Newb to Kegging?

[htm6934]

I kegged for the first time about 5 days ago and did my own version of carbonation which was about 15psi for the first 3-4 days at 50 degrees and the last two days at around 9psi at serving temp. When I dispensed my first beer the pressure in my tank seemed to drop dramatically.

My setup ----- I cleared the oxygen from the top of the beer by bleeding as i was inputting c02 and kept the gas turned on for 5 days straight. I was ready to try it so I just connected the picknik tap to the output and pulled the trigger. This is when the level in my c02 seemed to drop dramatically. Am I supposed to close the c02 valve when dispensing beer or should the c02 line always be connected. Was I supposed to bleed something? I'm afraid to even pour another beer because I might lose all my c02 in the process. BTW I have a 5lb tank.

 

[day_trippr]

So did beer come out of the picnic tap - or just CO2?

And define "dropped dramatically".

[edit] Yes, you need to keep the CO2 line connected to the keg and the gas turned on to keep the pressure in the keg constant even while the head space is growing as you serve beer...

Cheers!

 

[htm6934]

The beer came out perfectly and everything looks fine. Needed a bit more carbonation. It dropped a lot enough at one time for me to notice the needle drop out of the corner of my eye. I don't have the exact number. It's like im releasing the pressure at the same rate I dispensed the beer. Maybe it was like a c02 pocket or c02 in the pickup tube???

 

[bknifefight]

I'm not sure where you got your ideas on how to carb a keg but they are wrong.

Chill the keg.
Set it to whatever PSI you want ~12 is pretty standard.
Let it sit for a week or two.

That's all you have to do. I, like day trippr, have no idea what you mean by pressure dropping dramatically in your CO2 tank.

 

[htm6934]

I guess I shouldn't have used the pressure. The C02 level of my 5lb tank, the needle dropped down a lot. It dropped from being basically full to 3/4 as I was pouring the first beer of the keg. Does that make more sense?

 

[angrylu]

If it is a dual guage regulator. The guage that reads tank volume is useless. I alway weigh the tank to see how much c02 is in it.

 

[htm6934]

Cool. Yeah that's what I have and it is inside my chest freezer. My SP for my Johnson controller is at 40 degrees right now. Do you know how much a typical full tank should weigh?

 

[angrylu]

A 5 lb. aluminum tank weighs 7 lbs. When full, it should weigh 12 lbs.

 

[htm6934]

Thanks. That helps.