but what about the big gasket? I saw one post that suggested wrapping it with PTFE, but I didn't see if that's a good approach. In fact, I think the small ones can be directly replaced with PTFE.

I definitely need to consider a lid with a direct tri-clamp connector. But before that, what do you guys suggest for pouring? I have models that have both the bottom and top wrapped with rubber. If I pour directly, I cannot avoid touching those. Obviously, using a plastic tube is a no-no.

[zach]

I store in a corny with no big gasket on the lid. Evaporation has been minimal. I dump the contents into a 5 gallon stock pot for bottling. I believe it is possible to pour from the corny with very little or no plastic contact. I did it this last weekend. Just pour fast to avoid liquid touching the top wrapped with rubber.

The lids I use are stainless.

[Deplorable]

Look for this style and you don't have to worry about pouring over plastics. There are plenty of options for dealing with the lid o-ring, from tape wrapping to full on replacement with PTFE.

[Steve Broady]

I haven’t tried it myself, but it’s worth remembering that the soda industry has already figured out how to get products out of soda kegs. That’s what the dip tube and inlet are for, after all. With either compressed air or CO2, it should be possible to easily empty a keg.

[Deplorable]

Well, there is that I guess. If you want to buy a PTFE hose and hunt down a non plastic ball lock. I just find it easier (and faster) to pour it out of the BFH on the top. Its quick, free, and easy. Now, if I was looking to dispense aged product from the keg to a glass, I might spend the calories to figure out a solution.
The only time I've ever dispensed booze from a corny keg was when we took a keg of Long Island Iced Tea to a 5 day beach party. I'll never again try to polish off 5 gallons of cocktail in a week with only 10 adults while still having to manage all the minors. Not only were we unsuccessful, but it was expensive. I still have no desire to drink another LI iced tea. LOL

[Steve Broady]

I love a Long Island iced tea, but I can’t imagine trying to drink 5 gallons of the stuff, even with help!

[Deplorable]

I love a Long Island iced tea, but I can’t imagine trying to drink 5 gallons of the stuff, even with help!

Hahaha. Yeah that was about 15 years ago. It was a bright idea to not have to take so many glass bottles of booze to the beach. We all decided that we'd just pitch in and fill a keg with one cocktail, and drink that all week long.
We hit it hard for the first couple days, but by the fourth day, we were pretty much over it, and ready to be done with about a gallon and a half left. We made a trip into town and bought a couple of cases of beer for the last night. (I still think the teens helped when we weren't looking) We drank about half of the rest of it over the course of the next two weekends playing pool before we dumped the rest out.
The kids still talk about that week at the beach being one of the best vacations watching the adults get hammered and have a good time without having to drive anywhere or do any real "adulting" the teenagers took charge of the 7 to 12 year-olds, and nobody had a care in the world.