New to kegging - how to seal ?

[Mike2008]

First keg and no natural pressure after a week. Put 10 to 15 lb co2 on keg after the week and thought I was still loosing pressure- showed only 5lb next day. Turned it upside down for a day and nothing leaking out. Do you need to pressurize a keg with co2 to seal it when you are going for natural co2? If so how much co2?

 

[Blender]

It might be me but I'm a little confused. Did you prime the beer with corn sugar? If so I think it is a good idea to give the keg a shot to set the lid O-ring. It will need to carbonate like a bottle which means 3 weeks at 70 degrees for natural priming.

Its also a good idea to have some keg lube around as it will help seal the lid O-ring.

 

[david_42]

I seat the lid with 10 psi, whether I've primed it or plan on forced carbonation. Hookup the CO2, burp the keg to purge the air & remove the CO2. Don't forget, any CO2 you put into the keg will dissolve into the beer. Since the head space is small, a pressure drop after seating the lid is normal.

The priming sugar is probably gone at this point, so you might have to force carbonate.

 

[Mike2008]

Thanks - I primed with 3/4 cup of corn sugar and used a food grade silicon on the seal. Guess I will give it another week and see what happens.

 

[BIGAL2]

First off, did you just get a used keg? If you did, you should have taken it apart and check the o-rings, sealing surface, poppets. You should have pressure tested it before you added the beer. The poppets and o-rings are usually the original, when the keg was new, and may be damaged. That is if you pressured it up and disconnected the QD's.

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

3/4 corn sugar is too much to prime a 5 gallon keg. Most say 1/3 cup with 1/4-1/2 being the range. I add 1/3 cup and then hit it with CO2 as I hear it seal up. I let it sit for 3 weeks if a lighter beer and up to 5 if a heavier beer. WHen I serve it, if it is not carbed enough for me, I hit it with 20 PSI and let it dissolve into the beer over a couple of days.

 

[McKBrew]

3/4 cup of corn sugar in a 5 gal keg might be a bit too much. For kegging you use half the amount you do for bottling. I can't explain the nitty gritty science but if I'm not mistaken it has something to do with headspace.

 

[A4J]

what happens if you primed with 3/4 cups corn sugar?

 

[malkore]

what happens if you primed with 3/4 cups corn sugar?

its over carbed and you'll have to vent CO2, let it equalize, and get it back down to a proper CO2 volume.

If you WAY overcarb you might automatically vent by exceeding the safety valve pressure...but that's like 120psi....so unlikely.

kegs won't explode like overcarbed bottles.

 

[Mike2008]

Well thanks again. Did not know that you use less sugar in kegging than bottling.
Kegs are used but I did replace all the orings and pressure tested before using.