Regulator problem - creeps up to 60 psi!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dougf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
211
Reaction score
2
I bought a single keg setup from kegconnection about 3 months ago and just recently have been having a problem.. I rack my beer to a keg, purge, set my regulator on 10psi, and the next morning when I wake up the pressure guage reads 60 - 80psi, sometimes all the way around.

one time I came out to my fridge and foam was being pushed out of my picnic tap the pressure was so high! :confused:

I slowly adjust the screw until it hits 10psi, then leave it, but routinely come back to see this :(


I have taken it apart several times, cleaned everything, put it back together, it seems to work fine again but goes back to being weird in a day or two...

I read somewhere that if you install the regulator and turn the gas on the tank open when the regulator is 'set', then unregulated pressure will blow the gauge, think this could have been the issue?
 
As an add-on, took it apart and blew everything out with compressed air. There was a couple small shavings in there, wiped everything down, seems to be working fine now... Will have to see. Ordered the Chudnow Regulator Rebuild Kit from kegconnections so well see what transpires. Ill keep this thread updated in case someone has the same issue.
 
Update. After taking apart and blasting with canned air, cleaning and wiping, have no more issues. Further searching found this about creeping pressure:

Creep Test - Regulator creep is a phenomenon in which delivery pressure rises above a set point. Creep can occur in two ways. The first is due to changes in the motion of the regulator springs when gas flow is stopped. When flow has stopped, the springs must move to a new position of equilibrium, causing a slight increase in delivery pressure. This type of creep may be thought of as the opposite of droop. The second and more insidious type of regulator creep is caused by foreign material being lodged between the poppet and seat, thus preventing tight shut-off. The result is that inlet and delivery pressure can equalize across the regulator, exposing all tubing and instrumentation to the inlet pressure. Regulator creep as a result of seat failure due to foreign material is the single most common cause of regulator failure. In order to prevent costly damage to the gas delivery system and the instrumentation it serves, care must be taken to ensure that regulator connections are capped to protect against ingress of dirt or foreign material. Tubing should also be flushed or blown clean to remove any foreign matter. A pressure relief valve should be installed downstream of the regulator as additional protection against creep.

To creep test, isolate the downstream side of the regulator by closing the regulator outlet valve, instrument valve or process isolation valve. Close the regulator by turning the adjustment knob counterclockwise until it reaches stop or rotates freely. Slowly turn on the gas supply. When the regulator inlet gauge registers full cylinder delivery pressure, shut off the gas supply. Turn the regulator adjusting knob clockwise until delivery pressure gauge reads approximately half of scale (i.e. 50 psi (3 bar) on a 100 psi (7 bar) gauge). Close the regulator by turning the adjustment knob counterclockwise until it rotates freely or reaches the stop. Note the reading on delivery pressure gauge. Wait 15 minutes and recheck the setting on delivery pressure gauge. If any rise in delivery pressure is detected during this time, the regulator is defective. Remove and replace.

Also, those with Chudnow style regulators can order a rebuild kit here: http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=344

Per the kegconnection website:
You get the diaphragm and cartridge for complete regulator overhaul. This will eliminate air seeping from the weep hole and pressure creep up (as indicated on your low pressure gauge). Replacing these two items should fix virtually any issue with a Chudnow regulator.
 
Update: After further problems with regulator creep I took my regulator apart one more time and found the culprit.

chudnowREGcartridge.jpg


The O-ring in my regulator cartridge had a small tear in it which caused leakage and pressure creep. After taking off my old O-ring(broke in the process) I took it to Lowes and purchased a small box of #6 O-rings in the plumbing department. The O-rings had the following dimension: 7/16OD X 5/16ID X 1/16th thick.

After $2.00 in parts, my regulator is back to new with no problems. I would advise anyone with regulator problems to take a step back, relax, and inspect every single part that could be at fault, with compressed gas it only takes one small issue to cause a big problem. Just thought I would update for anyone in the future who searched for the same problem I had. Good luck!
 
Thanks guys. I have been able to find so much by just searching. I kind of view this site as an information archive. The more information and articles the better!
 
Hi, this is Todd, the owner of Kegconnection. I was looking up the Chudnow regulator on search engines and came across this post. If you ever have an issue with a regulator purchased from Kegconnection this is something we would consider part of the Warranty. Call us and let us know you purchased the regulator from us and what issue you are having. If it is creeping it is usually the cartridge, but it can also be the oring (as was the case here). I was amazed at dougf's efforts in tracking down this issue. This is a very rare cause and I am going to share this with my employees! Thanks for such a great posting. If we can ever be of assistance in troubleshooting a regulator don't hesitate to call or email us. My direct number is 512-749-7713 and my direct email is [email protected] This is a very good regulator and it has been a real workhorse for us!
Thanks,
Todd
 
just stumbled across this thread. i always thought my regulator creep was normal.... guess not! any tips for taking it apart? it's an old regulator i got from a dude on craigslist, so i'm not terribly concerned about messing anything up, but any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Hi, this is Todd, the owner of Kegconnection. I was looking up the Chudnow regulator on search engines and came across this post. If you ever have an issue with a regulator purchased from Kegconnection this is something we would consider part of the Warranty. Call us and let us know you purchased the regulator from us and what issue you are having. If it is creeping it is usually the cartridge, but it can also be the oring (as was the case here). I was amazed at dougf's efforts in tracking down this issue. This is a very rare cause and I am going to share this with my employees! Thanks for such a great posting. If we can ever be of assistance in troubleshooting a regulator don't hesitate to call or email us. My direct number is 512-749-7713 and my direct email is [email protected] This is a very good regulator and it has been a real workhorse for us!
Thanks,
Todd

Todd, thanks for the reply, and sorry for the late post! My job has taken me out of state for the month of August. Ive always heard you guys are very open and willing to work with customers, we all really appreciate it very much. I will most likely order a couple replacement cartridges from you guys soon to keep on hand, thank you for the offer.

android: I only have experience with the regulator stated... I would search for some schematics and take it apart slowly over a clean white towel and see what may need to be replaced or cleaned. Good luck!
 
forgot to update, i took mine apart, clean it a bunch and put it back together, it seems to be holding pressure for the time being.
 
I was going to make a post similar to this and then decided to search. I've got a pretty old/beat-up regulator I got on freecycle.org and i see a little bit of pressure creep up to about 20psi when i have it set to 8-10psi.

I'll disassemble it tonight... anywhere I can look for step-by step instructions on disassembling a regulator?

Thanks!
-Mark
 
Back
Top