Possible kegging problem - advice?

Yesterday, I moved my two beers to kegs and put the C02 on 30 PSI. (I have a single C02 tank with a split line to the two kegs, if that's relevant.) This is the first time I've gone through the kegging process.

This morning when I looked at the regulator and kegs, I noticed two things that are interfering with the "RDW" part of the RDWHAHB process:

• The regulator now shows the PSI at 0, although there's still C02 in the tank.
• The "out" post on one of the kegs has beer on it. I previously wiped this off last night, so I know it's new.

Any advice? Is this expected? Should I have the picnic spigot thingies on the out lines to prevent leakage?

Photos:

if you're leaking from the post I'd get that fixed. You might need a new poppet. Looks like you have the same regulator I do. Mine sticks a lot. Its a pain. Sometimes tapping it or purging will fix it. Are you sure its adjusted properly?

I have noticed on mine the pressure has to equalize in the lines and kegs. If it continually drops to zero there is a problem but you may have to make adjustments initially.

Thanks - what's a poppet? (Same as the gasket or something else?)

Not sure what options there are for adjusting the regulator. We had it sitting at 30 last night, and when I came back from dinner, I noticed it'd climbed some, so I turned the front screw a bit more to lower it down to 30. Then looked at it this morning and was at 0.

I'll try purging it (should I disconnect from the kegs prior to doing that?) and see if that helps.

So I pushed the red thingie (yes, technical term!) on the regulator. No hiss. Pulled the two pins on the kegs, no hiss. Disconnected all the lines, put them back on, fiddled with the screw on front, and now it's back up to 30psi. No idea what's going on there, though. Will see if it falls again later.

So looked it again this morning, and the pressure is holding steady. However, there's more beer on the post. I presume that if it's leaking beer, it's also leaking C02... So need to replace something there, though not sure what.

Depending on who you got the keg from, the o-ring under the post could need to be changed, the poppet might be bad/wrong, or it just might not be tightened all the way down.

In order to fix the beer post, you'll need to release all the pressure from inside the keg, fix it (whatever is wrong with it) and then repressurize the keg. Test to see if it's fixed and go from there.

Also, you're carbonating outside of the fridge, at a higher psi than you'll serve at. It might be ok at 10-12psi, but not at the higher level you have it at now. When possible, chill the keg down (disconnect it from the gas while it chills) for 24 hours then connect it at serving pressure. Check the beer post after that, while under serving pressure, and see if it still leaks. If so, then once the keg is empty of beer, you can address the post issue.

Thanks, Golddiggie. I opened the keg up last night, cleaned the post out, and changed the o-ring on both the post and the one at the top of the tube inside.. Put the carbonation back on, and looked at it this morning. Post is still clean, thankfully! So I think it's good for now.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I have had leaks from the:

1. valve in the top (replace it)
2. from the posts. Confirm you have the right Post type (thread)
3. Poppet (Check to make sureyou have the correct poppet for the Post.
4. In(s) and Out(s) that they are tight, not just hand tight if they are screwed on.

How I test:

Before I put the beer in I charge the keg, lift it up, and put my ear near the top.
Spray Sanitizer and water and look for bubbles

And when I am really paranoid I charge my kegs and then turn off the gas… so if there is a leak it will not float away….

Jonobie said:

Thanks, Golddiggie. I opened the keg up last night, cleaned the post out, and changed the o-ring on both the post and the one at the top of the tube inside.. Put the carbonation back on, and looked at it this morning. Post is still clean, thankfully! So I think it's good for now.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

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Heed his other advice though, your only really supposed to be force carbing @ 30PSI if you are at fridge(35-40F ish) temperatures. If your doing it at room temp you need to be at 10-12 PSI for a week or so...

That said it IS a good idea once you put the lid on to force the seal closed on your keg by pushing in 30PSI and purging it a few times just to make sure the seal is super tight...then set to 10-12 PSI and put in the corner for a week.

FuzzeWuzze said:

Heed his other advice though, your only really supposed to be force carbing @ 30PSI if you are at fridge(35-40F ish) temperatures. If your doing it at room temp you need to be at 10-12 PSI for a week or so...

That said it IS a good idea once you put the lid on to force the seal closed on your keg by pushing in 30PSI and purging it a few times just to make sure the seal is super tight...then set to 10-12 PSI and put in the corner for a week.

Click to expand...

I think your pressure and temperatures are a bit off there... At 35-40F, you'll need very little pressure to carbonate (unless you want to do a rapid forced carbonation, with all the issues that can present). At room temp, you need a higher pressure level than when chilled. Cooler beer/liquid absorbs CO2 better than warmer liquid.

Use this chart to help figure out the pressure at temperature.