Tips for co2 in fridge?

I am putting my 5lb co2 tank in my fridge.. anything i need to know when doing this?
Should the tank not touch that plate on the back of the 4912?



on a side note, when i was making that 5 1/2 inch wood for the top of the 4912, i went to lowes and got a 1/2" x 6 x 6 peice of craft wood for 2 bucks. I cut the wood, and what was left made a nice shelf for the co2 tank in the back...

When putting the tank in the fridge, the regulator tends to get a bit finicky.

First, because of the low temperature, if you have a high pressure gauge (reads the tank pressure directly), you'll notice the tank pressure will drop dramatically from what it was at room temperature. That's not a problem, and your tank isn't magically empty - it's just a function of storing the gas at a lower temperature.

Second, you'll probably find that the regulator is a bit slower to react to pressure adjustments, so you'll probably have to spend some time "fine tuning." Make an adjustment, close the fridge, and leave it alone for half an hour. Come back and see if your adjustment was correct. Repeat this process until you have the desired outlet pressure. The reason for this is that the rubber diaphragm that makes up about 1/2 of the working parts inside is now cold and a bit stiff, so your tendency will be to overshoot your target because the outlet pressure is "lagging behind" a bit.

Oh, and don't worry about touching the back of the fridge.

The only other problem I can think of is to remember to check high-pressure gauge occasionally. It will be lower inside the kegger than at room temperature, but once it hits the red-zone it's still about out. Mine was in the back of the kegger & I ran out twice. Wasn't a big deal since I have two tanks, but the ales were all flat & had to re-carb.

does that mean that i am going to get less co2 out of the tank in the fridge then at room temp?

aekdbbop said:

does that mean that i am going to get less co2 out of the tank in the fridge then at room temp?

Click to expand...

No, it does not mean that at all. All it means is that due to the lower temperature in the fridge the pressure in the tank will be lower. There is a direct pressure/temperature relationship with a gas that has been compressed to exist in a liquid/vapor state. The pressure will stay the same, at a given temperature, until all of the liquid has been vaporized. Once only vapor exists the pressure will drop rapidly. Once again, here is a chart that shows the pressure/temperature relationship for CO2.