Kegging Frustrations

To check for leaks I have done the following:

-Pressurized the full keg and let it sit overnight. It still held pressure the next day
-Pressurized the system from the CO2 tank the the gas in quick disconnect to 20PSI. I then shut the gas off. The regulator still read 20 PSI.
-Sprayed everything with soapy water and checked for bubbles. No bubbles.

I thought this meant I was ok, so I hooked up the whole system and put everything in the fridge. This morning I checked it and the pressure on the CO2 tank was down to 600 (from 800). My understanding is that this pressure only drops when the CO2 tank is almost empty and since my tank was new this means I went through a lot of CO2 overnight and must have a leak. (Refridgerating the tank and regulator wouldn't cause the gauge to drop, would it?)

So by process of elimination, I guess there is a leak somewhere between the gas in disconnect and the keg. The only thing I can think of is the washer. Could it be anything else?

I'm sick of trying to keg. It seemed like a good idea when I started, but it has been nothing but a headache. One little thing ( a $0.70 washer) goes wrong and you end up burning through a 5lb tank of CO2.

You're good. The pressure reading dropped from the cold.

If you took it out of the fridge the reading will rise again.


So you're from Mellencamp country, huh? I visited Bloomington once. Nice college town. I had to go to Camp Attabury to train some NG guys.

HB is right on the money. That freaks a lot of people out. I put my CO2 tank in the fridge back in September and it fell to a 1/4 inch above the red empty line and has been working fine ever since.

Put your tank on a scale. That's the only way to know how much liquid CO2 you have in there.

homebrewer_99 said:

You're good. The pressure reading dropped from the cold.

If you took it out of the fridge the reading will rise again.


So you're from Mellencamp country, huh? I visited Bloomington once. Nice college town. I had to go to Camp Attabury to train some NG guys.

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I have to heat my N2O take in my car to get the pressure back up. :rockin:

I just want to clear up a possible misconception. There's no benefit to leaving the CO2 tank warm. Your regulator doesn't care if the primary pressure is 800PSI or 50 PSI. You're not getting ripped off or anything.

Mine did the same thing at first and has set just right above the red for about 4 months now. No worries....KEG ON!!!!!

That's a relief! Thanks guys!

Actually, I should have realized it was ok when I didn't asphyxiate from a burst of CO2 when I opened the fridge.

Kegging has been annoying so far and I was afraid this was another just another thing that went wrong.

homebrewer_99 said:

So you're from Mellencamp country, huh? I visited Bloomington once. Nice college town. I had to go to Camp Attabury to train some NG guys.

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Yeah, I love Bloomington. The only thing wrong with is that it is so freakin hot/humid in the summer.

robnog said:

That's a relief! Thanks guys!

Actually, I should have realized it was ok when I didn't asphyxiate from a burst of CO2 when I opened the fridge.

Kegging has been annoying so far and I was afraid this was another just another thing that went wrong.




Yeah, I love Bloomington. The only thing wrong with is that it is so freakin hot/humid in the summer.

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I know. I'm only a couple hours west near the Quad Cities in IL.

we really need to make a FAQ of sorts. i've seen this issue come up way too many times now. do we have a mod here that can either create a FAQ, or somehow to submit a FAQ?

It can go in the wiki.

homebrewer_99 said:

I know. I'm only a couple hours west near the Quad Cities in IL.

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I went to school in Ft. Wayne. Does that count?

robnog, any time you need some help checking out your system shoot me an e-mail through the list server I can come over anytime, or House, he is a guru with that sh*t.

Cheers

wop31 said:

robnog, any time you need some help checking out your system shoot me an e-mail through the list server I can come over anytime, or House, he is a guru with that sh*t.

Cheers

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Thanks, I'll do that. It just seems like there are so many little things could go wrong. I'm sure once I get comfortable it will be ok, I just have to get to that point.

gnef said:

we really need to make a FAQ of sorts. i've seen this issue come up way too many times now. do we have a mod here that can either create a FAQ, or somehow to submit a FAQ?

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Can't guarantee anyone will read them...