CO2 pressure increasing

[npdevil27]

Hello...

New here, and new to kegging. I set the PSI on the regulator at 12, opened up the flow valve, released the pressure release valve, got another reading, still 12. All good there. But over time - talking an hour or so - the pressure has increased to 14. It may still be rising.

What might be causing this, and how can I fix it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[NickTheGreat]

Stupid question, but do you have the nut on the regulator tightened? Is the regulator itself in good shape?

Sorry, don't have much other advice for you.

 

[kombat]

Could be due to a change in temperature, or just a finicky regulator. Adjust it back down to 12 psi and it should eventually settle.

 

[ajdelange]

Listen! When you purge a keg and then turn on the gas to it you initially hear a loud inrush of gas as the system attempts to equalize pressure. As the pressures equalize you hear the flow slow and eventually stop (or seem to). Whenever there is flow there is pressure drop across any constriction in the system. Because of the higher initial flow the pressure measured at any point downstream of a constriction will, at first, be lower than it will as pressure comes to equilibrium, the flow slows and the pressure drops assymptotically approach 0.

 

[adamgalt]

When I first setup my system, the regulator was constantly increasing pressure. Overnight it went from 10psi to 30 psi, so I had a whole pile of foam coming out of the tap. It was an unbranded regulator, and turned out to be faulty. Despite an attempt to lubricate the inards, it was replaced with a Taprite and I've never had a problem since - set at 10psi and stays at 10psi.

 

[ajdelange]

I see that I described what causes it but didn't say how to fix it. It ain't broke so don't fix it. Back the regulator all the way off (screw way out) and bleed off any pressure in the line. Now connect to the keg with the gas valve closed. Turn in the regulator screw very slowly until the target pressure is reached. Now open the gas valve. The pressure gauge will drop a couple PSI and then climb back to the pressure you set for. How long this takes depends mostly on the headspace in the keg. Should only take a few minutes. If it takes longer than that or if the drop/rise is more than a couple PSI the regulator may indeed be broken and should be replaced.

 

[npdevil27]

Thanks everyone... going to try the fix in the above post and will report back. PSI is now reading 15 so it has increased since I started the thread.

Edit: I set the PSI just over 11, then opened the gas valve, the pressured dropped, and has climbed back to just over 10 and has been sitting there for at least 10 minutes now. I think/hope I'm in the clear. Thanks again!

 

[npdevil27]

Roughly 20 hours later and the CO2 pressure seems perfectly stable. Thanks again for the help!