need kegging help bigtime..

OK, a friend and I recently bought a kegerator system from kegconnection.com and built the kegerator, etc. etc. Since neither of us had a homebrew going and we wanted to test this thing out, we got the local microbrewery to fill them up for us (we have 2 keg system). I hooked everything up and the beer flowed fine.

The only problem I seem to be having is with the CO2. The dial is registering that the CO2 is at about 500 PSI. When I got it filled the guy told me he filled it to almost 2000 PSI. I hadnt opened it at all until I had it hooked to the tank, and it registered 500 then, so I guess its possible he was mistaken as to how well he filled it. I have a 5lb CO2 tank.

The other guage is registering at about 12-14 psi. When I poured the first few beers, I had the CO2 tank turned off, so it went down to about 6-7... If I barely turn it on though, it jumps right back up to 14 or 15...

If I open the CO2 fully, the PSI just stays right around 14 to 15 or so... If I close it completely, it stays there too...

I may just be doing somethign ridiculously wrong, or just have no idea what I'm doing (quite possible)... But if someone could help me out I would really appreciate it. Basically it seems that no matter how much I open or close the valve, the pressure stays at 14-20 psi.

Another thing i did was close the CO2 and pull off a growler and by the end it was barely leaking out of the tap.. Barely turned it on again and jumped straight back up to 14 psi or so...

I think it boils down to the fact that I basically have no idea what I'm doing so please help!

I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are trying to regulate the beer flow with the CO2 valve and not actually the regulator... My admittedly basic knowledge of the system is that you open the valve on the tank and then use the regulator to decide how much PSI you are using to dispense. You should be able to adjust a screw on the regulator and thus change the serving pressure. If you have a dual regulator, one dial should show the pressure in the tank and the other the pressure you're sending to the thanks.

I'm sure someone with more working knowledge will weigh in, though.

keep the co2 tank valve open all the way...then regulate the pressure going to your keg with the little nob in the front of the gauges...you should be able to increase or decrease the pressure going to your keg without having to adjust the main tank valve at all.

Dan

thank you. sorry for the ridiculous question, just very new to this...

That's pretty cool that the micro brewery filled your cornies.

ya they will fill it for 35 bucks... great deal!

I've been meaning to ask mine if they do that... BTW, the 500 gauge is what your tank has, as you figured. That said, is it inside the fridge? Since CO2 is a liquid gas, it will read lower under cold temps. It still has the same volume CO2, just registers different due to liquid/gas ratio. If you want your PSI lower then 14-15 it's at, make sure you pull the relieve valve when adjusting, or you may get it lower then you want.

I thought I was running out of CO2 the day after I had mine refilled. (I lost my gas suddenly due to a leaky corney and had just filled it back up). Problem was that the tank got cold in the kegerator and suddenly dropped to 500 PSI. Sounds normal to me.

Also, I got one of mine filled at Michigan Brewing Company for $40. High Seas IPA. I think they only have a couple beers that they don't keg for you, and everything else is $40. I wish more of them in Grand Rapids would do that.

Keep in mind that CO2 fills are rated in how many pounds of liquid CO2 they put in the tank, not in PSI.

You open the tank valve full and adjust secondary pressure by turning the screw on the front of the regulator.

Thanks for all the responses.. Now, my next step is to actually stick some homebrew in there...

The CO2 is in the fridge so that would explain why its reading at 500psi.

Also, if anyone can explain this to me, I would really appreciate it.. I'm always interested in the science behind everything...:

When I force carbonate the keg, I guess I am getting CO2 throughout the solution so that my beer will have the amount of carbonation I want. If I want a more carbonated beer, I would force at 40 psi for a day, if less then i would force at 30 psi for a day, etc.

What exactly is happening when I then pull the "release" valve on the keg after force carbing... Do I pull it until it has purged ALL excess that can be purged? I would guess this may purge any CO2 that is extra in the keg which is not in solution??

Now, once I've done this, I turn my regulator down to a "dispensing" pressure, of what I want to dispense my beer at. With the CO2 still on, what prevents it from actually going into solution (into the beer) and making the beer even more carbonated than it has been. I assume that when I pour a beer, the CO2 tank will then allow more CO2 into the keg to replace the beer that is gone with CO2 in the "airspace" left behind...

Lets say I force carbonate, and then hook up my kegerator system at 12 psi and leave the CO2 valve open, without dispensing any beer for a month. When I pour that first beer, will my beer be super carbonated? Why or why not?

As of now, should I be turning off the CO2 when I am not dispensing and then turning the valve back on when I go to pour a beer?

I know there are a ton of questions there, and if I should just read some article or FAQ and can figure it out I would love to be pointed that way, I have just been looking around and haven't found anything substantial. Thank you so much for your time!

davidv53 said:

Lets say I force carbonate, and then hook up my kegerator system at 12 psi and leave the CO2 valve open, without dispensing any beer for a month.

Click to expand...

You can force-carbonate just by leaving the beer at 12psi for a month. EDIT: Let me clarify: leave the CO2 hooked up!

It will only take a few minutes if you hit the chilled keg with 30psi while shaking the daylights out of it. You might go over, though.

Bobby_M's illustrated thread is the best explanation, other than doing it yourself or going and watching someone do it!

944play said:

It will only take a few minutes if you hit the chilled keg with 30psi while shaking the daylights out of it.

Click to expand...

Seriously? I know shaking every hour or so moves it along but that quickly?

Good to know in a pinch.

The amount of pressure(PSI) applied is forcing the CO2 into solution. You can only force a set amount of CO2 into solution at any given pressure and temp.

So if I read your question correctly, no you would not get super carbonated beer leaving the CO2 turned on at 12psi.

The main problem you could run into is over carbonation from having it set at the original higher pressures.

I know many people like to set the CO2 pressure high to carbonate their beer quickly, but I would not recommend this method. After you have used your system for awhile then start playing with this method if you like.

The easiest method for myself is to set the pressure at 11.5psi and leave it alone for a week.

Good Luck