Broken regulator?

[BryanEBIAB]

I recently got a new regulator off Amazon. It immediately had problems with the PSI creeping up so I disconnected it from the tank, depressurized, and took a look at the diaphragm. I cleaned out a bunch of crud (little specs of metal, dust, etc.) which is something I’ve done for my old regulator with excellent results. The thing is, after disconnecting and depressurizing, the gauge now reads about 4 PSI. I gave it a flick in case it was stuck, no luck. Any ideas?

 

[bracconiere]

brand, model? so i know not to buy it?

as far as the creeping, i usually set my reg to pressure with the shut off off....faster reaction, instead of having 6 kegs with dead space to creep with....

 

[IslandLizard]

I recently got a new regulator off Amazon. It immediately had problems [...]

Why didn't you send it right back?

 

[bracconiere]

Why didn't you send it right back?

honestly that thought didn't occure to me...some where between "drug related", and "not sure if i know what i'm doing or not"....but it should have, you're right!

edit: at least that was my viewing angle on the post....

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Why didn't you send it right back?

Returning it was probably the right thing to do but I figured I’d clean it out first since I had success doing it a few months back. Guess, I’d rather dismantle something and learn a little rather than make a trip to UPS.

brand, model? so i know not to buy it?

This one: Amazon.com: CO2 Draft Beer Regulator Dual Gauge CO2 Regulator CGA320 Keg Regulator with 5/16 Ball lock Gas Line for Homebrewing Kegerators Pressure Control by PERA: Home & Kitchen

 

[bracconiere]

i have one like that too. it does creep up if i don't set the pressure with that shut off in the off position. takes a good while to stabilize, mines a keg-co....

 

[SanPancho]

I recently got a new regulator off Amazon. It immediately had problems with the PSI creeping up so I disconnected it from the tank, depressurized, and took a look at the diaphragm. I cleaned out a bunch of crud (little specs of metal, dust, etc.) which is something I’ve done for my old regulator with excellent results. The thing is, after disconnecting and depressurizing, the gauge now reads about 4 PSI. I gave it a flick in case it was stuck, no luck. Any ideas?

if your regulator is wide open, or has no pressure, and the gauge says 4psi then there's really no other explanation. you have a bag gauge. they're generally very delicate and love getting stuck a few psi off of zero. and nothing you can get today for less than probably 50-75 bucks is able to be adjusted/calibrated.

i find this often will happen if you screw them in too tight. as if the pressure on the brass threads is somehow impacting the reading of the gauge itself.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Bollocks… @SanPancho in your experience(s) with gauges like this, are they at least *consistently* off a certain PSI? I wouldn’t mind just knowing I have to subtract 4 to get the real PSI.

PS: I’ll know more when I get a new tank on Monday and can compare with ‘ol faithful’.

 

[SanPancho]

when i've seen this happen- typically from overtightening- its usually in the 2-3-4 psi range, no more than like 5psi max.

now dropping that sucker will do much worse. in that case i've seen it halfway around the dial, all the way forward hitting the stop, etc.

i'd spend a couple of bucks and try and new gauge before i wrote off the regulator itself.

 

[Draft Master Flash]

For the price you could of done a lot better. Taprites are frequently put on sale for only a little more. I have a chinese cheapy I got off ebay when I first got into kegging that came with a refrigerator conversion kit. It actually works great but now I mostly use MIcromatic or Taprite. A regulator that came with a Edgestar kegerator is a real heap, I used to use it strictly for quick force carbing but it's pure junk. At the price of a co2 fill I figure it's really worth it to spend more and go with whats reliable.

DMF

 

[JAReeves]

Related question, how long should a regulator last? I have a Taprite that I received used, I have had it going for at least 2 years. I have noticed some irregularities in its consistency lately, setting it for 10PSI and having it creep up to say 14 overnight. Can they be rebuilt? Is it even worth it?

 

[BryanEBIAB]

To update my experience, I did the same thing to my new regulator as I did to my old one: disassembled, brushed out any dust/crud, lubed a little with silicone grease, reassembled. Both stop on a dime now, no creep.

Not sure why my new one started to read 4 when it should have been 0 but I disassembled the dial and was able to squeeze one of the linkages such that it reads 0 when I’d expect. I don’t need supreme accuracy for my purposes, just consistency.

I YouTubed a few folks to squeeze the right linkage. Only took a needle nose pliers. Here’s two good ones:



***be certain the regulator is depressurized and obviously disconnected before messing around.