How much CO2 will a keg absorb?

I hooked my keg up to my CO2 tank right after the keg was filled. I set the regulator at 12psi, opened the valve on the tank and then closed it once the keg equalized.

I haven't confirmed yet if my connection from regulator to keg is still leaking. There was 800 PSI in the short little connection from regulator to CO2 tank and after 24 hours the pressure was down to around 8psi. Does this seem right? Would the beer absorb this much CO2 right off the bat?

Until I confirm whether or not my connection leaks I dont' really want to leave the tank on all night. I don't feel like blowing $20 on a refill so soon. Not to mention for $20 I could buy new connections and a keg rebuild kit.

Trenchant said:

Would the beer absorb this much CO2 right off the bat?

Click to expand...

In 24 hours? Absolutely. Especially cold, flat beer. There's only a tiny volume at 800psi inside the regulator. You can repeat the experiment without the keg hooked up to check for leaks up to the disconnect.

What I did before was I pressurized both of my empty kegs to 20 psi and let them sit for a week. They both held pressure. In the same time I left the regulator with pressure on it but not connected to anything. It held pressure as well.

So I guess if my post washers are good I should be holding pressure fine? The kegs on the cold basement floor so it will be around 15 degrees celsius.

You really shouldn't have your CO2 tank sideways like that. You'll ruin your regulator that way.

Not to mention the keg. That'll start spritzing with half a keg left.

How tight is the regulator on the tank? It has to be more than hand tight or it will leak. You could take a bowl of water and put some soap in it. Then pour some of that over the regulator connections or anywhere you think it could be leaking. You will see bubbles form at the leak. If you listen really close you should be able to hear anything but the smallest leaks.

The headspace pressure in the keg MUST dissolve into the beer or you wouldn't have carbonation. Assuming you have 5 gallons in there, the headspace pressure would hit about 1.2psi before stopping. Anyway, the leak test method you're using is inconclusive.

The headspace in a full keg is tiny, 1-2 quarts at most. A regulator doesn't hold much CO2 either, so your pressure drop is nominal.

To test the regulator-keg line: remove the line from the keg, pressurize the line, close the tank valve and wait. If it doesn't hold pressure, 95% chance the regulator-tank nut isn't tight enough or you have a bad washer.

I tightened the regulator onto the tank with a wrench and I put it pretty tight. It's also got one of the nylon washers in the connection.

I'll do the soapy water test later today. I checked it this morning and its holding pressure again.

My brother had around 10 people over last night and they were all sitting beside the tank. I'm thinking one of them might have lifted the pressure relief ring.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/co2-pressure-reduction-leak-just-carbing-100261/

you can take a peek at my worry wart thread.