Kegging Q: 4 days at 20 psi, I day at 30 psi, still flat?? Why??

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jph2275

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Hey HBT,

Well on Sunday I kegged my first beer ever, an imperial Irish red ale from AHS. Everything went smoothly and I pressurized it at 20 psi Sunday night. Secondary regulator once cold was at 550 psi.

On Thursday I was sure I would have a tasty carbonated beer waiting for me when I got off of work. I anxiously came home, poured my brew into the glass ... No head ... No carbonation! Wth!!

I must admit, I sampled a glass on Tuesday at 12 psi (turned down from 20) and it had some slight head when pouring. Now ... Nothing.

Frustrated, I cranked it up to 30 psi at 6 pm Thursday and came home just now to check it a day later. No different :confused:

What am I doing wrong? I thought kegging was supposed to be easier and less hassle than bottling, but so far it's giving me more headaches!

Ps - I carbed it back to 30 psi and served a glass, all foam but once it settled at least it was "ok." Not right though ...


Help?

Patrick
 
Also ... Tested. No leaks in my system. This will make the 5th day I've been "force carbing"

I also added when kegging 2/3 of the priming sugar recommended for bottling into the keg
 
Also ... Tested. No leaks in my system. This will make the 5th day I've been "force carbing"

I also added when kegging 2/3 of the priming sugar recommended for bottling into the keg

It's not possible that at 40 degrees (fridge temps) and at 20 psi for days and days that it's not carbed. You either have a leak in the kegs/line/regulator, or your regulator is incorrect/broken. It's not possible to force gas into solution and have it not carb up. Something is very wrong.

Edit- UNLESS, somehow the gas line was disconnected during this time?
 
:confused::confused:

Crap!!!

I purchased all new equipment and as far as I can tell everything is ok. I hate this because I can't very well go to the brew store and return my regulator since I have beer that needs to be pressurized? I've always suspected my regulator ... Has a tendency to creep upwards on pressure overnight

I don't know what to do. I just put it back at 30 psi .. Got an all foam glass that rolled into settling like a Guinness being poured into a glass and it tasted "ok." Kinda flat but at least it didn't taste as bad ad it did when served at 12 psi.
 
It's not possible that at 40 degrees (fridge temps) and at 20 psi for days and days that it's not carbed. You either have a leak in the kegs/line/regulator, or your regulator is incorrect/broken. It's not possible to force gas into solution and have it not carb up. Something is very wrong.

Edit- UNLESS, somehow the gas line was disconnected during this time?

Again, thanks yooper! The gas has never been shut off ... I made sure just now that the valve is wide open
 
jph2275 said:
Also ... Tested. No leaks in my system. This will make the 5th day I've been "force carbing"

I also added when kegging 2/3 of the priming sugar recommended for bottling into the keg

You would need to keep the beer at room temp to convert the priming sugar. If you have the beer at 40F the yeast aren't going to be active to eat the sugar.

Generally you either prime with sugar. Pressurize keg to seal/purge headspace then let sit at room temp to carb. Or force carb at 40F with co2 from tank omitting the sugar addition
 
You would need to keep the beer at room temp to convert the priming sugar. If you have the beer at 40F the yeast aren't going to be active to eat the sugar.

Generally you either prime with sugar. Pressurize keg to seal/purge headspace then let sit at room temp to carb. Or force carb at 40F with co2 from tank omitting the sugar addition

Good to know ... Figured that if my keg was busted that the priming sugar I added would help out ... Wrong!
 
Instead of trying to pour, and cranking it up- try this: Set it at 30psi if your beer is at 40 degrees. Wait 24 hours. Then purge and reset to 12 psi. Pour a beer.

Which brings me to the next point. It sounds like you are getting beer out, with some foam? That makes me think that your lines are way too short, and the co2 is getting "knocked out" of suspension on the way to the glass. Try 12' of 3/16" line and I bet that makes a tremendous difference if your regulator is working properly and there are no leaks. It really sounds like you're trying to burst carb a beer fast, and using a 5' or less length of beerline.
 
Instead of trying to pour, and cranking it up- try this: Set it at 30psi if your beer is at 40 degrees. Wait 24 hours. Then purge and reset to 12 psi. Pour a beer.

Which brings me to the next point. It sounds like you are getting beer out, with some foam? That makes me think that your lines are way too short, and the co2 is getting "knocked out" of suspension on the way to the glass. Try 12' of 3/16" line and I bet that makes a tremendous difference if your regulator is working properly and there are no leaks. It really sounds like you're trying to burst carb a beer fast, and using a 5' or less length of beerline.

:mug:

I will crank to 30 psi tonight again absolutely ... I will try your test

And

Ding ding ding

You are totally right. I am using a 5' out line that the homebrew supply store sold me. I had no idea that the length of a hose mattered in any way if at all. Idk why they'd sell me such a short hose .. To save money I guess :mad:

I'm drinking my pathetic undercarbed/flat beer now. I feel the effects of it, just don't enjoy choking it down :eek: this is my last glass ( 2 total ).

I will be getting a longer hose tomorrow
 
I suppose I don't understand why a short line screws up the carbonation. Interesting ...
 
