CO2 leaking...Any suggestions

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Shonuff

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When I first setup my kegerator the first CO2 bottle lasted about a week. Knowing that I had a leak I took all connections apart, put them back together and used a gel leak finder. I found a small leak in the 2 valve air distributor (which I didn't take apart). This was the only leak that I found. After talking to my LHBS they told me that even a small leak could drain the tank in a few days. I took the air distributor apart re-wrapped the connections and put it back together, re-checked the connections for everything with the leak gel and no more leaks. I put everything together and the pressure on the tank stayed constant for about a week so I was pretty happy. Yesterday the pressure was fine but when I checked the tank again this morning the tank was completely empty. I understand that the tank pressure can remain pretty high with little CO2 left in the tank and then bottom out when the tank is empty.

Any suggestions/help? I want to throw everything across the room and smash it with a sledgehammer.

I keep the CO2 tank inside the kegerator if that makes a difference. I've also read that lower temps will make the pressure on the guage go down but I confirmed that there is no more gas in the tank as nothing will come out.

Please help...
 
I know your frustration, I went through three 5lb tanks before I found all the leaks. Like you, one of them was a defective 2-way valved splitter. To make matters worse, the only refill place I knew of at the time charged $30! It was maddening, but now that the system is stable, a tank lasts a LONG time.

All I can say is keep checking EVERY possible source of leaks. The corny pressure relief valves are one place that is often overlooked, usually a dab of keg lube on the rubber seal will sort them out. Obviously your post and dip tube o-rings need to be in good shape, I suggest buying in bulk and changing them frequently. Poppets can leak as well, but they are held open by the disconnects and are out of the equation when everything is hooked up.

Also double-check where the regulator threads onto the keg, an inadvertent bump on the regulator body can loosen that fitting. There should either be an embedded rubber o-ring on the regulator side, or a removable fiber or nylon gasket: not both.

With each keg you swap in, check that nothing has been jarred loose. When I swap a new keg in, I spray the top with StarSan, to make sure the lid is properly seated. It works pretty well as a leak tester, and won't contaminate beer the way soap solutions will.

If all else fails, I've got a sledge you can borrow. Wear some eye protection while you smash everything up. :D
 
So I'm an idiot. I never checked the gas dis-connects. I put those under water and a stream of bubbles comes out of the part that screws onto a metal piece that connects to the tubing (on both dis-connects). After wrapping those with plumbing tape and screwing them in really tightly lo and behold no bubbles come out under water.

Dammit I have an empty tank now.
 
Thank god I had the 20lb backup. To anyone that is thinking "All that I'll ever need is my 5lb tank. The 20lb (or 10lb) won't fit in the kegerator so I should sell it."

DON'T GET RID OF IT. I can't count how many times I've used the backup for various things.
 
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