5lb co2 tank drained - not halfway through one keg

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nootay

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so obviously i have a leak. this is my first keg. When i got the 5lb co2 tank home, i hooked up the regulator. On the gauge that measures the amount of co2 in the tank, it measured just above the big red area. thought that was weird but i continued anyways. I hooked up the keg to 20psi, let it sit for 48 hours, and it has been at 11psi for about 2 weeks. when i first hooked everything up, i sprayed the regulator and keg to make sure there were no leaks, everything looked fine. I did not spray the tank itself as i figured it would have been test before it was sold to me (i traded my tank for an already filled tank). has anyone ever got a bad tank? or did i probably miss something on the keg/regulator?
 
I find that variations in ambient temperature can make the pressure in my 20 lb tanks vary quite a bit. I'd be interested in the recipe for that SS Oatmeal Stout Clone.
 
Is the take actually empty, or just reading near the red line. Even fresh C02 tanks will read lower than actual pressure when cold. If you have no gas left then you definitely have a leak some where.

First place to check is where the regulator attaches to the tank. There should be a plastic washer in there.

Next check all the lines, connections, fittings etc... Even a slightly loose connection will cause a slow leak.

Last place is the keg itself. The lid is a common area (you should be able to hear air if there is a leak). Sometimes the posts aren't screwed on tight or you could be missing a washer on the gas in tube or dip tube.

Good Luck
 
First place to check is where the regulator attaches to the tank. There should be a plastic washer in there.

Good advice, but depending on the regulator, there isn't a plastic washer there. My Taprite from kegconnection, for instance, doesn't have one.
 
the kit i got is this:

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=336

not sure about the plastic washer, but ill check tomorrow.

The gauge shows no pressure, and the gauge attached to the 1 keg i have now showed only about 5 psi.

i was about to fill my keg with my porter, but was going to pressure test the keg first. I went to put pressure on the tank and nothing happened. good thing i didnt fill it up first!
 
hmm, thinking back, i cant remember if i had to open the valve on the regulator when i was going to pressure test my keg. If the valve was open, but the connector wasnt connected to anything, could that be a cause of a slow leak?
 
well i got a new tank today. i dont think the guy believed a word i said. I got home, and when i hooked it up to my regulator, it read 1400PSI. When i first hooked up the last tank, it was just barely above the ORDER MORE GAS red area. Do you think the last tank was actually just about empty? The guy said they are filled and weighed so its impossible that it was almost empty. i wonder if they gave me a tank someone had already traded in
 
Every time I go, there are about 5 empties out of 10 or so. You need to twist open the valve to see if it's actually got gas in it. But over time, you get a feel for the weight of a full tank.
 
And for the posts above, you need the plastic washer unless it has a rubber o-ring on the face of the CO2 post on the regulator. CGA 320 is face sealing so if there is no plastic washer or o-ring, it will leak.
 
Depends on how long after the fill. The tank is really cold just after the fill and will obv have less pressure.

That connection from the tank to the regulator; you need to periodically check this. I'm not sure if the plastic gasket compresses or what but I've developed leaks there when there previously wasn't one several times.

A quick and easy leak test after everything is hooked up, pressurized, and temp equalized; just close the tank valve and watch the high-side gage. If it decays you have a leak. Only takes a couple of minutes.
 
Stop reading the high pressure gauge as an indicator of how full or empty the tank is. It's completely temp related until you have exactly zero co2 left. You have to weigh the tank and subtract the tare weight of the tank to know how much co2 is left.

If you leak tested the regulator and connections without connecting to a keg, all you know is that the regulator parts and connectors don't leak. Once you connect to the keg, there can be leaks between the QD and post, between the post and keg, at the lid, at the pressure relief, etc. The lid is the most likely culprit.
 
i sprayed everything today with a soap mixture. There are no signs of a leak on the lid, posts, QDs, regulator, or where the regulator hooks up to the tank. Ill wait a day and let everything get to the same temp and do it all again.

i DID find the plastic gasket in my box that i got from kegconnection. Not sure how i missed it before so i put it on this time. I sprayed everything the first time too and didnt see leaks, but did not spray again after everything cooled down. im now thinking the missing gasket plus contraction from the cooler temps in the kegerator may have been the culprit.
 
Although some people claim it is not necessary, when I was kegging I liked using a small bit of teflon tape on every threaded connection.
 
Although some people claim it is not necessary, when I was kegging I liked using a small bit of teflon tape on every threaded connection.

It's necessary on pipe threads, but it's actually a bad thing on others, including the CGA320 connection in question. It won't help one bit because the threads have nothing to do with the seal, and it'll actually make it harder to tighten down the connection. Same issue on flare fittings, it'll actually do more harm than good.
 
A quick and easy leak test after everything is hooked up, pressurized, and temp equalized; just close the tank valve and watch the high-side gage. If it decays you have a leak. Only takes a couple of minutes.

OK so i closed the tank valve last night. I left everything else hooked up. i just checked the high pressure gauge and it is almost completely bottomed out. did i leave it sit too long? i just realized your post said only takes a couple of minutes.
 
It is probably just cold, co2 turns to liquid when it gets to refrigerated temps and even a new tank can read in the red. If you had it hooked up for 2 weeks probably not a leak just a bad reading, just run it till it's dry : ) might want to keep a backup though in case you run out in the middle of a beer : P. It is a pain to let it warm up every time you want an accurate reading, maybe just let it sit at room temp after 5 kegs or so and see where your at then.
 
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