:mug:

I will crank to 30 psi tonight again absolutely ... I will try your test

Another thing you can try: if your line is at 30 psi, it's good to hear if it's dissolving into beer. So the quickest way to force carb beer is to set the psi to 30, then vigorously shake the keg for up to 5 mins. On a sealed system, all you hear is the occasional regulator/tank hissing more air into the keg. If there is some other leak, you should be hearing it (if somehow not, putting some kind of solution on every connection).
 
Also, it's important to have proper headspace to carbonate at a reasonable pace. Something like 10% headspace. In a corny, that should be easy if you're making 5gal batches. I think a corny is 5.5 gal. Also, if your beer is indeed carbonated, even with your short lines, close your valve coming out of the regulator. Slowly pull the pressure relief valve and relieve all pressure from your keg. Dial the pressure on your regulator all the way down to zero. Open the gas back up, and while opening your beer faucet/tap, slowly dial the pressure back up until you get a smooth, full stream. This is usually around 2psi.

If it still seems low in carbonation, jack your pressure up to 20psi. Shake your keg back and forth for a minute. Seriously, a full 60 seconds. Wait half an hour or so, then bleed the pressure back down, try it all over again. As long as beer is cold, I can carb a beer in half a day. It's some work, sure, and potentially means that I don't have clear beer for the first day, but these are small gripes for having beer quick!

Good luck!
 
I suppose I don't understand why a short line screws up the carbonation. Interesting ...

A short line, say 1-2 foot, will deliver keg air pressure to the tap that will allow the fluid to accelerate and thus reduce the pressure in the line, basically there is not enough resistance in the line. When you add 10 or more feet, in-fact, up to 20, the resistance along the walls of the tubing creates a back pressure if you will and slows down the flow, thus keeping the pressure on the gas up while the liquid is slow.
 
I think a corny is 5.5 gal.

I'm pretty sure a corny is 5 gallon. I normally secondary with 5 gallon carboys and then syphon off to a corny keg. If it's a good volume, the carboy will be all the way up, and then it racks right to the main lid of the corny. The batches I've had that are very close to the lid still carbonate pretty well. As long as the system is sealed, I would think the main factor is the PSI
 
This may be a silly question, do you have the co2 line open? I've forgotten to open the line and set the pressure. ( hate to admit that).
 
Yes, you need the co2 line open. You need the pressure to remain constant. If you just blast in 20# of pressure, and close the gas in line, that initial 20 # is all the co2 your beer will be able to absorb. With the gas open, you'll keep pushing co2 into solution while maintaining the appropriate head pressure to keep the co2 in the beer in solution. I've left the gas open for three days at 20psi and still not had a beer close to being appropriately carbonated. I'm a firm believer in shaking the keg repeatedly until you get the desired carbonation level, then setting your regulator at the appropriate pressure for keeping the beer properly carbonated. It's a lot of work up front, but certainly pays out it's dividends. Having ready beer in a day or so is totally worth it.
 
:mug:

I will crank to 30 psi tonight again absolutely ... I will try your test

And

Ding ding ding

You are totally right. I am using a 5' out line that the homebrew supply store sold me. I had no idea that the length of a hose mattered in any way if at all. Idk why they'd sell me such a short hose .. To save money I guess :mad:

I'm drinking my pathetic undercarbed/flat beer now. I feel the effects of it, just don't enjoy choking it down :eek: this is my last glass ( 2 total ).

I will be getting a longer hose tomorrow

Im a bit hesitant that is whats doing it though, all 4 of my party taps are on 5 foot hoses, i'd guess they are 3/8ths just looking at them although ive never taken one apart to see(LHBS has them premade so i bought them there).

Ive never had any issues serving at 8-10PSI ever....
 
Instead of trying to pour, and cranking it up- try this: Set it at 30psi if your beer is at 40 degrees. Wait 24 hours. Then purge and reset to 12 psi. Pour a beer.

Which brings me to the next point. It sounds like you are getting beer out, with some foam? That makes me think that your lines are way too short, and the co2 is getting "knocked out" of suspension on the way to the glass. Try 12' of 3/16" line and I bet that makes a tremendous difference if your regulator is working properly and there are no leaks. It really sounds like you're trying to burst carb a beer fast, and using a 5' or less length of beerline.

Ok Yooper, I tried your test/suggestion ..

I cranked my PSI to 30 Thursday night, shook the crap out of it for 1-2 minutes, let it stay that way until Saturday morning (call it 36 hours), woke up and shook the crap out of it again, went to the LHBS store to buy a 12' hose, came back in 3-4 hours, vented my pressure and got it to 10 PSI, poured a glass of highly carbonated/all foam beer. I let it sit at serving pressure until Monday, came home from work, vented my pressure, turned it down to 8 PSI, and poured a nice carbonated *very tasty* beer that produced a nice 1/2-1" foam head :mug:

This was all still using the 5' hose since I have not converted it yet. I will try later with the 12' hose.

I invited my co workers over for rounds of beer last night, all were very impressed and complimentary, they couldn't believe I brewed it :mug::rockin::D


Thank ya'll all for your help. I now love kegging.
 
This may be a silly question, do you have the co2 line open? I've forgotten to open the line and set the pressure. ( hate to admit that).

Yes, the line was on and had pressure the whole time. When you suggested that I ran and looked lol.
 
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