Help me troubleshoot no carbonation in keg

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linusstick

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I've had my keg hooked up to my gas in the fridge for a week. I left the gas on to carbonate it. I went to try it today and there's not a hint of carbonation and the PSI dial is in the red area that says "Order Gas". It tastes really good so I don't want to dump it. If I have to get another CO2 canister tomorrow I will. My question is what could cause this? Should I have not left the gas on. I don't mean the twist valve on the canister but the red switch.
 
Update: I took the keg/tank out of the fridge and let it sit. Now the PSI level is not in the red any more. What the heck am I missing? Is my fridge too cold. Was I not supposed to put it in the fridge directly from the fermenter?
 
It sounds like you could just be out of gas. Unhook the canister and twist it open...if no gas comes out, you need a refill.
 
Did you make sure the lid of the keg was sealed with a good amount of pressure from the CO2 tank? If there is a small leak, it will drain a CO2 tank overnight, could be a leak at your tube connections as well. Whenever I mess with my CO2 lines I always listen carefully to the tops of the kegs and near the quick connects to make sure there aren't any leaks. Like Boleslaus said, unhook your CO2 tank from the regulator and turn it on just a bit to ensure there is gas in the tank still. Is this the first time you've used the regulator? Did you hear gas gong into the keg when you initially hooked it up?
 
Well I left the tank and keg out of the fridge overnight and the PSI jumped up to 700. Would a good way to check for a leak be getting the soapy water and putting it around the lid and gaskets? If I turn the gas off I hear noise as I do when I turn it on so I don’t think the tank is empty. My big question, though, is if the beer is still going to be OK. I can’t see why it wouldn’t (other than going from being in the fridge a week to going back to room temperature last night)
 
steinsato said:
Did you make sure the lid of the keg was sealed with a good amount of pressure from the CO2 tank? If there is a small leak, it will drain a CO2 tank overnight, could be a leak at your tube connections as well. Whenever I mess with my CO2 lines I always listen carefully to the tops of the kegs and near the quick connects to make sure there aren't any leaks. Like Boleslaus said, unhook your CO2 tank from the regulator and turn it on just a bit to ensure there is gas in the tank still. Is this the first time you've used the regulator? Did you hear gas gong into the keg when you initially hooked it up?
Click to expand...

Check out my last update and yes, it was my first time using the regulator and I did hear gas going in initially. Also if I am getting beer coming out of the tap wouldn't that indicate that there is pressure?
 
You don't need to worry about your beer. I would say it'll be fine. If the beer is flowing from your tap, yes that does indicate that you have some sort of pressure in the keg.
 
CO2 tanks always do that in the fridge! It's fine. You can keep it in the fridge. The best way to deal with that gauge is to cover it with some duct tape so you can't see it. That's how useless it is. Because co2 is a liquid, but dispensed as a gas, the tank will stay at the "order gas" line for a LONG time. Then, when the tank is completely empty, drop to "0" in a few minutes! At colder temperatures, the co2 tank will always read like it did for you. The way you tell how much gas is in the tank is to weigh it. Co2 is sold by weight, not volume.

Anyway, that's not why your beer isn't carbed. leave the tank on, and hook it up to the beer. What's the psi the regulator is set to?
 
Yooper said:
CO2 tanks always do that in the fridge! It's fine. You can keep it in the fridge. The best way to deal with that gauge is to cover it with some duct tape so you can't see it. That's how useless it is. Because co2 is a liquid, but dispensed as a gas, the tank will stay at the "order gas" line for a LONG time. Then, when the tank is completely empty, drop to "0" in a few minutes! At colder temperatures, the co2 tank will always read like it did for you. The way you tell how much gas is in the tank is to weigh it. Co2 is sold by weight, not volume.

Anyway, that's not why your beer isn't carbed. leave the tank on, and hook it up to the beer. What's the psi the regulator is set to?
Click to expand...

The regulator was set to 15psi for a week. The beer was flowing from the tap very weakly and there was no carbonation at all. I just set it to 30psi and gave it a little shake. Now when I say I set it to 30psi, I turned the dial until the gauge read 30. I leave the gas in the "full on" position. I don't hear anything going on (no leaks or no indication that there is gas flowing). I feel like I'm missing a very simple fundamental step
 
linusstick said:
The regulator was set to 15psi for a week. The beer was flowing from the tap very weakly and there was no carbonation at all. I just set it to 30psi and gave it a little shake. Now when I say I set it to 30psi, I turned the dial until the gauge read 30. I leave the gas in the "full on" position. I don't hear anything going on (no leaks or no indication that there is gas flowing). I feel like I'm missing a very simple fundamental step
Click to expand...

Turn off the gas at the tank, and pull the pressure relief valve. You should here a bit "whoosh" of air coming out. Then turn the tank back on, and you should hear the gas flow.
 

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