co2 not entering keg

ridd · 09-09-2009, 12:33 AM

Sorry for the spam here, obviously this is my first time kegging :x

So I'm trying to sanitize my first keg for use, I dumped about a gallon of sanitizing solution in my keg and pop on the co2 connect on the IN post and the cobra tap on the OUT post (I have the dual-body kegconnection.com kit). Set the reg to 25-30 PSI and open the valve...nothing happens. I wait a bit and pull on the keg relief valve and there's absolutely no gas going to it.

I've checked the poppet, it depresses just fine. When I push the button on the gas line, it works fine. When I flick the relief valve on the reg, gas hisses out. I've double-checked to make sure the gas connect is securely on there, and it is. Am I just not waiting long enough? I waited about 5 minutes to see if anything would change. Nothing.

Haven't tried a different keg yet, but I'm about to. What gives?

ridd · 09-09-2009, 12:54 AM

I just double-checked to make sure I didn't mix up the liquid out/gas in posts when I rebuilt the kegs and replaced the o-rings. I didn't. Also tried a different keg and tried the other gas line, same issue. I even tried disconnecting the cobra tap from the out post to see if that was an issue, and it didn't help.

Also I tried connecting the gas line to the IN post on either keg with the lid off and turned the gas on to see if it would come through, nothing came through. Is that a problem? How can both of my posts and gas lines be faulty?

nostalgia · 09-09-2009, 01:00 AM

I hate to ask this, but is the shutoff valve on the output side of the regulator turned on?

What if you just stick your finger in the grey quick connect and depress the little button inside? You should get gas out there.

-Joe

**Yooper** · 09-09-2009, 01:02 AM

How much gas do you have in your tank? Was it filled just today?

SavageSteve · 09-09-2009, 01:02 AM

What is this, some kind of impossible riddle?

Seriously, it makes no sense to me why you're not getting gas into the keg. When you say you push the button on the gas line, you mean the plastic pin inside the disconnect, right? And gas flows out when you do that? The only thing I can think of is that you've got the plastic pin backwards, but then it probably wouldn't fit onto the post... I'm stumped.

Also, 25 psi is pretty strong for pushing sanitizer through a keg. Try dialing it down to 3-5 psi.

-Steve

ridd · 09-09-2009, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostalgia

I hate to ask this, but is the shutoff valve on the output side of the regulator turned on?

What if you just stick your finger in the grey quick connect and depress the little button inside? You should get gas out there.

-Joe

Yep it's on. When I push the button on the disconnect on the gas, gas comes out fine. It comes out lower pressure than the 25ish PSI the regulator says, but it still comes out...about 5 PSI lower.

I just got my tank filled today.

It's worth noting that my kit came with this little circular plastic disc attached to the regulator with a zip tie. I put that disc inside the part that fits onto the co2 tank. Bad move? Even still, gas comes out pretty strong from the gas line when I depress the plastic pin inside the disconnect...so that shouldn't be the problem :/

**conpewter** · 09-09-2009, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ridd

Yep it's on. When I push the button on the disconnect on the gas, gas comes out fine. It comes out lower pressure than the 25ish PSI the regulator says, but it still comes out...about 5 PSI lower.

I just got my tank filled today.

It's worth noting that my kit came with this little circular plastic disc attached to the regulator with a zip tie. I put that disc inside the part that fits onto the co2 tank. Bad move? Even still, gas comes out pretty strong from the gas line when I depress the plastic pin inside the disconnect...so that shouldn't be the problem :/

You put the plastic disc in the right place. Is the poppet in the post seated correctly so that it has some resistance when you push it down? Is the pin in the gas disconnect inserted the right way as SavageSteve thought?

ridd · 09-09-2009, 01:37 AM

I'm not sure what you mean by the plastic pin being backwards. The kit I got came with the gas tubing and the plastic disconnects pre-assembled, and when I push the pin inside the disconnect with a pen, gas comes out fine. I even disconnected the gas IN post from the keg and attached it directly to the gas disconnect (it was a bitch to get back off) and then pushed the pin in with the poppet removed and gas came out fine.

So it seems like the problem is that the poppet isn't being pushed down enough to let the gas run out. But the poppet depresses easily when I push down on it with a small screwdriver while it's screwed into the post on the keg, then bounces back in a spring-like manner...so I don't know why that'd be a problem. With the poppet removed I checked it as well to make sure it was clean (it's clean as a whistle) and the spring mechanism is functioning properly. Drat.

SavageSteve · 09-09-2009, 01:42 AM

The disconnects come apart for cleaning. If they came assembled, then they're probably fine.

If the poppet depresses REALLY easily, then perhaps that is the problem-- it's not offering enough resistance to push against the pin in the disconnect to allow the gas to flow. Poppets shouldn't depress very easily.

-Steve

ridd · 09-09-2009, 02:11 AM

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm racking an english pale to my keg now.

Turns out that I didn't have the disconnect attached completely to the post. I pushed down REALLY hard, but it turns out I had to push down REALLY REALLY hard, with the help of a giant wrench as leverage (don't worry, I didn't bang it). The whole "quick" disconnect concept is a bit of a misnomer it seems

I guess that's what the slot in the top is for - to use a giant screwdriver to push down really hard on it to make sure it's secure!

Thanks again.

p.s. I had to set the reg to about 20 psi to get the sanitizer to come out at a decent flow. I assume that's because everything was around room temperature by this time, right? Or do I have a faulty unit on my hands? Thanks.