Switching to kegging -- Ball Lock or Pin Lock?

[edgarmsmith]

I'm just switching to kegging -- finally. I have a friend who swears by pin lock, but it seems that most people go with ball lock. What are the advantages, and if you were starting out now what would you choose?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Newsman]

Pin locks are cheaper and fatter and somewhat easier to find, ball locks are taller, more expensive and harder to find. OTOH, if you want to share your brew and take a keg somewhere, you will likely find most people have ball lock connectors. If you're just going to keep it at home in a kegerator, I"d go pin lock. You can fit slightly more ball locks in the same space, but for, say, a keezer, you won't necessarily need a collar with pin locks. It's about 6 of one half-dozen of the other.

 

[nasty_rabbit]

The greatest advantage that I have found, comparing one to the other, is that ball locks have a manual pressure relief valve and pin locks are solely mechanical. You may find pin locks with manual relief valves but in my experience they are replacement lids. Not that that's a deal breaker but it makes it easier to purge the kegs. There are work arounds with pin locks but they are just that, work arounds. As listed above, both serve the same purpose and both are available via Internet purchases. I would suggest looking locally as to what may be available to save on shipping and then try to stay consistent.

 

[IslandLizard]

Pretty much what @Newsman said, but...

... make sure you can fit the amount of kegs in your keezer that you want. IOW, you may not be able to fit that extra pin lock in there, where if you were using ball locks it would, because they're slimmer (and taller). In my large chest freezer, the difference would be 2 kegs. In my upright freezer I can cram in 5 ball locks (5 taps), but only 4 pin locks if I had those.

+1 to @nasty_rabbit. Most pin lock kegs come with lids that don't have a manual PRV valve, the PRV is hidden inside the dome. To vent (e.g., when purging), you need to stick a QD on the gas post, with or without a valve, or depress the poppet with a screwdriver or nail set.
Replacement lids with a manual PRV valve are relatively expensive, even used ones (from scrapped ball locks), exceeding the difference in price between the kegs.

 

[pshankstar]

I won't repeat all of the good information the others have already said, but I would suggest is to really plan out how many kegs you want to have. The sizing will make that much of a difference. What are you using as a kegerator? A side by side fridge, a top/bottom fridge or a keezer (chest freezer)? For example, depending on sizes you may be able to stack pin locks better in a side by side than the ball lock kegs. Where as the top/bottom fridge, you may get more ball locks in there than the pin locks. Keezers you may need a collar depending on the size and which kegs you go with.

The one other thing I will say is the pin lock kegs I don't think you can get the connectors mixed up. Whereas the ball locks you can and it is a real PIA to get the one off. I can't remember if its the gas connector on the out post or vice versa. Most ball locks will have them labeled but it's something I did once and always make sure I double check before connecting them.

I have ball lock kegs and have been happy with them. When I got into kegging I was given two ball locks for free, so that's why I'm with ball locks. I will say the ball locks seem more expensive than pin locks from online retailers. I have one pin lock keg that I converted to ball locks. For the price of the keg and the kit to change it, the total cost was only $30 so I couldn't beat it. I use that one as my keg to clean and sanitize beer lines, my last straw, picnic taps, etc... I'm happy to have a spare keg for this purpose.

Anyways, good luck! You can't go wrong with either one! Cheers!

 

[Nemanach]

I have a consumer kegerator. I could fit (3) 5g pin locks or (3) 5g and (1) 3g ball lock in it. Ball locks won out for one more beer on tap. Had there been no difference in the quantity of kegs I could fit I would have done pin lock for the reduced cost.

 

[Owly055]

I believe the ball lock kegs are the current "standard" in so far as they are still being manufactured, but that isn't really a consideration, as there are millions of kegs out there. I am transitioning to the 1.75 gallon ball locks, as they are short enough to fit in my fridge on the top shelf with the milk...........where beer belongs!

Whatever standard you go with, stick with it. You don't want multiple connectors. That's always a pain!! A friend of mine bought some pin locks cheaply, and bought ball lock fittings for them, as he uses ball lock. The fittings would not thread on far enough to seal, and I ended up putting them in the lathe and trimming them down so they'd work. They apparently work on some but not all kegs............

Make your decision and stick with it.............


H.W.

 

[Donal]

.....as they are short enough to fit in my fridge on the top shelf instead of the milk............

ftfy

 

[Owly055]

ftfy

Cute.............. BUT, please do NOT edit quotes. Quote them as written and then suggest the correction. A quote is a quote........... An altered quote is NOT a quote and should not be represented as one.

Sorry about jumping your case over this, but I've had quotes edited here in completely inappropriate ways a few times. This is a simple rule of etiquette we should ALL follow.


H.W.

 

[brewcat]

Either one works. I went ball lock because that's the posts on new AEB kegs. I also recently purchased converted pin to ball locks for their size. I needed pin lock size in the back of my kegerator but wanted to keep my connections the same.

 

[Ruvort]

Cute.............. BUT, please do NOT edit quotes. Quote them as written and then suggest the correction. A quote is a quote........... An altered quote is NOT a quote and should not be represented as one.

