CO2 regulator stuck at full power

I have the dual regulator from Midwest Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

I have been using it since July, but over the weekend I noticed that the second regulator out from the tank was running at full power (60 psi I believe). Even when I completely close the knob on the regulator and bleed the line, the needle creeps back up to full blast. My guess is that the regular valve is busted and set to fully open for some reason. Any thoughts?

 

Have you talked to Midwest?

Is it possible the regulator is reconditioned too?

I forget what it's called but, depending on your regulator their may be a small cartridge inside the bell housing with a ball head pin. If the ball on the pin isn't mated to a slot properly it will cause the reg to not function properly.

Just a thought.

 

I am waiting to hear back from Midwest. I don't believe the regulators were reconditioned. I just thought I would see if anyone else has had this problem.

 

Still no word from Midwest. Looks like I might need to take the thing apart and see if there is anything that appears out of place.

 

Don't mess with it man- Took them two days one time when I emailed, but they always come through. Call them and they help right away. I don't want to see you mess with it and not be able to fix it, because then they might not be so helpful...

 

I took one of my Cornelius regulators apart last night. I highly doubt you'll be able to see if anything looks broken.

Mine had a large spring, round metal disk with hole in the center, a metal nipple going through the disk, and a couple of gaskets.

Granted, that regulator is somewhere around 30+ years old, so yours may be different, but I doubt they've changed.

If your pressure gauge only goes to 60lbs, you may actually be higher then 60lbs.

 

I have had a very good experience with Midwest and my replacement pin-lock socket ... very helpful,

You're in good hands ..

 

OK, I'll wait to hear back from Midwest. I am not in any rush since i just set up a 6way manifold off the other regulator.

 

There is not much to a regulator. Don't be afraid of disassembling. They're not maintenance free and will need cleaned/lubed occasionally. Disassemble, Clean all parts, and put a little keg lube on the seats, and reassemble. Just pay attention when taking it apart so you know how it goes together. Worst case scenario, it still doesn't work. You won't break anything.

 

I had this happen before, best to just get the replacement. I tried messing with it first and went through 20 lbs of CO2 in a week. Not worth the hassle.

 

I got a reply back from Midwest. They gave me instructions for fixing it and the option to replace it if that is what I wanted. Apparently debris from the manufacturing process can get stuck in the manifold and they usually can repair it by opening up the assembly and blowing some bursts of air through it. I may try that first, but it's good to know they will back me up with a replacement if I need it.

 

I knew they would come through- just surprised it took them this long. Glad it worked out for you (sounds like you're covered)!

 

The exact same thing happend to me this week. I also have a dual regulator from Midwest. What was your resolution?

 

I emailed them and they sent me a new regulator with a pre-paid shipping label to send the old one back. I am very satisfied with Midwest's help on this issue.

 

GAS ??

I went to McNeill's in Brattleboro this weekend to get good football brew --- they were either out of gas, or their regilators had died... they were hand-pumbong the brew (and they were out of ruby red, so I got the Dead Horse (a mistake)

Glad midwest came through ..

 

im glad you posted this. i was going back and forth between buying the micromatic reg and tank or getting the midwest setup since its so inexpensive. this makes me feel better. anyone else have thoughts or advice?

 

That is WEIRD. I had the exact same thing happen last week.

When I turned on the gas, one of my gauges when wide open. Changing the setting did nothing. It was VERY cold that night. The next day, it started working correctly again. I thought the cold had screwed something up.

I will email midwest about the issue.

 

interesting. please lets us know.

 

Midwest just got back to me and they are sending out a replacement with a return label. This is, in fact, my second returned regulator to them. The first had two gauges that were busted in transit. I do love their customer service. It's one of the reasons they are my favorite on-line supplier.

 

thank you kindly. i ordered a kit so im glad to hear that.

 

I just had the same issue with a brand new kit, but they were very quick sending my order, so I am sure they will fix it. I just emailed them. Maybe this regulator isn't designed for the fridge? Everything else I got seemed top notch.

 

something must be up with their supplier, because I had the same exact issue. No matter what i do, it creeps up to full pressure. I just bought a distrubuter and have been using one regulator, but I sure would like to have both (after all...that is why i bought that set up in the first place). Never thought to email them since it's been 6+ months since I bought it. But I have had excelent customer service experiences with them in the past, so I'll email them tonight. Sure glad I found this thread!

