low co2 symptoms

i was racking some beer into a keg last night and went to start carbing it and i could see my regulator dip down and then SLOWLY start working its way back up to where i had it set (30 psi). i only have the serving gauge on my regulator, so other than lifting or weighing the tank, i have no way of knowing how much gas is left.

would the slow filling lead anyone to believe the tank is getting low on gas? it's a 20# tank and i'm fairly careless with how i use it (force carbing, cleaning/sanitizing, etc.), but i would have thought it would last a little longer than this... guess i need to start checking for leaks again.

the odd thing is that when i open the valve without the regulator on it, there is definitely gas left in it... i guess my question is: is there a point where the tank gets too low to have enough pressure to serve beer but there may still be SOME gas left in the tank?

thanks.

android,
in my experience, when the tank runs out it's out. If there is any gas left in the tank it will continue to push the beer, even if there is only a couple of pounds left, at least that is my experience from when I used my 5lb. tank. I now have a 20lb tank also. I haven't had to refill it since if got it. I think I have probably force carb'd and pushed beer for more than 100 gals. and the reg. still shows plenty of gas.
mark
Beer Diary...
Brew School Home Pg1

hmm... i force carbed my brown ale last night and the corny i put it in is one of those firestone ones with slightly different posts; when i went to pour some out, all that comes is foam like the keg is kicked. i know force carbing creates a lot of foam, but i even let it settle overnight, and the same thing, it's like the keg is kicked. it also seems like my other beers were pouring with less vigor than normal... i'll have to weigh the tank and see what the deal is.

new question... it seems the problem is the corny, my other kegs are dispensing fine.

i put all new seals on this keg, but something still seems amiss. the posts are not on the wrong side, the will only fit the side they are supposed to be on. however, the liquid dispensing tube seems like it sits too low, thereby not creating enough of a seal. i added an extra washer and it's better, but it still puts out beer with a lot of air mixed in... not just foam like it's kicked, but like a Guinness pour...

does anyone else own one of these firestone kegs and if so, do you need a special o-ring to go underneath the liquid out tube so it will seal with the spacer between it and the poppet?

android said:

new question... it seems the problem is the corny, my other kegs are dispensing fine.

i put all new seals on this keg, but something still seems amiss. the posts are not on the wrong side, the will only fit the side they are supposed to be on. however, the liquid dispensing tube seems like it sits too low, thereby not creating enough of a seal. i added an extra washer and it's better, but it still puts out beer with a lot of air mixed in... not just foam like it's kicked, but like a Guinness pour...

does anyone else own one of these firestone kegs and if so, do you need a special o-ring to go underneath the liquid out tube so it will seal with the spacer between it and the poppet?

Click to expand...

Im having similar problems with the same kind of keg. I have yet to find a solution so hopefully someone has one

I'd pull the Out post, poppet and dip tube. Sounds like there could be an intermittent obstruction.

malkore, that's what i thought too, however there was nothing there... i think the problem lies in the inability for the post to create a seal below it... when i added another o-ring, it improved, i think i'll add another to try raising the height of the bev tube and see what happens.