CO2 Regulator question

[Zenmeister]

I have been noticing CO2 buildup in my kegs in the Kegerator for a while now, especially when not pulling beer from that tap. Recently I came home from a two week vacation, and the beer was extremely overcarbinated, in spite of the fact that I have my regulator set to 8 psi.
I always thought that the beer would equalize itself to the pressure you were keeping the CO2 at...So at 8 PSI, it should have stopped carbing at that pressure as it should have balanced itself, correct?
So I'm wondering if it is the regulator, or something else?

For information sake, the Kegerator has one regulator controlling two kegs.

 

[lumpher]

2 possibilities I can see: Either there is something stuck in the regulator and needs to be cleaned out, or there is a leak in the valve. I'm sure there are other possibilities; those are just the first 2 I can think of.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

At 8psi it should not be overcarbed.. is it truly overcarbed or was it just a foamy first pour or 2? And what temp is the kegerator set at?

 

[doug293cz]

If the headspace pressure is 8 psi, then you cannot overcarb. The max carbonation level at 8 psi and 32°F is 2.46 volumes, and this decreases if the temperature is higher. If you are overcarbed, then your gauge is reading incorrectly.

Brew on

 

[Zenmeister]

At 8psi it should not be overcarbed.. is it truly overcarbed or was it just a foamy first pour or 2? And what temp is the kegerator set at?

Foamy for all pours, not just the first couple. And VERY foamy. Kegerator was set at 38 deg F, so definitely not a temp issue.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Sounds like regulator issue, assuming your tap system is balanced, propper line length and whatnot.

 

[doug293cz]

If the headspace pressure is 8 psi, then you cannot overcarb. The max carbonation level at 8 psi and 32°F is 2.46 volumes, and this decreases if the temperature is higher. If you are overcarbed, then your gauge is reading incorrectly.

Brew on

If there is a check valve between your regulator and the keg (often built into shut off valves), then it's possible for the keg headspace pressure to be higher than what the regulator gauge reads. This can happen if CO2 generation is continuing in the kegged beer - possibly due to an infection.

Brew on

 

[day_trippr]

This sounds more like a duff low pressure gauge than a regulation problem. A creeping regulator would show up on the low pressure gauge - if the latter actually worked properly...

Cheers!

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Doh, yeah... Gauge not reading properly.

 

[kurds_2408]

I'm having a similar issue. Just carbed a beer this week. 2 Days at 30psi and poured a beer off it after purging and it was a little under carbed. Turned it down to 10psi and four days later, last night, it's pouring glasses that are 2/3 foam. The gauge needle does stick some times and you have to tap it to get it to move so I'll start with a new gauge.

 

[Zenmeister]

Interesting points. I have an extra regulator, and will swap out pressure gauges, and see what comes of it.