Ahhhhh......so frustrated!

[Old_E]

So i get myself a new keg set up over thanksgiving. I have to wait until this past Monday to fill the co2. I do that at lunch on Monday and I'm all excited. Well, I get home and I can hear the gas leaking out of the refurb tank. Awesome.

I take the tank back to the lhbs. They exchange it. I go get the new tank filled. I get home clean sanitize and fill one of my kegs with a cider that is ready to go. Put some pressure on it the way I have read. Everything looks like it is going well.

I come home from work today, go check on it.... Co2 is totally empty. WTF? I have no idea what happened. I didn't hear any leaks. Did i hot seal the tank right.

So annoyed. I'm pretty sure the welding supply dudes are going to think I have cracked when I go in for a 3rd refill in 3 days.?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Hammy71]

Make sure you lube the orings, especially the one for the lid, with some keg lube. I have a spray bottle of Star-San that I spray on the lid and connectors of my kegs everytime I fill them. The Star-San will bubble where there is a leak. Sometimes it's just as simple as spinning the lid around.

 

[Lowry0031]

OldE,

Use mineral oil on all the rubber "o" rings.

Hope this helps!

 

[WAORGANY]

So i get myself a new keg set up over thanksgiving. I have to wait until this past Monday to fill the co2. I do that at lunch on Monday and I'm all excited. Well, I get home and I can hear the gas leaking out of the refurb tank. Awesome.

I take the tank back to the lhbs. They exchange it. I go get the new tank filled. I get home clean sanitize and fill one of my kegs with a cider that is ready to go. Put some pressure on it the way I have read. Everything looks like it is going well.

I come home from work today, go check on it.... Co2 is totally empty. WTF? I have no idea what happened. I didn't hear any leaks. Did i hot seal the tank right.

So annoyed. I'm pretty sure the welding supply dudes are going to think I have cracked when I go in for a 3rd refill in 3 days.?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

You have a leak someplace...get the tank filled again...(sorry), get a spray bottle with warm water and liquid dish soap solution, hook everything up, spray all the connectors, keg top, etc and then turn on the CO2, in a few seconds you should find your leak!!!! I always test the fittings when I switch things around just to make sure....something might be loose, and an easy fix, worse case you have a bad regulator or need new gaskets on the keg. Hope this helps.

 

[MikeRoBrew1]

I would guess a leak on your gas line somewhere, like where the line meets the regulator or the corney. It could also be a pressure release valve on a corney that is not sealing tight but I would think you would be able to hear that.

You might want to try not leaving the tank on overnight/while you're gone/etc until you spend a little time with it and make sure it's not leaking.

You should be able to pressurize the kegs (serving or carbing pressure), then turn the tank off. It will still serve a lot of beer before needing another boost. A keg carbing would need a zap every day for a couple days. These are just ideas to help avoid that problem. Once your system is dialed in you dont need to be so careful about leaving your tank open.

Bummer~

 

[Old_E]

You have a leak someplace...get the tank filled again...(sorry), get a spray bottle with warm water and liquid dish soap solution, hook everything up, spray all the connectors, keg top, etc and then turn on the CO2, in a few seconds you should find your leak!!!! I always test the fittings when I switch things around just to make sure....something might be loose, and an easy fix, worse case you have a bad regulator or need new gaskets on the keg. Hope this helps.

Thanks guys. This was what I was going to do. Only thing I could think to do.

I suspect it may be the keg itself b/c it was depressuized too.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I always use my spray bottle of starsan to check for leaks. It works well and saves me from making up some other solution to test for them. It is a leak somewhere. Don't get frustrated. It will taste that much better once you get it working.

 

[JRems]

Put 30 psi in the keg to seat the lid then bleed it back down to your carbing level. I usually get the lid o ring wet before I seal it as well.

 

[sudbuster]

Sorry to hear about your tank and leak problems, but, WTF, it's all part of this hobby and, believe it or not, for me part of the fun. There's some good advice above, so take your time and find that frustrating leak...

 

[Old_E]

Ok. Doing more research I found something I may have overlooked. I didn't use the nylon (or whatever it is) washer that they put in the cap when they fill it. I saw a rubber washer in the regulator and didn't think it was necessary. That could be the issue.

 

[jackers252]

Ok. Doing more research I found something I may have overlooked. I didn't use the nylon (or whatever it is) washer that they put in the cap when they fill it. I saw a rubber washer in the regulator and didn't think it was necessary. That could be the issue.

Most new regulators have a build in bushing. I'd get the bottle filled then do a very thorough leak check before adding the new bushing. Like some posted above, I run a leak check almost every time I break into the system.

 

[Old_E]

I definitely plan on doing that. I'm lookin' to get rid of this problem as fast and efficiently as possible. Its become ridiculous. 3 co2 fills in 4 days....

 

[IffyG]

I'm gonna disagree with the guy two posts up. If the regulator came with a washer (especially if it was wire tied to the regulator or in the connecter), it's there for a reason. I'd swap that out and put the new gas on and spray down the tank connection (or at the very least start there...).

 

[Old_E]

Update:

There is an o-ring in my regulator, and it looked to be in good condition, so, according to the guy at the welding supply joint, I don't need the bushing. He also said the if the o-ring was jacked, then pull it and use the bushing. Anyway, that connection doesn't seem to be the problem.

After messing around with it for a while it seems:
The regulator itself (and all fittings) is holding pressure
the keg is holding pressure.

I heard a leak at the hose barb fitting that screws into the gas disconnect. I tightened it and it seemed to stop. I am still in the process of checking each gas connection... we shall see.

Thanks again for the help.