Very angry homebrew - help!

oakdale_minx

Help!!

I've got a 40 pint Kingkeg (top tap version)with 6 day old Scottish Heavy brewing in it.

I was woken by an angry 'fizzing' sound this morning and found that the level had dropped and the carpet had 'drunk' a good few pints. the liquid is madly fizzing through the rubber seal intermittently. I mopped up and went to work - came back and the level has dropped a bit more and the towels I put down were very wet (and smelly!!!)

It's now fizzing 'air', the beer has dropped below the tap level and I'm wondering what to do!!

There is a float in it, so I'm not sure if it will just keep drawing liquid through the tap seal, or whether it will just fizz air now the liquid has dropped a bit.

I'm also guessing this will mean very flat beer???

I thought about a bit of silicone sealant or superglue to try to make the seal stronger in some way??

Help - my house stinks like a brewery and my carpet is covered in about 5 pints of 6 day old beer - I don't fancy the other 35 pints ending up in the same place!

tigger30

DON'T use superglue or any other sealant, your keg could explode if the pressure gets too high!!

It sounds like the froth that forms on the top of the brew is getting right up to the pressure relief valve and is effectively creating a means for the valve to syphon your brew out.

Don't worry too much about flat beer, the fizziness is generally created in the final stages of the brew, when the main fermentation has finished. What I would do is remove the top valve assembly, place a bit of clingfilm over the top for now to stop contaminants getting in. Then thoroughly clean the pressure relief valve in a solution of sodium metabisulphate to ensure that nothing is sticking the valve (5 pints of brew through the valve can leave some pretty bad residue).

Now, put the whole brewing keg in the biggest tray you can find (the lid off your wheelie bin will do in an emergency) and let it carry on brewing. If the same thing happens again, take the valve assembly off again (don't forget the clingfilm) and take it to the shop where you bought it for advice.

Gingham_Ribbon

Oh dear. I don't have any suggestions I'm afraid. Just wanted to sympathise. This happened to me with several bottles of prematurely bottled home made wine. I'll see if I can find any old threads that might help.

oakdale_minx

It's stopped fizzing (for now) I don't have anything to put it on (the wheely bin lids aren't detachable.. OH has some strong polythene, but Iwas worried about moving it in case it went absolutely mad!

Second batch of towels is now blowing dry in the sun and the breeze that were soaked when I came in from work!

I bought it from Ideal World (shopping channel ) at Christmas so i'd probably struggle to find somewhere to take it for advice.

Tigger - the tap on the side is the bit that was leaking around the seal - is this what you mean for me to take out? The liquid level is now just below the tap (the ones used to pour the beer eventually/hopefully!)

Think i'll be asking my OH to get the carpet shampoo-er out of the loft over the weekend.........good job it's an old (dark!) carpet!

Gingham_Ribbon

I couldn't find anything helpful I'm afraid. (Not by googling either.) Sorry. Maybe you need to drain some more of it away so there is more room for the gases until it settles down more.

oakdale_minx

I'm keeping everything crossed it's finished it's little hissy fit - I'll scream if it happens again!!!