How does carbonation progress in the keg? I put it on gas at 10 psi at about 38 f on Monday shoke it and set it away shoke the next day and let it sit sampled yesterday and today and I feel the carbonation is about the same. Is this normal?
Carbing keg?
- Thread starter Tilldeath
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Wildrebel
Well-Known Member
It usually takes my beer to carb up in about 2 to 3 weeks. I wouldn't shake the keg up. Just set it and forget it and you will be happy that you waited.
Montanaandy
Well-Known Member
I set and forget at 10 or 12 PSI and after 1 week it is drinkable but green but is best after 2 weeks or 3. Montananady
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Tilldeath
Well-Known Member
Quick question but how many kegs do you usually get out of a 5 lb tank? I filled before I started this first one and am at half a tank. I did run oxy clean for about 3min through the lines and star San and water so in all I think that lowers it a bit, but is this typical?
shortyjacobs
Well-Known Member
6-8 kegs per 5 lb tank.
Don't trust the gauge that tells you how full it is. The gauge will read 900 PSI if the tank is at room temp for the entire life of the tank, then suddenly drop down to 0 almost instantly when you run out of gas. The gauge will read 400-500 PSI if the tank is in the fridge, (even if it's FULL), and will continue to read the same until moments before you run out of gas, at which point it will drop to 0. The ONLY way to tell how full a tank is is to weigh it.
As for carbonation, at 10-12 psi, yeah, it takes weeks. Shaking it at these pressures can speed up the process though, (and you run NO risk of overcarbing if you keep the pressure at 10-12 PSI). Increasing pressure to 20 or 30 PSI will carb faster, but you run the risk of overcarbing.
Don't trust the gauge that tells you how full it is. The gauge will read 900 PSI if the tank is at room temp for the entire life of the tank, then suddenly drop down to 0 almost instantly when you run out of gas. The gauge will read 400-500 PSI if the tank is in the fridge, (even if it's FULL), and will continue to read the same until moments before you run out of gas, at which point it will drop to 0. The ONLY way to tell how full a tank is is to weigh it.
As for carbonation, at 10-12 psi, yeah, it takes weeks. Shaking it at these pressures can speed up the process though, (and you run NO risk of overcarbing if you keep the pressure at 10-12 PSI). Increasing pressure to 20 or 30 PSI will carb faster, but you run the risk of overcarbing.
guinsu
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity why are the gauges for CO2 tanks so bad? As a scuba diver I don't see why gauges should be so inaccurate.
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bmbigda
Well-Known Member
The CO2 inside the tank is in liquid form. As the level of that liquid goes down, the void inside the tank is filled with CO2 gas. Thus, the pressure remains constant. Unless the temperature changes (Gas Law).
Right, the gas in a scuba tank stays gas so the pressure drops in a linear fashion based on the volume removed. CO2 condenses at about 1000psi so it becomes liquid in the tank. The gauge will continue to read at its boiling point until the liquid is gone, then it acts like a scuba tank from there.
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