New Kegerator CO2 leaking?

Anyone had this issue? I got a kegerator for xmas and my father in law hooked up all the lines before I arrived.. all worked fine for a christmas party (but that was only one night). Since bringing it home, i hooked it up with a full CO2 tank set to 10psi on a keg of mich ultra (for the mrs.ionlydrinklightbeer). Anyways, after about a week of it carbing and chilling, pulled the first pint only to notice the keg was flat and my new tank has completely bled to zero pounds.

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of the "stock" regulator or CO2 lines and clamps supplied, they dont seem like anything that would hold an airtight seal, but I cant swear that was the issue.

Anyone had issues with the supplied regulator, lines or clamps? Could there be any other leak sources? Perhaps the keg tap is not sufficient?

I was thinking to be on the safe side, i would head down to the LHBS and get a new regulator and supply line before filling the tank again. Was also thinking about getting a new keg tap, but dont want to spend that money unless I have to...

I'll take what I can get for advice!

Guess I'll stick to my homebrew and keezer in the meantime, while I sort this out.

Are you sure it is the system and not your keg leaking around the lid or posts? I had the same problem with my keg setup the first time I hooked it up. I had to put keg lube around the lid to get a tight seal.

The keg was a commercial 1/6 barrel from a beer store and it had keg lube around the tap so I doubt that was the issue.

Is there an O ring between the regulator and the tank? Looks like a washer, is sometimes plastic or cardboard, and is usually attached to the tank.

I will pull the tap and check it out tonight. If you think of anything else, please post up!

i had a similar problem-a leak i couldn't locate. i went to the "charger and disconnect" method just for peace of mind.

Mix some dish soap and water in a small cup. Make sure it is pretty soapy. Take a rag or paper towel and dab the soapy water over any connections. You will start hearing any leaks and should see bubbles where it is leaking.

I just built a four regulator setup. Found three leaks this way. It has been in the fridge for a week now and I still have a heavy tank, so I think I'm in the clear.

You can also mix a bottle of Starsan solution up and spray all points with it. Pretty handy in finding leaks.

UPDATE 3/3/12

I pulled the tap and checked for the washer, i didnt see any place for anything that was missing, but any pictures of this would be GREATLY appreciated. However, I have wrench tightened EVERY connection, Teflon taped each connection, and sprayed a soapy water solution on every CO2 connection. No signs of leaks, but the fresh CO2 tank has gone from full to the red (not empty but down around 250psi) in one week, but oddly enough after a three days from tightening it all down and leak testing, there was no change.. so this massive drop in pressure has come along within the last 4 days.

Suggestions? My last line of effort is to hopefully identify whatever gasket that is between the tap and the keg, add it if necessary or head down to the LHBS for a new regulator, CO2 line and tap. Dont want to spend money on a whole new regulator setup but this is getting frustrating. I also took the regulator apart, pulled the cover off, took the spring and seat out, then opened up the CO2 to see if it would leak but no luck.


Heres a few pictures of the tap and what i assume are all 3 gaskets:







What concerns me is in the first picture... it looks like metal shavings (the goldish specs) maybe i found gold! j/k, but seriously that concerns me.

Thoughts?

anyone?? Im going nuts here. One freakin' keg and im about to hook up my 3rd CO2 tank!

Could it be the keg itself? Would Keglub be a fix? Should I cave and replace the entire regulator and CO2 hose assembly?

Yes keg lube could be a fix but if it was the keg seal then you will hear it leaking out. Are you jacking the pressure up to 30 at first while pulling up on the lid? Is it leaking from the pressure relief valve? Do you only have one keg, or is there another you can try?

Also the gasket would be between the regulator and co2 tank not the tap and the keg. My tanks usually come with one when I get them filled.

Does the pressure go back up if you take the tank out if the fridge and let it warm up? Or is the tank fully depleting? Don't go by the regulator high pressure gauge, it is not accurate when cold. You can really only go by weight.

fyi, he's running a single Sanke keg. I doubt keg lube is going to do a heck of a lot to improve the coupler seal.

As well, he's gone through 3 cylinders of CO2 in short order. Unless the refill company is ridiculously unscrupulous, I'd say he has an actual leak...

Cheers!

I have two kegs. One is a corny with its own tank and regulator system; it is in its own keezer. The one in question here is a sanke keg with its own tank and regulator system. On this kegerator, the tank and regulator sits behind the kegerator so the tank stays at room temp, yes I have confirmed that the tank pressure reading is close to accurate as the tank is truly bleeding out. It was reading full at 700psi (room temp). I bought several tanks from the co2 supplier now and the one I put on my corny keg is still doing fine on pressure, so I can't blame the supplier.

In regards to the comment of blasting with pressure and pulling on lid.... That doesn't apply to this keg due to the tap design.

So again, thoughts?

Oh fer &#%@$*^!!! Swap the tank/regulator sets!

Cheers!

BrewPirate said:

Mix some dish soap and water in a small cup. Make sure it is pretty soapy. Take a rag or paper towel and dab the soapy water over any connections. You will start hearing any leaks and should see bubbles where it is leaking.

Click to expand...

This +1 . . . is the secret. Kids bubbletime works wonders. I give every connection and keg seal the once over every time I add a new keg to the fridge. I'd guess that every third keg has a slight seal issue. . .

srl135 said:

UPDATE 3/3/12
However, I have wrench tightened EVERY connection, Teflon taped each connection, and sprayed a soapy water solution on every CO2 connection.

Click to expand...

When you say "every connection", what do you mean? I would literally soap up the regulator itself, the sanke tap, the whole top top of the keg . . . everything. Basic Co2 connections are fine, and are often the culprit, but you've apparently soaped these. The CO2 has to be going somewhere.

Good luck! Been there before and there's nothing more frustrating than having $$$ leak away . . .

Edit:: that was NOT the fix.

How important is that little rubber whistle looking thing that attaches at the tap side of the co2 line? Because as I was unhooking things to tear it all apart and dunk the whole system in the bathtub, I saw that little bastard in a plastic bag in the back of the kegerator (tucked behind the shield). I knew what it was right away but previously figured mine must not have come with one. I wasnt around when my father in law and his buddy who has a kegerator hooked it all up for a christmas eve party so I assumed it was all done correctly since this was my first experience with a Sanke keg (other than college parties). Anyways, I added it to the CO2 line now and robbed my precious homebrew of its co2 tank (it's fully carbed so no worries). Anyone know If that is my most likely culprit or if I should still dunk it.

I really don't want to dunk it because I have to drag all of it up from the basement to my top floor of this townhouse to get to the bathtub... That would suck.

Edit:: Here is the little guy in question -


After looking this seems to me like the OBVIOUS leak since it is named a check valve and all.. lol

FINAL RESOLUTION! FIXED!!!! Lo and behold, I had to dunk the tank and regulator only to find out the regulator was leaking from the gas inlet tube from the tank. Wasn't nearly tight enough from the factory.

Glad to hear it! Leaks are not fun, especially one that burns through tanks like that. Now go and taste your success...