Anyone ever had a Taprite Tank CO2 gauge fail?

[FuzzeWuzze]

So ive had a single regulator Taprite for a while and it worked great, so when i built my keezer and wanted a dual regulator i spent the ridiculous amount it costs and got one and its been nothing but trouble recently.

I've already lost 2 tanks due to a leak, now i am on the hunt to figure out where it was...after the first tank i noticed this but didnt think anything of it..now im thinking its possibly my culprit as it almost looks like it got blown out from the inside.

The gauge is basically bent outwards at the sides, almost as if there was a big burst of pressure that bent it...

Is this caused by something i did possibly? I never set above 30PSI...and treated it no differently than my previous Taprite gauge.

Final question is what should i do with the end now, what size plug do i need to buy that i can put in to cap the end off? I realize these tank pressure gauges are worthless and dont tell you anything until your gas is out anyways so i'd rather just plug the regulator and save the space and gas. Im hoping its just a standard size thing i can buy at Home Depot or my LHBS...

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Well being the tank gauge it is seeing the full pressure of the tank. The backer plate with the scale printed on it should be metal though. That is strange indeed.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Well being the tank gauge it is seeing the full pressure of the tank. The backer plate with the scale printed on it should be metal though. That is strange indeed.

Yea it is metal, i unscrewed the lid to look at it...its just totally bent in on the left and right sides into a U shape...very weird.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Well, I am no help! Did you contact taprite/the vendor you bought it from?

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I did email Taprite today...

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I am interested to see what they say about it.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

After emailing Taprite they said it could have been because it was dropped during shipping, but im puzzled because it was working fine when i got it..and i never dropped it, it just sat in my Keezer. I have since determined its not the source of my leak.

That said, they are sending me a replacement gauge free of charge...great customer service Taprite! I dont really need the tank gauge, but it'll be nice to at least have one that works should i ever want to sell this one...im sure buying a new one is 20-40 bucks.

 

[day_trippr]

A suitable gauge runs closer to $8, but still, free is better

Cheers!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

A suitable gauge runs closer to $8, but still, free is better

Cheers!

Beat me to it. still nice that they care. Good work.

 

[gnarlyhopper]

Hey, that's my gauge!

Actually, the damage appears identical...my daughter moved the CO2 tank
(regulator and all) to a closet...where it was knocked over onto the gauge. Damage appears identical. Since I had not yet used it....contacted Taprite about price of new one...they offered to ship a new one free, and sure enough, a couple of days later, it arrived. Congrats to Taprite again on good customer service!!! This is also good to know once the brewing is underway again...

Cheers!

-gnarlyhopper

 

[outside92129]

The gauge impacted on the top of the unit and compressed the unit. You can tell because the brass square portion got shoved into the round portion, that in turn caused the dial face to impact the sides and with nowhere to go it got bent.

The dial face should be centered in the plastic view window : (

The reason i know is that i just spent the last week and a half returning unit after unit that wasn't packed properly for shipping. Finally i went to the location and just picked up the replacement.

 

[sabitu]

Thanks OP for posting this. I looked closely at both of my Taprite low pressure gauges and they look off center like yours. As a result my keg PSI has never read correctly. One keg reads at 19 PSI when in reality is tastes like 12 PSI. I'm going to contact Taprite for a replacement.

 

[fuzzy2133]

Thanks OP for posting this. I looked closely at both of my Taprite low pressure gauges and they look off center like yours. As a result my keg PSI has never read correctly. One keg reads at 19 PSI when in reality is tastes like 12 PSI. I'm going to contact Taprite for a replacement.

This last time I checked the tank I noticed the gage seemed off after knocking it onto the regulator and the tank weight felt like it was still full.

This makes more sense now.

 

[gnarlyhopper]

Hi again,

Thought I would upload a pic of mine. The plastic cover pops off when struck, then the case crushes the dial from the sides,
Looks like this is a job for the Taprite Model 744 GP,
http://taprite.com/products/accessories/gp600.html

Gauges need to be guarded. I still have to buy mine (hopefully before things go bump in the night again).

Cheers,

gnarlyhopper

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Hi again,

Thought I would upload a pic of mine. The plastic cover pops off when struck, then the case crushes the dial from the sides,
Looks like this is a job for the Taprite Model 744 GP,
http://taprite.com/products/accessories/gp600.html

Gauges need to be guarded. I still have to buy mine (hopefully before things go bump in the night again).

Cheers,

gnarlyhopper

Yea thats exactly what mine looks like as well..they really should come up with a better design..its not like we are dropping it with any significant force...especially if its happening in shipping.

 

[chuck78]

Yeap same here. Knocked over the tank and got the same look. A new was not that expensive.

 

[rideincircles]

Any idea how many turns it takes to get to 7-10psi, 20 psi or 30 psi, or is that something that just needs the gauge to be working?

Mine is not reading correctly at the moment.

What would be the cheapest option to replace it?

I should just replace both gauges at this point. It has fallen over once or twice, but I have no room to install a guard in my keezer since I can barely fit it in there with the gauges rotated downwards where I can't see it as it is. I use a 7 lb old oxygen style c02 tank.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Replace thee gauges, and "bungee" cord it to something, or if it's steel, glue a gonzo magnet to something, to keep from falling over.

Question: If it will barely fit, how does it keep falling over?...........Should be no room.

 

[fuzzy2133]

Replace thee gauges, and "bungee" cord it to something, or if it's steel, glue a gonzo magnet to something, to keep from falling over.

Question: If it will barely fit, how does it keep falling over?...........Should be no room.

Lol
Probably falls over when the OP swaps out kegs. I know first hand that 2.5lb CO2 tanks are unstable when they get low.

 

[rideincircles]

It is a height issue on mine. The ridges of the freezer lid have to fit between the tank valve and the c02 gauges or it won't close properly. If I have the gauge vertical or angled with the gauges up, it won't close. The regulator has to be angled with the gauges facing down.

Last time it fell when I cleaned out my cooler which happens every month or 2. I should disconnect it when I clean it out which is probably the best option to prevent it from getting damaged. It looks like the gauge worked yesterday, but the other day when I was checking, it wasn't showing the correct pressure. I will probably leave it as is now and replace it after Burning Man.

 

[mikescooling]

Let me jump in and say 20 pound tanks are a lot more stable and you can keep the tank outside the keezer and just snake a gas tube in.