Sorry about jumping your case over this, but I've had quotes edited here in completely inappropriate ways a few times. This is a simple rule of etiquette we should ALL follow.


H.W.

I respect your opinion and concern... but I should hope that people using forums can use some discernment with this. The "ftfy" thing has been around for some time and as long as it is not used for derogatory or malicious intent, I don't really see an issue with it. Furthermore, the original post is always clearly linked back to if someone needs to go check it.

Definitely not trying to cause an argument. I've just been using forums for many years and have accepted this as a commonplace practice.

 

[paulshe]

I went all pin lock mainly for cost. I can get <40 bucks shipped if i wait for the periodic sales. other than size I'd say the major cons for pin lock are the following:

1. no manual PRV. I've bought a ton of lids overtime to make up for this. This does sorta kill the financial part of things unless like me you find some super cheap sales on lids. I know just do the gas post depression so don't find this a huge problem now.
2. there are different types of posts/threads for pin lock. The threads are different. I realized this the hard way (5 lbs co2). I know the trick to identify the posts for the right style now but if you are going to use pinlocks in decent quantities you are likely to run into this and need to keep track which posts go with each keg.

I still think if i started over I'd still go with pinlocks due to the fact that I have 11 of them so the cost added up.

 

[atom]

I respect your opinion and concern... but I should hope that people using forums can use some discernment with this. The "ftfy" thing has been around for some time and as long as it is not used for derogatory or malicious intent, I don't really see an issue with it. Furthermore, the original post is always clearly linked back to if someone needs to go check it.

Definitely not trying to cause an argument. I've just been using forums for many years and have accepted this as a commonplace practice.

Agreed. Take a joke.

 

[OleBrewing]

I went all pin lock mainly for cost. I can get <40 bucks shipped if i wait for the periodic sales. other than size I'd say the major cons for pin lock are the following:

1. no manual PRV. I've bought a ton of lids overtime to make up for this. This does sorta kill the financial part of things unless like me you find some super cheap sales on lids. I know just do the gas post depression so don't find this a huge problem now.
2. there are different types of posts/threads for pin lock. The threads are different. I realized this the hard way (5 lbs co2). I know the trick to identify the posts for the right style now but if you are going to use pinlocks in decent quantities you are likely to run into this and need to keep track which posts go with each keg.

I still think if i started over I'd still go with pinlocks due to the fact that I have 11 of them so the cost added up.

#2 would be the biggest defacto for me, I own 10 that I salvaged from a scrap yard.getting the right poppet for the right post was a pain in the ass. the posts as I can tell are in three different heights making three different poppets. there are universal poppets out there, one with a larger diameter spring and one with a finer dia. spring coil. the thicker will not work with the shorter poppets as the coils bind when torqueing the post (there are threads about cutting these down to size) the finer spring coil seems to work. I do have a couple of kegs that are finicky that require me to flip them upside down to tighten down the posts so they seat properly. oh well I say got them for scrap price.

the pressure relief valve on ball locks is a nice feature for purging etc. they make a conversion kit to drill out the dome style valve but at the cost you could buy a replacement ball lock lid and use it in a pin lock ( I believe they are the same size). I am still in the works for a work around on this as there are many after market release valves but my research hasn't been priority

oh yeah I am sticking with the pin locks.

 

[Brickman]

Sanke. I have use both pin and ball lock legs and they don't hold a candle to Sanke kegs. You can modify a sanke tap so you can fill and clean them. I can buy a brand new sanke keg for $59 and the things are heavy duty. No leaking posts and I can take a keg to a friends house if they have a kegarator. I will never go back to corny kegs. There is a reason breweries use sankes and not cornies.

 

[MaryB]

KegConnection had(has? I haven't looked) pin locks for $35 each so I grabbed 6. At less than half the cost of a ball lock I can deal with the negatives. And I have no need for more than 3 kegs on tap and 1 carbonating and my fridge will hold 5 pin locks.

 

[madscientist451]

I started with Ball locks, then found a half dozen pin locks for $25 each, and he was moving so he threw in a couple hundred bucks of other stuff, then found another brewer getting out of the hobby selling $25 ball locks. Both kinds will hold your beer just fine, but if the price isn't an issue....
I'd go with ball locks, the PRV reason and some of the other pin lock issues mentioned above outweigh the lower cost. But look on your local craigslist, there's brewing stuff for sale all the time and if you find cheap kegs, go ahead and get them. I have enough kegs now that I'm going to start doing closed ferments and transfers of my IPAs, others I'll use for long term storage of cider and sour beers.

 

[Owly055]

Sanke. I have use both pin and ball lock legs and they don't hold a candle to Sanke kegs. You can modify a sanke tap so you can fill and clean them. I can buy a brand new sanke keg for $59 and the things are heavy duty. No leaking posts and I can take a keg to a friends house if they have a kegarator. I will never go back to corny kegs. There is a reason breweries use sankes and not cornies.

