First time keggin, a couple questions

I went through the FAQ's bit didn't really see my questions there so here's what I'm trying to figure out. I racked my brew into my corny keg and hooked up the Co2. I could here a bit of a leak from the pressure relief valve and I even saw some StrarSan foam coming out of it. I took it apart and cleaned it but still no joy so I went to the LHBS and bought a new one. I've installed it and there is no audible leaking. However, I have been turning the valve on the gauge set off after charging to 11#. After a while (couple hours to over night) I go back and crack open the valve and I hear it charging the tank some more. Is this normal (absorption of the Co2) or is my tank still leaking somewhere?

My second question has to do with how long to keep the tank charged at the recommended pressure for my brew (2.5 volumes and sitting at 38°). Do I leave it a week and then back it down to a serving pressure or??? So far it has been charged for about 36 hours at 11psi.

Thanks for the help!

Yes, the beer is absorbing CO2. In order for the beer to carbonate you need to leave the gas on. 11 psi at 38 degrees is the serving pressure if you want it to stay at 2.5 volumes. With this set and forget method, just leave it there for 10-14 days and it should be perfectly carbed. Check all your connections with star san or soapy water to be sure there are no leaks.

1:Use some soapy water (or starsan) on every coupling and joint on the keg to see if it's leaking from somewhere or not.

2:I think this thread should help you with your second question: Force carbonating illustrated

chickypad said:

In order for the beer to carbonate you need to leave the gas on.

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This^

OK, I opened up the valve and squirted every joint & fitting with StarSan. No bubbles anywhere so hopefully that means I'm leak free. I noted the PSI in the tank and I guess I'll see what it looks like in the morning.

LarryC said:

I noted the PSI in the tank and I guess I'll see what it looks like in the morning.

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If you're talking about the high pressure gauge, that doesn't work to tell you how much CO2 is in the tank. At a given temp it will hold at the same pressure until the tank is almost empty then drop rapidly. You need to go by weight if you want to know how much is left in the tank.

chickypad said:

If you're talking about the high pressure gauge, that doesn't work to tell you how much CO2 is in the tank. At a given temp it will hold at the same pressure until the tank is almost empty then drop rapidly. You need to go by weight if you want to know how much is left in the tank.

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Thanks for the tip - I thought I could keep an eye on the HP gauge and know when I how I was doing - guess not.

So how many keg chargings and servings do you get out of a 10# tank on average?

I have 5# tanks and they're good for around 5 or 6 kegs if I recall correctly. edit: actually maybe more than that, up to 7 or 8 perhaps?

I've got a little under 5lbs left in my 20lb tank right now and I've carbed 28 kegs from it and dispensed roughly 24 or so (guessing, got multiple kegs partially full). I also occasionally purge kegs from this tank, so 8-9 kegs carbed and dispensed per 5 lbs CO2 sounds about right.

Wow, that's a lot more than I thought I'd get. Some days things come out better than you expect!