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ELK
Senior Member
Username: Elkski
Post Number: 1758
Registered: 01-2003
Posted From: 71.195.244.40
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 04:52 am: | 
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Ok, I wash the kegs and tip them over to drain and left them outside till I get around to thinking there might be water in the valves and they might be closed. So I check and they both had some water in them and were closed. It was 4 nights in the low 20's. How much pressure does frozen water exert? these valves have 300psi WOG on them?
How do I check them for damage? I remember reading about an exploding ball valve during the boil in here. I don't want one of those.
A beer a day keeps the Mormons away!!
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Bob Wall
Advanced Member
Username: Brewdudebob
Post Number: 655
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 71.204.15.75
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 07:37 am: |
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Good question.
Living in Georgia, I sometimes get caught by surprise with an overnight freeze. I have had spray guns on my garden hoses crack from ice expansion before.
I would imagine if after your valves are warmed up, and your ball valve levers still move without unnececessary force, they are ok.
Also give them a visual inspection and see if they leak. Expanding ice can be pretty powerful, but a 300 WOG Parker Stainless Ball Valve is a well crafted piece of engineering. These same valves were used on the Apollo missions to the Moon.
http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/alsj-ParkerValve.html
Give a man a beer and he'll waste an hour. Teach a man to brew and he'll waste a lifetime.
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ELK
Senior Member
Username: Elkski
Post Number: 1759
Registered: 01-2003
Posted From: 71.195.244.40
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 01:44 pm: |
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Well at the least this post may get others to be sure to bleed the valves if leaving the kegs outside.
Man this winter seems cold early. And we are getting a real cold blast friday highs in the teens all weekend and a slow slow warming trend.
A beer a day keeps the Mormons away!!
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Connie
Advanced Member
Username: Connie
Post Number: 910
Registered: 10-2000
Posted From: 24.98.76.59
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 02:26 pm: |
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Don't let Al Gore hear you say that. 
I had one of the brass ball valves freeze on my back deck a couple years ago (also in Georgia). It was obvious when inspected and it leaked. |
Vance Barnes
Senior Member
Username: Vancebarnes
Post Number: 2601
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 208.49.148.10
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 04:44 pm: |
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You can have water trapped inside a ball valve with it all the way open too. Not nearly as much as when closed of course. Best to leave them half way open if they're going to be frozen. |
Brews and Views Archive 2007 
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