C02 Drops 2-6 P.S.I in 24hrs; Normal?

[Bubbles2]

C02 Drops 2-6 P.S.I in 24hrs; Normal?

Thanks for looking in. I am putting together the Co2 part of the Kegerator. A little long but wanted to be thorough...

I pressurized a keg filled with H2o to 40 P.S.I, shut off the tank came back to check gauge and it

dropped 2 p.s.i after 2 hours, is that normal to have that just dissipate?

Could it be the H20 was colder than the garage and as it warms it loses guage pressure?

I sprayed good with soap and water and see no bubbles or any activity.
I even disconnected Keg Connector (gas) submerged in a jar of H2o with some soap, no bubbles charged to

40 p.s.i.

New lines, cleaned gas keg connectors, both o rings looked good. Not seeing bubbles when I spray the

keg connection/union.

New Dual Reg where one line goes to a splitter into two. Tested as I assembled in bucket of h20.

Kegs are all rebuilt new poppets, o rings and lids.

I tephlon taped the swivel nuts and used a good tight hose clamp. All seem to not to show a visible

leak.

Removed connectors used soap and h20 on top of all connectors and lid of keg, no bubbles....

*Taking it back to the regulator to troubleshoot without lines....
Is there always some kind of co2 leak?


When I Open the co2 valve (charge the line), then shut the tank off, with no kegs connected and the

switch(s) for the line shut off levers are in the OFF position; leaving only the co2 in the regulator

area. (See Pic 1.) Co2 regulator pressure set at 30 p.s.i on each regulator, with the tank measuring

900- overnight reads a drop on the regulator line(s) 22 & 26 p.s.i with the tank measuring an increase

to 950...The temp does fluctuate 10-15ºf overnight in the garage. (pic 2)

Is this NOT a leak but the normal?

 

[parjay]

You are carbonating the water. That 40psi in the headspace wants to find equilibrium with the water. Sounds like that was at 6psi to me.

Does it stay at 6 now that you got it there?

Your test would work if the tank was empty, or if you let it reach an equilibrium pressure prior to taking the keg off of the pressure.

 

[Bubbles2]

Parjay thanks for sharing that with me. I will charge an empty and watch for leaks.

 

[Bubbles2]

Parjay except I am trying to troubleshoot the regulator...? If you read further you would see I disconnected that keg and brought it back to just the reg, which the pic's show. I will edit with an * to show you where you stopped reading...

 

[parjay]

I am not really sure about that part, and I am sure that you will get more feedback. That being said. I think that my low pressure gauges wander a bit too. I find they don't wander when I fully close the valve on the tank and use the low pressure gauges to read the keg pressure.

If you do some searching I have found some nice trouble shooting guides that walk through how to check for leaks at various stages in your setup.

I like to have a scale handy so that I can occasionally verify that the weight of the tank isn't dropping. That is the best way to keep tabs on how much CO2 is left in your tank.

 

[cswant88]

Yeah sound like the CO2 is getting absorbed into solution. If you cut off your tank, you only need the gauges to stay put for a few minutes to be reasonably sure you are free of leaks. Or charge and test with an empty like parjay suggested if you want to test for longer periods of time. For me, the high pressure gauge always drops first.

 

[Bubbles2]

Yeah sound like the CO2 is getting absorbed into solution. If you cut off your tank, you only need the gauges to stay put for a few minutes to be reasonably sure you are free of leaks. Or charge and test with an empty like parjay suggested if you want to test for longer periods of time. For me, the high pressure gauge always drops first.

Thanks for the heads up on the low pressure gauge and the time lapse. I am going thru each stage and checking before going into service. I saw the fluctuation and wanted to know if that was norm before moving to the next stage, the manifold splitter, then to the kegs, which I will charge empty to get a reading.
Do you know if an empty tank/keg eats a lot of Co2 to charge?

 

[cswant88]

Thanks for the heads up on the low pressure gauge and the time lapse. I am going thru each stage and checking before going into service. I saw the fluctuation and wanted to know if that was norm before moving to the next stage, the manifold splitter, then to the kegs, which I will charge empty to get a reading.
Do you know if an empty tank/keg eats a lot of Co2 to charge?

Depends what pressure you’re charging it to I suppose. Keeping it on the lower end shouldn’t waste too much. Some people on here can break out the math for you, but I’m not one of them.

 

[BassBabiesBeer]

*accidental baby post*