Ball lock keg loosing pressure?

[jc03]

Hello. First time kegging for me. I took some poster's advice and forcecarbed at 30psi for 2 days and now am running at 12 psi. I have been ever so slowly losing a psi here and there, maybe 2 psi a day. Before using the keg I replaced the large gasket and have both the gas and beer lines/fittings are new. I can't hear any hissing and lathered up the fittings with some foam from starsan and can't see any additional bubbles. Anyone have any ideas?


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[2bluewagons]

Not sure what you mean by losing pressure. After you had it on 30psi, then changed to 12, you still need to keep the gas on. If you disconnect the gas before the beer is carbed, then the pressure in the headspace will absorb into the beer, causing the pressure to go down. It's all about equilibrium, which in your case is going to be whatever CO2 volume corresponds to 12 psi at your kegerator/keezer temp.

If the gas is on, then maybe you have a goofy regulator or a low CO2 cylinder. Once the cylinder gets low, it will not be able to maintain a consistent pressure.

One other thought, when you changed from 30psi to 12, how did you do that? Disconnect gas, set reg to 12, then reconnect? Or vent keg and reset regulator? Just thinking if somehow you backed off to a regulator setting that showed 12 temporarily while the keg was still coming down in pressure, maybe it needs to be adjusted back up.

 

[Jay-Brew]

I may not have an answer but I do the same as you - keg it, set psi to 30 and basically leave it in the fridge for 48 hours - at that point it is usually where I want it. I usually do most of my brewing type stuff later in the day and I think pretty much always when I wake up the next morning the psi has dropped a noticeable amount. My understanding is that this is just the CO2 going into solution. I reset it to 30 and from that point on it pretty much remains stable until I turn it down for serving.

Wonder if you have a leak in your system somewhere as it seems different than what I describe above (unless it is similar in some way). I know you have checked for leaks but maybe it is there somewhere and really small. I always use keg lube too, which I wouldn't go without given that it has helped ensure a seal on the lid gasket numerous times. Maybe the regulator is wonky?

Anyway, just some thoughts but not sure if it is much of an answer. Good luck sorting it out.

 

[PAjwPhilly]

I have had many of kegs leak CO2 and it is not fun diagnosing the problem. I have spent multiple days and tons of StarSan trying to find small leaks. When all else fails I replaced the "standard" poppets with the universal ones. Always is my last case scenario and luckily always ended up working.

 

[bobeer]

It could just be the c02 going into the beer that's making you think you have a leak. If you're sure you have a leak then check all the gas connections. I've had gas leaks from the barb on the gray QD before due to the line getting worn out from the pressure. I cut off a little less than an inch of the line and it always fixes the issue.

Another thing you can try is soapy water instead of starsan. It's way cheaper and a bit easier to make.

Like what PAjwPhilly said, check your poppets. Make sure there's a good seal and the gaskets aren't old and worn. Also check to see if there's anything stuck in there that would cause a bad seal.
If all else fails reset your gauges... turn off the gas and unhook it from the keg, bleed the keg of all the gas, and bleed your regulator to all 0's. Turn the c02 pressure all the way down, hook it back up to your keg, turn on the gas and put the psi to where you want it to be. Sponge soapy water for leaks again and put it in your fridge. Check back in an hour and see if the gauge has dropped.

 

[PAjwPhilly]

Another thing you can try is soapy water instead of starsan. It's way cheaper and a bit easier to make.

True. But whenever I make StarSan I fill a squirt bottle. And since I brew 1-2x a month... I always have it.

With everything in mind, I think soapy water might actually bubble more... but I have always used StarSan....