CO2 regulator pressure climbing..??

I have a dual outlet CO2 regulator, and when I hook up two kegs to it and try to set the pressure to about 5 psi, it climbs up toward 10psi over night...

This is the regulator I have, 0 - 60 PSI CO2 regulator with Y and 2 - 1/4 Flare (threaded) fittings with ball valve shutoffs: www.kegkits.com

I have Rootbeer on one outlet and an American Pale Ale on the other. When I first go to the tap after a day, the pressure is near 10psi. It's set to around 5. I use the pressure relief valve on the corny, then dispense when it reaches around 5psi. The pressure doesn't increase afterwards (the rest of the evening) I come back the next day, and the pressure is back up to 10psi..

I can't figure out why it's doing this. The temp in the fridge isn't fluxuating, all my fittings are tight, regulator seems solid. There is also a check valve per outlet in the regulator, so there shouldn't be anything pushing back into the regulator...

When you keep the CO2 tank in the fridge the elastomer that is used for the regulator's diaphragm will be slower to respond to changes in output pressure when it's cold.

For example. If you have the regulator in the fridge and set to 10 psi and then you change the output pressure to 12psi, you may find that when you come back in a couple of hours that the new output pressure may be 15 psi. This "creeping" effect is due to the cold temps effecting the diaphragm. I've learned to compensate for the "creeping" effect by setting the new output pressure just slightly lower than my intended pressure. It will then creep up to my new setting after some time. Usually not very long.

Aaahh... that makes sense.


Thanks!

Hmmm I just posted on something simular to this...lol... I am having the same problem and yes my Co2 tank is inside the fridge also.. maybe I should try to do the same only mine is creaping up much higher than just 3-5psi...its going from like 8psi to 20 and 10 psi to 20;...

Hmm I have this on one regulator and my tank/regulators are external. I set the pressure on the fall rather than the rise. Once set at 10, it usually doesn't change.

I probably should swap the pressures between them.... one for soda/force carb and the other for beer...

I've noticed similar issues on my dual regulator. If I set at 10psi it will usually creep up to 12psi over night and normally stay there. I'm serving at that pressure, so that works okay for me. If I don't keep a keg hooked up to each regulator the one that isn't hooked up will creep up from zero and seems to just keep going higher over time. So, I just keep one of my three kegs on the second regulator.

If the creeping doesn't stop and even out and the thing just keeps creeping higher and higher you could have a defective regulator.

Shooter said:

If the creeping doesn't stop and even out and the thing just keeps creeping higher and higher you could have a defective regulator.

Click to expand...

Just wanted to add - continuous pressure creep can also occur if the regulator diaphragm freezes (or partially freezes). That's happened to me before.

lamarguy said:

Just wanted to add - continuous pressure creep can also occur if the regulator diaphragm freezes (or partially freezes). That's happened to me before.

Click to expand...

Good reason to keep the co2 out of the fridge/freezer.

wildwest450 said:

Good reason to keep the co2 out of the fridge/freezer.

Click to expand...

For me, it's still better to keep the CO2 tank in the fridge for (1) space reasons and (2) avoid CO2 tank temperature fluctuations (e.g., kegerator in my garage).

lamarguy said:

Just wanted to add - continuous pressure creep can also occur if the regulator diaphragm freezes (or partially freezes). That's happened to me before.

Click to expand...

YIKES! Well, I keep my temp control at 40 degrees. So, I'm hoping there aren't any pockets that are cold enough to freeze the thing.

Please read my post about the same thing!!!

Maybe if I turn my keg to 40 degree's it will unfreeze the diaphram and start working properly? what do you think... the regulator is up tawords the top of the fridge and its usually around 37-40 degree's up there anyway... I dont know I'm dumbfounded right now... I cant figure it out... I'm about to order a new regulator and have it overnighted to me and see if thats the problem and then go ap sh-t on beveragefactory.com for sending me a defective regulator....

Well, my CO2 bottle's on the floor and the regulators are right above the compressor hump. I keep the thing at 40 degrees. I don't have a fan to stir the air, but it doesn't get cold enough at the bottom of the freezer to freeze a smack pack of yeast. My temperature probe hangs down into the lower third of the unit. So, I don't think the difference is more than a few degrees.

I have a new KegCowboy regulator and an old Perlick regulator (really old) that I am using and I kept both inside with the temp at 29 degrees (don't hate - I like it cold) for many months without any problem. So this may be evidence that it is not a brand issue. Is this diaphram theory documented?

LoLa said:

I have a new KegCowboy regulator and an old Perlick regulator (really old) that I am using and I kept both inside with the temp at 29 degrees (don't hate - I like it cold) for many months without any problem.

Click to expand...

Then, either your beer is partially frozen or your thermometer (or measurement technique) is not accurate. FWIW, rubber diaphragms (all brands) exhibit a much slower response at near freezing temperature.

Well I did have two different types of thermometers with one at the bottom and one at the top (because I had heard stories about only one end or the other freezing, but the kegs were on a platform and as I remember the bottom one was always a bit colder but as I remember the top one was also at or below freezing. One of the thermometers was a digital one from walmart and the other was a walk-in freezer type with a probe.

seems like the consensus on the forum is that beer will freeze at 28 degrees - that may be where I cam up with leaving it at 29 degrees but I think I was shooting for something warmer ....ended up at 29 degrees then went to the forum (or another one) to see how this was possible. Either way the regulators had slight adjustments monthly and I didn't see any noticeable creeping or sluggishness so maybe I was just lucky. with two thermometers, even with one cheap one, I wouuldn't think they would be off by more than a couple degrees.