how long should CO2 last?

I just went into my keezer tonight to find all my gauges empty. The tank's got nothing. I bought it like 4 months ago, but it's really only been hooked up to two beers the first two months and 3 beers the last month. It's the big 50 lb tank.

I don't ever hear a leak nor feel one. I can't imagine a huge tank being this short lived though.

If that gas bottle was only one tenth full to start, it should still have some gas left after that little service. My puny five pound tank on my six faucet keezer will dispense a good 10 kegs or more before it's time to refill it. And the equally puny five pounder for my carbonation station will carb up at least six kegs before that one needs to be refilled.

You definitely have a major leak somewhere...

Cheers!

My 20# lasts well over a year.. Certainly depends on your usage but yeah i would suspect a small leak. A spray bottle with soapy water or star san is good to fin leaks. Check every connection carefully.

I never heard anything or saw gauge needles fall. After refilling it, Should I put silicone around all my gauge assembly connections, like where the pipes meet the bodies and so forth?

just realized i mistyped. 20# not 50

mendozer said:

I never heard anything or saw gauge needles fall. After refilling it, Should I put silicone around all my gauge assembly connections, like where the pipes meet the bodies and so forth?

just realized i mistyped. 20# not 50

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No, silicone isn't want you need. Check out all the o-rings on the kegs, those are usually the first thing to go. I agree with smashed4, spray it down with star san and look for bubbles. If the keg is sealed tight, check out your disconnects, barbs, etc. It's less likely that it's coming from the regulator (assuming you bought it already assembled), so I'd check everything else first.

You won't hear a slow leak, and you won't see the gauge fall unless you shut the tank off and watch the delivery gauge.

my 5 pounder will carb and fill 10 or more kegs

The best way to find the leak is to buy a bottle of liquid gas leak detector: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/NUCALGON-Liquid-3CFR3

I use one made by HIGHSIDE CHEMICALS & it will show even the smallest leak imaginable.

Hope this helps.

P-J said:

The best way to find the leak is to buy a bottle of liquid gas leak detector: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/NUCALGON-Liquid-3CFR3

I use one made by HIGHSIDE CHEMICALS & it will show even the smallest leak imaginable.

Hope this helps.

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+1 Get a handy spray bottle of any liquid that foams. Spray it on any fittings and if you see bubbling/foaming occurring you have found your leak. 50# tank should not be emptying that quickly.

malevolent said:

+1 Get a handy spray bottle of any liquid that foams. Spray it on any fittings and if you see bubbling/foaming occurring you have found your leak. 50# tank should not be emptying that quickly.

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I agree, however, StarSan or soap water won't really show the very small leaks.

Strange.... I waited all day yesterday until after the kids went to sleep at 11pm. Washed out a tall imperial pint glass. Dried it with great vigor and was all excited as I walked down to the 1st floor to find my tap not gushing golden liquid. First thought was frozen keg line. Nope! Gas was empty. I have a leak to find now as this was my first kegged batch on a fresh 2.5lb bottle.

Side note: called around and found a welding supply company to swap out my alum 2.5 bottle for a 5# alum bottle for $25 (pre-filled). Silverlinning? Me think so.

NoRoom4Error said:

Side note: called around and found a welding supply company to swap out my alum 2.5 bottle for a 5# alum bottle for $25 (pre-filled). Silverlinning? Me think so.

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Nice. I wish I could find a deal like that to swap a 5lb for a 20.

as for my gas assembly, i built it myself with separate bodies and pipes. i used teflon on everything though. I'll try that today with the starsan.

aha! twas a leaky gas release valve on the lid (poppet i guess). even after i tightened it, it was slow. I did a transfer into an extra keg. Are these just swap-out parts easy to fix?

i also noticed the poppets on the gas in and liquid out were funky. But when i pushed it in with my finger they straightened out

Sometimes those things just get a bit gunked up over time. You can remove them inspect and clean as necessary. Sometimes the springs just wears out.

i think its the spring since it was squeaky clean

Midwest Supplies sells them for $13. I'm sure other place do as well. Here's a link for MW.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/pressure-relief-valve-cornelius-ball-lock-kegs.html

You can get them for $5 at kegconnection. If you order by phone you can have them ship it in a small manila envelope which is cheaper than standard shipping. For small parts, shipping costs more than the part sometimes.

son of a B! i just ordered one from ebay for $11 incl shipping. oh well, now I know for future reference

BBL_Brewer said:

You can get them for $5 at kegconnection. If you order by phone you can have them ship it in a small manila envelope which is cheaper than standard shipping. For small parts, shipping costs more than the part sometimes.

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This is great info BBL. I've been nursing a few along for awhile now not wanting to pay $13 a piece for them. Thanks!