 

They sent be a new one and I just had one of my new regulators go a bit strange. It was creeping to 5psi from zero. It didn't matter that I had turned the screw all the way out and made sure it was totally bled. I read that debris gets into these regulators during manufacturing so I decided to open it to 45psi and let it blast out of the gas line in a few bursts. I didn't have any hope that it would work, but it seems to have. It's a surprise, really.

 

They sent me a new one in about 24 hours from my single email. That's all you can ask for. I am still happy with the company because it was the best deal, I just should have gone ahead and got the two keg setup though. The replacement will get here today. I did some surgery on the broken one and got it to work a enough to pour a beer (or six), but I lost some co2. you might try taking the chrome part apart and put back together. I think putting it in the fridge made something contract too much. I noticed another guy who thought the cold was an issue. I am moving the tank outside anyway, so hopefully no more problems..

 

wow, is that not a steal for a 2 keg setup? and it comes with the kegs?

 

Yeah comes with kegs, I am a happy camper now that I got the new one and it is working good. They have pretty good prices on everything.

 

I had this same problem and searched this board to find this thread. I followed the same path everyone else did and wrote Midwest. Tehy just replied that it is from daily use, no mention on a manufacturing issue, and no offer to replace. They did provide instructions to fix. I'm dissapointed because I have not had it very long and I've only used it for two kegs so far before having the issue.

I'm going to attempt the fix they described and will report back. Has anyone had this issue recently and tried their reccomended fix?

 

i have had a similar issue, but mine was that the gauge would not read past 20 psi, even if i cranked the regular up to the point where the saftey valve popped. i went through the clean out process and still didn't work. after looking a little harder. the gauge face where the numbers are printed is BENT inward and the needle hits it and gets stuck, it won't go any farther. long story short, they are sending a new gauge, first they asked if i was comfortable replacing it, i said yes, then they said they will send a new gauge. +1 on customer service.

 

I had a problem like OP's, but it was with a brand new regulator. The pressure would slowly creep up to about 30PSI no matter where it was set.

Like most other people have said, I was very pleased with the way Midwest resolved the issue. I just ordered a bunch more stuff from them tonight

 

Same thing is happening on one side of my new dual regulator setup that came with a kegging kit. I just contacted them to see what to do. It creeps up to 50psi with the valve adjusted to what should be off.

 

Received a reply back from Midwest and the steps they gave me below worked perfectly and the regulator is working correctly again.

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Sometimes a bot of metal shavings or teflon tape can get into the inner workings of those regulators. Most times a simple purge can clear the blockage and return the regulator to working order. It might take a try or two, but give it a shot and if that does not work we will replace the faulty regulator.

Here are the instructions:

Steps:
- Remove the red gas line from the affected regulator. Do this by unscrewing the chrome swivel nut at the end of the gas line on the regulator side. Don't remove the brass one since you'd need to re-tape it when reconnecting it
- Turn the regulator knob 3 or 4 turns
- Hold out the relief valve a little with a gloved hand. Don't need to pull it out all the way as that could kink the internal spring on the relief valve. Just a little should do
- Turn on the tank using short bursts of air to clear the obstruction. Use short bursts since otherwise it could freeze the obstruction in place
- Test to see if it worked. Turn on the gas and set the regulator to 10 psi. Come back in 10 min and if the regulator has climbed significantly past 10 psi, there is still an obstruction. Repeat the process if needed. If after the second attempt the obstruction still remains, you'll likely need to replace the regulator.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.
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+1 I was having the same problem. I followed these same steps and was able to fix mine as well.

 

I had tried these steps as well and it did not work, I was then told by my supplier the relief valve should not be held open other wise it will not build any pressure in the regulator. After leaving the relief valve alone and following these steps it resolved my regulator creep. Just my experience.

- Smarch

 

I had the same issue on both of my Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System, and I received the same recommendation from Midwest. I executed these steps, and only free'd one of my regulators up, so I decided to investigate. I pulled both of the pressures control knobs off with a crescent wrench, and pulled out the rubber boots. After inspecting the innards of the knobs for a comparison there was no difference. After looking at the main bodies I realized that the pin controlling valve was half way closed on the stuck valve. I then tapped on the body with my thumb, and the pin slowly popped out a bit more each time. I then grabbed a pair of needle nose pliers, and then worked the pin/plunger in and out until it popped out almost instantaneously. I then rebuilt the regulator, and connected it to the co2 tank. After repeating the aforementioned process from Midwest, it now works like a charm.

 

Thanks for posting these steps. I just ran into this situation and was able to resolve it in minutes keeping my St. Patty's production on schedule!

 

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