CO2 Injector for Cornelius Kegs

First of all, I wanted to give HUGE props to Genuine Innovations for providing not only a convenient product for homebrewers but mostly for providing a lifetime warranty and exceptional customer service.

A few years ago I purchased a Cornelius Keg Ball Lock Injector/Charger from William's Brewing for $20. Prior to this item, I schlepped around a 5lb. CO2 tank and regulator to take kegged homebrew on the road. Very unchillindamos. Since then, the injector was very easy to travel with and simple to teach others to use. I would use two to three 12-gram CO2 cartridges to dispense a 5-gallon keg of beer and could buy the cartridges in bulk also from William's Brewing for $0.69 each (16-gram CO2 cartridges also available in bulk for $0.99 each).
Earlier this month, I was dispensing my Independence Day IPA using the CO2 injector when the plastic area that connects to the ball-lock broke. This dissapointed everyone enjoying the brew but I managed to hold the charger inplace to inject enough pressure to dispense a few pitchers (at the cost of an entire cartridge).

At the time, I figured that I got my use out of it and may as well buy another. Instead of buying the entire thing, I decided to check to see if I can just purchase the top portion from the manufacturer. I found on their website that they provide a warranty on all types of their injectors:

Genuine Innovations warrants that all products will function properly and safely for an unlimited time. Should any product fail to perform safely or properly please return it to the place of purchase.

I contacted customer service at William's Brewing to see if they would arrange the warranty. Janis Martinez at William's responded to contact the manufacturer since it was beyond their warranty time and also said that they were very good at sending out replacements.
After submitting a brief explanation to Genuine Innovations via their Contact Us form, I was quickly contacted by DJ Lopez who clarified the item requested for warranty replacement and offered to send it out immediately. BTW, the email response time for each message was nearly immediate! I was headed out of town and let him know that I would be unable to accept receipt of a package and DJ said he'd send it out upon my return.
The replacement arrived today, two days after my return from a chillindamos vacation. Awesome customer service! The gross design is the same but the compromised location has apparently changed.

Anyone else looking to increase your portability of your draft system, I would highly recommend Genuine Innovations CO2 charger. Good products with excellent customer service and lifetime warranties are a rare commodity. Very chillindamos!

Corneius Keg Plastic Replacement

I split a 4-pack order of corny kegs recently. Buying them individually can get expensive, especially with shipping costs. Now, I have more than enough kegs - 12 five-gallon kegs. Though they shipped with o-ring replacements, we got two kegs that had plastic tubes for the gas-in side. Often, old o-rings and plastic have odors retaining from the keg's former use (often soda). Plastic can have other issues including harboring bacteria.



Before use, we ordered replacements (unsure of metal type). William's Brewing has a great selection of replacement parts for kegs. The problem was that the new tube would not fit in the keg. This particular keg seemed to be machined for the plastic style tube.




No problem, just need to drill out the excess to make it fit. The drill bit is about the same diameter as the tubing, maybe a bit larger. Since an o-ring seals the top, there's no need to drill for a snug fit. After drilling through, I switched to high speed and ran the bit through the hole to clean it up. The tube fits just right.
Any new keg, I spend the time doing a thorough cleaning typically with dish soap and scrub brushes. All fittings are inspected, cleaned, and sanitized. I also lubricate all o-rings and poppet valves with keg-lube. The rubber handles and foot is sprayed with silicone. Lastly, I leave a solution of iodophor in the keg along with CO2 so they keg is ready for a brew in the near future.