Sharing my noob mistake so you don't have to make it!

Hey everyone,

last week i was trying to figure out my loss of CO2 with my first kegged system. I had only had the gas on for two weeks before running out. I finally figured it out... and for you noob's like myself, it is such a simple mistake that I think most anyone could make.

When i first filled my 5lb CO2 tank, the person at the welding supply store told me i didn't need to tighten the connection from my guages to the tank with a wrench. He told me my hands should be able tighten it enough. So because i didn't HEAR a hiss i figured all was fine. NOPE! Turns out 600 pounds of pressure will find a way out if you don't give it at LEAST a quarter turn with a wrench to seal the pressure with the gaskets. My mistake, i should have sprayed it down to make sure! So tighten it down... don't KILL IT just give it a bit of an extra turn!

Anyhow... My new refill is holding pressure just fine in my freezer and all is good now! No big deal... a ten dollar lesson is way better then loosing my beer.

When I built my kegerator, I went through three 5lb bottles of gas before I hunted down every leak! Turns out it was a defective brass "wye" splitter, whose threads were buggered. I had been checking all of the connections I had created, and it hadn't occurred to me to check something new from the factory. Live and learn.

It's a major drag to be thinking about a cold pint all day, then getting home and finding your tank empty!

Treemind (or anyone really)...an easy quick and dirty test is to wait until the temperature has equalized throughout the 'system' (i.e. all kegs and lines)...then close the tank valve. If the high-side gage drops in pressure then you have a leak. That high-side leak will be very easily found that way.

When the supply pressure on many regulators goes down...the outlet pressure goes up. So don't be surprised if the high-side decrease in pressure is accompanied by a low-side increase in pressure.