Regulator Problem?

So I just kegged my third batch of beer last week and I used the set it at 30# for 24 hrs. and then at 20# for another 24 hrs. and then purge and set to serving pressure. That all seemed to go well and the beer seemed to carb up well. My problem is this: after I set the regulator to around 9# for serving; it just keeps creeping upward. I'll go back 4 hrs. later and it's now at 35#. I'll back the regulator all the way out and purge the CO2 into another keg so the gauge reads 0. Then I slowly turn the dial until it gets back to 9#, only to find it way too high again later.

What could be causing this? Bad regulator; back pressure?

if its an older regulator, i think that the regulator is going bad. all the ones that i have had that have started creeping all developed leaks eventually. what happens is the diaphram is rubber and it cracks and shifts, and eventually instead of the pressure going up, the pressure comes out of the front of the regulator.

if its a new regulator, i have no idea whats wrong.

Waunabeer said:

... What could be causing this? Bad regulator; back pressure?

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I'm betting your beer is over carbed and when you lower the reg pressure, co² out gasses and refills the headspace.

P-J said:

I'm betting your beer is over carbed and when you lower the reg pressure, co² out gasses and refills the headspace.

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agreed. your regulator is telling you how much pressure is in that keg. if the keg is quite full AND highly carbonated, it seems reasonable for the off gassing to fill the small headspace and give you a 35 psi reading.

For this reason and others, I carbonate my beers using the set-it-and-forget-it method.

So what is the solution now? The kegs are pretty full still. I purges one of them and a ton of CO2 came out. Should I purge them and leave them off gas until ready to pour?

Thanks for the help; I'm pretty new to kegging.

Well a good way to test it is to purge the CO2, turn the CO2 from your bottle off and then see if it happens again. At that point if it happens you know it is CO2 coming out of the beer and pressurizing the system, and if it doesn't happen it is probably not the beer but something to do with your regulator.

purge, wait, repeat.