Leaving the Gas On = Playing with Fire?

Bopper · 07-21-2009, 10:31 PM

I have always left my kegs on gas at either 30 psi for carbing or at serving pressure at all times (CO2 tank open full with regulator controlling the pressure). I have never worried about this, however, there have been a handful of threads popping up lately discussing leaks on the liquid side (poppet, QD, faucet, etc.) which have made me think twice about this. By leaving the gas on 24/7, am I setting myself up for coming home to a keg which has leaked all over my living room? I mean, eventually the poppets and quick disconnects are going to fail...

Am I playing with fire by leaving the gas on all the time, especially when I am away from the house for longer periods of time (e.g. away for the weekend or on vacation for a week)? Should I be replacing working keg parts on a regular basis as opposed to just inspecting the kegs and connects when I fill the kegs?

It's obviously necessary to leave the kegs on gas while force carbonating but after a keg is carbed I guess I could keep the gas off and just turn it on in order to recharge the kegs with CO2 often enough to maintain carbonation and serving pressure. That just seems like a PITA (albeit a small PITA). I also think it would be more difficult to maintain consistent carbonation.

My gut tells me that most people are like me and leave the gas on all the time but I'm worried about the day this is going to come back to haunt me. 5 gallons of beer will surely wreak havoc on my wood floors. What do you do? Am I playing with fire?

The Pol · 07-21-2009, 10:36 PM

Well, my gas has been on for over a year...

Leave it on.

You NEED to get a spray bottle, fill it with StarSan and spray it on all of your connections. It will bubble and show you if you have even the smallest leaks.

Bopper · 07-21-2009, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pol

Well, my gas has been on for over a year...

Leave it on.

You NEED to get a spray bottle, fill it with StarSan and spray it on all of your connections. It will bubble and show you if you have even the smallest leaks.

Thanks, Pol. I tend to agree with leaving it on - I'm just worried that one of these days I'm going to "blow a gasket."

I do have a spray bottle and check for leaks every time I move or change kegs or connections. My system has been leak free (knock on wood) except for one connection issue when I first set it up. I am more worried about a sudden catastrophic leak. I know that spraying down connections and checking for small leaks helps to mitigate that risk, however, there's still risk of a large leak developing when I am away despite my precautions.

The only way to make that risk disappear completely is to turn off the gas but I think that's probably overkill. Just wondering what others are doing.

The Pol · 07-21-2009, 10:47 PM

I used to date a girl that would unplug everything when she left her house, I mean she asked me about turning off the gas when she left to. WTF... dont be like her, she was CRAZY!

Bopper · 07-21-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pol

I used to date a girl that would unplug everything when she left her house, I mean she asked me about turning off the gas when she left to. WTF... dont be like her, she was CRAZY!

hahaha - Now that's funny.

I hope I'm not coming across as paranoid, I just want to be sure I'm not in the minority as far as leaving the CO2 on. I always looked at this as pretty much a non-issue, akin to being worried about being struck by lightning, however, recent threads on HBT about liquid side leaks made me second guess myself.

**HenryHill** · 07-21-2009, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pol

I used to date a girl that would unplug everything when she left her house, I mean she asked me about turning off the gas when she left to. WTF... dont be like her, she was CRAZY!

The Pol may know more about electrical than I, after all he built an electrical brewery, but I know that there has been a warning of unplugging toasters and that sort of thing for decades, as the switch can fry and allow the appliance to turn on and cause fires. May never happen to you, but...

Then again, my wife is the opposite and no matter how many times I remind her to turn of a light or unplug an appliance or wash hands and utensils to not cross contaminate, guess what.

Leave the CO2 on.

McKBrew · 07-21-2009, 11:59 PM

I had a liquid leak once, luckily it was in a chest freezer. Still I always left the gas on in my refrigerator as well. Leave it on. Make sure your connections are tight.

The Pol · 07-22-2009, 12:45 AM

If you have a liquid side leak, that should be obvious right?

McKBrew · 07-22-2009, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pol

If you have a liquid side leak, that should be obvious right?

You would think so. I didn't open the keezer every day. I noticed a few drips one day and didn't think much of it. A week later I noticed my gas was empty (it's on the outside) and a beer swimming pool inside. Two gallons of beer in a cold keezer isn't fun to clean up.

Brewin_CRAZY · 07-22-2009, 01:00 AM

I couldnt agree more with pol. Just check for leaks when you hook everything up. If there are no leaks then they shouldnt just appear later. Leaks always come from bad connections, o-rings, the usual stuff but almost always happen right when they are connected. Spray some starsan or soap on all your connections and you should be good to go.
If you are really paranoid you can use some of the food safe grease, so far I have never used it and never sprung a leak. Just keep your o-rings in good condition and you should be good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McKBrew

You would think so. I didn't open the keezer every day. I noticed a few drips one day and didn't think much of it. A week later I noticed my gas was empty (it's on the outside) and a beer swimming pool inside. Two gallons of beer in a cold keezer isn't fun to clean up.

OUCH!!! Hey at least it was contained and not all over the floor!