CO2 drop while kegging

[pryornfld]

Quick question...I put my homebrew in my keg, checked lines and connections of CO2 tank with no apparent leaks. Connected gas to keg and set pressure to 10 psi while in keggerator last night. Checked this morning and pressure on gage reading about 6 psi. Why would this be? The gage is on the keg side as I dont have one on co2 tank side.Did I do something wrong?

 

[Mr Drinklestien]

I had this issue once and it ended up being my regulator. Try spraying some soapy water around your regulator fillings to see if any bubbles appear. If not it and all other connections have been verified using the same method, it may be a faulty gauge. Some of the cheaper regulators will do this, I ended up tossing mine out and I now only use Taprite, no issues since.

Cheers

 

[doug293cz]

Quick question...I put my homebrew in my keg, checked lines and connections of CO2 tank with no apparent leaks. Connected gas to keg and set pressure to 10 psi while in keggerator last night. Checked this morning and pressure on gage reading about 6 psi. Why would this be? The gage is on the keg side as I dont have one on co2 tank side.Did I do something wrong?

Did you by any chance pressurize the keg, and then shut off the CO2 supply? If so, what you observed is exactly what is expected: As the beer absorbs CO2 from the headspace, the pressure in the headspace will drop. You need to leave the CO2 supply on until the beer is fully carbonated. After that, you can shut off the CO2, and just turn it on when serving.

If you didn't shut off the CO2 supply, then as the previous poster said, it's likely a malfunctioning regulator.

Brew on

 

[pryornfld]

This is my set up. No leaks around regulator or anything. Based on this setup, am I reading psi on keg or psi from co2 tank?

 

[doug293cz]

This is my set up. No leaks around regulator or anything. Based on this setup, am I reading psi on keg or psi from co2 tank?View attachment 811676

That is the keg pressure. CO2 tank pressure is several hundred PSI, unless the tank is almost empty.

Brew on

 

[strataron]

Are the Kosmos regulators quality regs?

 

[Broken Crow]

Are the Kosmos regulators quality regs?

Dunno, but they look identical in their casting to the cheap chinese ones whose less than stellar quality I've experienced while trying to save a few bucks.
If you're looking for your first regulator, then seriously: Buy Once, Cry Once.... Go with Taprite, Micromatic, or the pricier Perlick or other high-end one.... Accuracy, reliability, long-term availability of parts and a wide experienced user-base are your lifelong friends.

 

[pryornfld]

That is the keg pressure. CO2 tank pressure is several hundred PSI, unless the tank is almost empty.

Pressured it to 14 psi yesterday afternoon, looked again 20 mins ago, still 14 psi

 

[pryornfld]

One other question. The keg has been sitting for about 3 days at 14psi. Its starting to taste carbonated but as of now no head on beer. My question is do I leave it at 14 psi for how many days? Or should I increase pressure? Its an American Amber light

 

[IslandLizard]

One other question. The keg has been sitting for about 3 days at 14psi. Its starting to taste carbonated but as of now no head on beer. My question is do I leave it at 14 psi for how many days? Or should I increase pressure? Its an American Amber light

It will take a week to 14 days to get the keg fully carbonated. It's called the "set and forget" method. First it goes fast, then slower and slower as it reaches the set carbonation level.

If you want your beer carbonated faster, you could "burst carbonate" the keg.
You'd do that by shaking or better, by "rolling" the keg (rocking it back and forth), under 20-30 psi for 7-12 minutes. You'd hear the CO2 streaming in and the regulator groaning. When that stops, your keg is carbonated, possibly somewhat over-carbonated. Set the regulator to 12-14 psi (your intended serving pressure), vent off the excess by pulling the PRV, and ready to enjoy. Over the next 2 days vent the excess keg once or twice a day as needed. The carbonation will get smoother, and head thicker.

 

[pryornfld]

It will take a week to 14 days to get the keg fully carbonated. It's called the "set and forget" method. First it goes fast, then slower and slower as it reaches the set carbonation level.



If you want your beer carbonated faster, you could "burst carbonate" the keg.

You'd do that by shaking or better, by "rolling" the keg (rocking it back and forth), under 20-30 psi for 7-12 minutes. You'd hear the CO2 streaming in and the regulator groaning. When that stops, your keg is carbonated, possibly somewhat over-carbonated. Set the regulator to 12-14 psi (your intended serving pressure), vent off the excess by pulling the PRV, and ready to enjoy. Over the next 2 days vent the excess keg once or twice a day as needed. The carbonation will get smoother, and head thicker.

Thank you for the info. I'm in no rush so Set and Forget it is!! Still have plenty of bottled beer!!