Force Carbing at Basement Temperature (yes repeat question)

Sorry for the repeat question as I am sure it is all over. I post a new thread because I have already started a force carbonation and I am second guessing what I had read a while back as to what I have recently found.

I have 2 corneys hooked up to 20 psi at around 60-65 degrees. I had read leave then hooked up for 2 days then take off and they are good until serving at around 8-12 psi.

My question is will this work? Am I supposed to pressurize them at 20 then take them off the gas? Some day 30 then 20. Some say 30 and shake it. I am confused on which is the easiest for a 2-3 day carbonation.

Thank and once again sorry

Wellllll................it wont' be carbed up in two days.

If you absolutely need two day carbonation, you need to have a much colder temperature because co2 dissolves better in a colder solution.

I'm not a fan of shaking, etc.

For MY system, at 40 degrees, I set it at 30 psi for 36 hours, then purge and reset to 12 psi for another day. In three days, it's carbed up pretty well.

At basement temperatures, 30 psi at 68 degrees will carbed up just fine but it will take about 10 days to 2 weeks.

You must leave it on the gas to carb up. The beer absorbs the co2, so you need more co2 to fill the headspace and forcing the beer to absorb the co2.

If they are at 60 it will take longer to carb. Put them in a fridge if you can. If you want carbed beer in a couple days a fridge and 30 psi. Is needed. No fridge will require about 4-6 days at 30. I think Not sure myself, never tried it. Just test a pint every day until you reach carb level then disconnect adjust regulator, purge and reconnect.

Ok thanks I am going to give 30 a try for 4 days and see what becomes of it. I do not have a fridge set up yet that I can run lines into.

Another question:

Just hooked my tank up about 2 hours ago. Read 1000 psi and now reads about 850. Is this normal with low quality gauges or do you think I have a serious leak?. I cannot hear a leak anywhere and I have barb fitting at each point with a clamp on them...

Get a spray bottle full of soapy water and spray all connects. What size CO2 tank? My stays at about 700-800 when just filled but it's a 5 lb. Test a pint at 3 days, who knows might be carbed. Remember head doesn't necessarily mean carbed. Almost Everybody on here uses 10' of beer line at 10-12 psi depending on style for serving. You could put the keg in a ice bath for now, with frozen water bottles for serving, I guess.

I will check for leaks right now. It is a 10lb tank. Tomorrow I will find a way to get them into my garage fridge.

First: IGNORE the high pressure gauge. At a given temperature, it will read the same reading until 9.95 lbs of the CO2 is gone, then it will drop suddenly. The pressure it sits at will vary depending on temperature, but will NOT vary based on how much CO2 is left until it is just about gone.

Second, 30 psi for 2 days is fridge temps, as others have said. 20ish psi at room temp means 2 weeks to carb. Punch that up to 50 PSI or so, and you might have it ready in 2 days, but I'm not sure when to stop at those pressures, as I've never tried. 20ish PSI at room temp will DEFINITELY carb them....it'll just take a couple weeks.

People that use 30psi for 24 hours to get the carbonation boosted a bit are doing so at 40F (fridge temps) and that pressure is about 3x the chart pressure. To get 3x the chart pressure at room temp, you'd be in the 60-70psi area.

Well, losing 250lbs of pressure when the temperature has remained the same...could indeed indicate a leak. If the garage is very cool, like 55 degrees, then 250psi drop is reasonable (since 450-500psi is about normal for a CO2 tank inside the fridge at 44F or so)
But if the garage is 80 degrees the tank should be close to a 1000psi on the high gauge.

You'll know for sure soon cuz if it was leaking its probably empty today.

Looks like I am just a newbie. Had it in the basement showing 800-850. Moved it up to the garage today where temps were around 90 and it jumped over 1000 psi.

Now have my two corneys in a fridge around 40 degrees so hoping 48 hours at 30 psi will get them carbed up.

38372 said:

Looks like I am just a newbie. Had it in the basement showing 800-850. Moved it up to the garage today where temps were around 90 and it jumped over 1000 psi.

Now have my two corneys in a fridge around 40 degrees so hoping 48 hours at 30 psi will get them carbed up.

Click to expand...

Sounds normal, and 48 hrs definitely will.