Maybe something wrong with my regulator?

Hey everybody,

Got my kegerator conversion done today, finally! Pics to follow soon.

However, for now it seems I might have a slight issue with my regulator. It never used to to this and just started today when I hooked it up to a keg full of StarSan to clean the lines. The guage that indicates the pressure in the keg just keeps climbing, even with the regulator dial all the way on minimum and I can hear gas flowing. Of couse this stops when I turn the main valve all the way to "off" but with even a little bit of gas going the pressure just keeps climbing and climbing. In the past it would stop when I wanted it to, using the +/- dial. Did the same thing after I connected it to a keg of beer, just kept climbing, so I waited for it to get to 12PSI and turned the whole thing off.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Nick

Try this: close the cylinder valve, and discharge any pressure still in the path through the regulator and its outflow port. Then set the regulators to zero (that's turning the screw or knob counter-clockwise). Finally, open the regulator valve, and start turning the regulator clockwise until the pressure climbs to your desired setting.

It's possible you tripped the tank's safety valve, and the above should reset it...

Cheers!

Thanks day trippr....just tried that and to no avail...pressure still keeps climbing.
I just need to figure out if it's my set up or my regulator that's responsible. The regularot is kind of cheap...the control valve/knob that sets the PSI in the keg just feels really cheap...there seems to be more "play" in the knob than what I felt there should be. I just don't want to go get a higher quality regulator only to find out it's my set up that's responsible.

On a related note, a few days ago my cobra tap failed and leaked about 5-6 pints of beer inside my fridge and then out over my carpet...now that this problem has occured I wonder if it was in fact the regulator that failed, putting too much pressure into the keg than what the cobra tap could handle?

Thanks for the help so far,

Nick

CanadianQuaffer said:

[...]On a related note, a few days ago my cobra tap failed and leaked about 5-6 pints of beer inside my fridge and then out over my carpet...now that this problem has occurred I wonder if it was in fact the regulator that failed, putting too much pressure into the keg than what the cobra tap could handle?

Click to expand...

From reading about similar events, it appears cobra/picnic taps can fail if more than ~25-30 psi are applied to the connected keg, so that's definitely a possibility if your regulator has been misbehaving.

Another thing you can try: close the tank valve, disconnect any tubing downstream from the regulator, if there's a gas valve below the regulator open that, too. Then briefly open the tank valve to blow a quick blast out though the regulator. Repeat a couple of times, then close the tank valve, close the regulator all the way, then open the tank valve, and start opening the regulator and see if it has been tamed.

The above is the SOP to clear any debris that might be lodged in the regulator...

Cheers!

CanadianQuaffer said:

Thanks day trippr....just tried that and to no avail...pressure still keeps climbing.
I just need to figure out if it's my set up or my regulator that's responsible. The regularot is kind of cheap...the control valve/knob that sets the PSI in the keg just feels really cheap...there seems to be more "play" in the knob than what I felt there should be. I just don't want to go get a higher quality regulator only to find out it's my set up that's responsible.

On a related note, a few days ago my cobra tap failed and leaked about 5-6 pints of beer inside my fridge and then out over my carpet...now that this problem has occured I wonder if it was in fact the regulator that failed, putting too much pressure into the keg than what the cobra tap could handle?

Thanks for the help so far,

Nick

Click to expand...

The cobra issue could be that, I have ones with no hose clamps on that are good at ~13 PSI but if it goes much more over that they will start leaking a bit (as soon as I noticed this I keep the pressure down!)

I would be money on your regulator has go some crap caught in the poppet valve casuing it to leak CO2 past even when "closed". There was a couple of threads a month ago with the quick fix to clear them without taking the reg all apart to try first. If that doesn't work its a disassemble, clean and hopefully if nothing is damaged rebuild. Not too big of a job really just got to make sure everything is back together nice and tight

Here is the thread, post#4 for the procedure. Your reg isn't from Midwest by chance?

mattd2 said:

Your reg isn't from Midwest by chance?

Click to expand...

I dunno who makes it, but I got it from Ontario Beer Kegs here in Canada...the knob for the valve that controls the pressure in the keg is a round dial, red, about as big around as a quarter with a +/- labelled on it. Feels really cheap.


I'll try the clearing procedure you guys recommended, thanks.

Nick

Nope, just checked the regulators at Midwest and they're not the same as mine. Are they known to have issues?

CanadianQuaffer said:

Nope, just checked the regulators at Midwest and they're not the same as mine. Are they known to have issues?

Click to expand...

Just the 2 regulators that had similur threads started for this problem came from midwest, they probably got a bad bunch from thier supplier and since they are a homebrewing supplier the issues got bought up here. I am guessing that now they have been told of at least 2 different cases of poor quality regulators they would of sent the whole lot back to their supplier. Don't want to turn this thread against them for something thats not thier fault and which they seemed to deal the the situation in a good way.
My comment was more to nail down if this could be the same issue.

Well, I just tried the clearing procedure...dunno if I was doing it right, but it ddin't work. PSI still climbs even when the dial is turned all the way to the "-" position, so I may need a better quality regulator, I dunno.
In the meant time I guess I'll just have to set it at the dispensing PSI I want and then turn the gas off entirely. Then just add more if I see the pressure drop.

Wish I knew what was wrong.

Could you post some photos of your reg?
So with it turned all the way counter clockwise it still climbs slowly. If your done the "quick fix" and it didn't help I would guess you would need to strip it down to find the problem, photos would help if you want help in doing that.

I'll post some photos tonight after I get home from work.
Thanks for your help so far.

mattd2 said:

Could you post some photos of your reg?
So with it turned all the way counter clockwise it still climbs slowly. If your done the "quick fix" and it didn't help I would guess you would need to strip it down to find the problem, photos would help if you want help in doing that.

Click to expand...

mattd2, here's a link to the regulator I have, if that helps at all.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/product_p/dual guage reg.htm



Nick

Just got word from Ontario Beer Kegs and they're sending me a new regulator. Great customer service on their part, I must say.

*fingers crossed the new one works*

Thats great that Ontario Beer Kegs came to the party! Hopefully (for their sake and yours) they test the replacement before it goes out the door. Good luck!

day_tripping said:

Another thing you can try: close the tank valve, disconnect any tubing downstream from the regulator, if there's a gas valve below the regulator open that, too. Then briefly open the tank valve to blow a quick blast out though the regulator. Repeat a couple of times, then close the tank valve, close the regulator all the way, then open the tank valve, and start opening the regulator and see if it has been tamed.

The above is the SOP to clear any debris that might be lodged in the regulator...

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Worked like a charm for me! Thanks!