My friend with the microbrewery uses sanke kegs, and I really dislike them. The small opening makes them impossible to clean properly in my opinion, though he has a fancy keg washer, I'm not satisfied with the result. To clean them properly it is necessary to pull the snap ring and pull out the dip tube, as there is an area around the tube beneath the seal that tends to collect gunk. You also cannot see inside them, which I don't like. The Cornelius keg is a superior keg from a sanitation standpoint. You can take your corny to a friend's house and hand pump also............

H.W.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Sanke kegs hands down are better. Coming from someone who has used both.
Theres a reason EVERY commercial beer uses them....They work better.

Cleaning is a breeze. rinse them with water...that's it. They never leak air so there always filled with co2..No air..no bacteria.

I give them a simple Oxyclean soak for good measure every 5 kegs or so.
Plus you can simply swap out with your favorite store bought at any time
No dip tubes to clog
No o rings to seal or lube...or fail
Short lines work with Sanke and not with cornys for some reason and I have no idea why. Must be the design

Youd be hard pressed to find someone switching from sankes to cornys yet people switch the other way around...theres a reason why...sankes are better

From what I remember reading over the years is the reason cornys are used is because when Home brewing was just starting out Sanke kegs weren't available so the wise old elders "figured out" a way to make it work with cornys ..And thats fine and it sticks to this day but reality is its a bit of a "rigged" setup and cornys weren't designed for beer they were designed for soda. Sanke kegs are now available and are designed for beer so why not use them?

 

[Brickman]

My friend with the microbrewery uses sanke kegs, and I really dislike them. The small opening makes them impossible to clean properly in my opinion, though he has a fancy keg washer, I'm not satisfied with the result. To clean them properly it is necessary to pull the snap ring and pull out the dip tube, as there is an area around the tube beneath the seal that tends to collect gunk. You also cannot see inside them, which I don't like. The Cornelius keg is a superior keg from a sanitation standpoint. You can take your corny to a friend's house and hand pump also............

H.W.

Only time breweries pull a snap rings is to replace a worn or broken part. I have filled and washed kegs at a brewery and have been using Sankes at home for over a year. If you were talking Hoff Stevens kegs then you would be correct but Sankes are just as sanitary as a corny if not more so as they don't leak. I have a Sanke with a 4" TC as well as the spear and it is spotless inside when I check it. The beer inside never gets a chance to dry so they clean very easily.

Two good videos on how to use Sankes on a budget.
Keg filler and washer:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDOFsKB6xnk[/ame]

Cleaning process. I do the same thing with either a MKII Keg and Carboy cleaner of my Chugger pump. Hot PBW, clean water rinse, fill with Starsan. I tip it on its side and force the Starsan out with CO2. Once about half empty I invert to completely drain and purge with CO2.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl6pxAV32t4[/ame]

Mark

 

[Owly055]

We'll have to agree to disagree......... I was talking about Sankes. The fancy keg washing equipment very similar to what you pictured was being shown to me, and I suggested pulling snap rings afterward. Invariably there was some build up.

H.W.

Only time breweries pull a snap rings is to replace a worn or broken part. I have filled and washed kegs at a brewery and have been using Sankes at home for over a year. If you were talking Hoff Stevens kegs then you would be correct but Sankes are just as sanitary as a corny if not more so as they don't leak. I have a Sanke with a 4" TC as well as the spear and it is spotless inside when I check it. The beer inside never gets a chance to dry so they clean very easily.

Two good videos on how to use Sankes on a budget.
Keg filler and washer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDOFsKB6xnk

Cleaning process. I do the same thing with either a MKII Keg and Carboy cleaner of my Chugger pump. Hot PBW, clean water rinse, fill with Starsan. I tip it on its side and force the Starsan out with CO2. Once about half empty I invert to completely drain and purge with CO2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl6pxAV32t4

Mark

 

[b-boy]

When I started, ball lock kegs were ~$25. Now they're $60+.

If I was buying used, I'd probably go pin lock today. Purely for the cost savings.

If I was buying new, I'd buy new ball lock kegs. The price difference is pretty small. They're on sale for $75 at http://www.homebrewing.org/AIH-New-...2HBAEQUy7fNFSiOoUOvOUMw2qMTb-G65XIaAlvm8P8HAQ.

 

[eric19312]

Enjoyed the sanky diversion but as for the ball locks vs pin locks one thing to consider is pin locks need a special socket to remove the posts. About $20 online so not a killer, but a real PITA if you misplace it and need one fast.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

When I started, ball lock kegs were ~$25. Now they're $60+.

If I was buying used, I'd probably go pin lock today. Purely for the cost savings.

If I was buying new, I'd buy new ball lock kegs. The price difference is pretty small. They're on sale for $75 at http://www.homebrewing.org/AIH-New-...2HBAEQUy7fNFSiOoUOvOUMw2qMTb-G65XIaAlvm8P8HAQ.

Or 2 sankes brand new for around $75 each including shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SET-OF-2-BR...529402?hash=item33c9c602fa:g:CYgAAOSwbsBXpMjj