Keg frustration - leak - what now?

Got my first kegging setup - kegged 5 gallons and set at 28lbs @ 70 degrees. 5 lb gas tank btw.
This was Saturday.
Sunday - gauges fine - barely shake keg,it took a little gas then stopped hissing
Monday - Same
Tuesday - Tank empty. Gas gone. Keg is reading 16 lbs currently.

Now, I cannot get by to get gas till Friday ( and I will be getting a 20 lb tank - 5 gals for the birds )

My question - should I disconnect the gas QD from the keg and just let it set in the gas that is there, since I do not know where / if I have a leak?

Thanks in Advance

Get some keg lube while you are at it and lube up all the fittings... that should eliminate the leak. Or do a test with some soapy water in a spray bottle, spray on all your fittings to find your leak. Then just tape it up (if threaded), or lube the oring and you should be all set.

RiverCityBrewer said:

Get some keg lube while you are at it and lube up all the fittings... that should eliminate the leak. Or do a test with some soapy water in a spray bottle, spray on all your fittings to find your leak. Then just tape it up (if threaded), or lube the oring and you should be all set.

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OK. But in the meanwhile, do I need to disconnect the line for any reason?

I would disconnect the gas QD... if its leaking from a keg seal then your beer will slowly lose its carb. I would disconnect it and run a leak test on your kegs seals while there is still pressure in the keg. If you leave it connected and the leak is in your line or gas fittings it will still degas the keg. You do have a washer between the CO2 bottle and the regulator right? It seems a little odd that a whole 5 lb tank dumped in 4 days... that to me means its a pretty good leak... you should be able to find it easily with soapy water.

Replace ALL the gaskets, including those inside the posts. I was chasing my tail with a leak before I replaced the seals inside the posts and everything was happy.

Thanks guys - now for the follow up -

The beer in the Keg, which I cannot put more gas on till I go to town on Friday - it is fine, right? I mean in it in a bath of co2, even if it is not carbed, the keg is purged, so it's ok as it sits, right?

Then when I get my gas I'll pick up some gaskets / o rings and make a swap when I repressurize, but leave it be until then to save what gas I have in the keg, right?

Thanks for helping out a nervous Nellie - I plan to build a keezer, but this first foray is kinda intimidating now that this has happened.

Your beer will be fine. I'd do like stated above and do a very thorough leak check. I use an empty bottle of dish soap, add a squirt of soap and fill with water. Shake to make bubbles, then put it over all of your lines. But find that leak!

Star San in a spray bottle works well for finding leaks too. Just another piece of advice... prior to filling your keg with beer, clean it, sanitize it, and hit it with 30 psi and check for leaks. It's better to find a leak prior to filling it.

As long as you don't have any leaks in your system, a 5lb tank should do you fine. One 5lber lasts me about 4-5 corny kegs which includes purging before filling, force carbing, and dispensing.

shimbii said:

Star San in a spray bottle works well for finding leaks too. Just another piece of advice... prior to filling your keg with beer, clean it, sanitize it, and hit it with 30 psi and check for leaks. It's better to find a leak prior to filling it.

As long as you don't have any leaks in your system, a 5lb tank should do you fine. One 5lber lasts me about 4-5 corny kegs which includes purging before filling, force carbing, and dispensing.

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This I did - Now that I have removed the bottle - I *think* i made boneheaded move and did not tighern the reuulaor enough, and must have bumped it shaking the keg, loosing the seal.

New guys make all the dumb mistakes I guess

I got a new tank and when I filled it up after losing it all in a couple of days, the guys at the refill place gave me a different washer for the regulator.

I've also visually inspected ALL connections, replaced all rubber parts (except the poppets, they looked real good, and applied a light coat of lube to all rubber seals. Afterwards, I spray with starsan and watch for bubbles. I've even made a dam with tape around the QDs to make sure they weren't leaking.

My problem has been that after getting cold enough, one of me QDs would leak gas. I swapped it for a new one and haven't had a problem since.