CO2 tank empty, beer in keg ruined?

[ShaLaH]

I kegged my beer about a week ago and my CO2 tank seems to be empty even though the regulator shows that it's between FULL and EMPTY. I went to pour a little sample yesterday and there was very little pressure coming out of the tap.

Assuming that I ran out of CO2, will my beer go bad if it just sits in the keg until I get a chance to refill my CO2 tank this weekend? The keg is sealed in my beer fridge. Would the beer just condition and clean up until I get some new CO2 in there?

thanks

 

[JonM]

It'll be fine.

Are you sure it's empty? Maybe the valve between the reg and the keg is closed? (I've done that for sure.)

 

[MrFancyPlants]

It should be fine assuming you purged the headspace when you kegged it. Stupid question, but did you try opening up the regulator some and making sure the valves are open?

 

[ShaLaH]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I double checked the valve from the tank to the regulator and it's open. I've read other threads where people say the pressure gauge is inaccurate at telling you how much gas is actually left in the tank, only that there is some left in it.

I did purge the headspace, but after reading some threads, I don't think I did it properly. This is my 2nd time kegging and still working out my process. If I didn't purge properly will I be serving up a Rye Wet Cardboard Saison?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I double checked the valve from the tank to the regulator and it's open. I've read other threads where people say the pressure gauge is inaccurate at telling you how much gas is actually left in the tank, only that there is some left in it.

I did purge the headspace, but after reading some threads, I don't think I did it properly. This is my 2nd time kegging and still working out my process. If I didn't purge properly will I be serving up a Rye Wet Cardboard Saison?

Ive run out of gas halfway though a keg,never has a problem with bad beer.
Purging:
BEFORE ROLLING KEG FORCE CARBING,open valve at regular pressure (10 psi) let tank fill for a second,shut regulator off,purge till no more gas comes out,5 seconds or so,repeat 3 times.Then crank up pressure to 30 psi for 30 hours.After that shut off reg,purge to lower pressure,set to serving temp..done

 

[ShaLaH]

Ive run out of gas halfway though a keg,never has a problem with bad beer.
Purging:
BEFORE ROLLING KEG FORCE CARBING,open valve at regular pressure (10 psi) let tank fill for a second,shut regulator off,purge till no more gas comes out,5 seconds or so,repeat 3 times.Then crank up pressure to 30 psi for 30 hours.After that shut off reg,purge to lower pressure,set to serving temp..done

Thanks for the details on proper purging. I'll do this for my next batch. Still so much to learn...

 

[Homercidal]

I'd check the out line of the regulator and see if there is pressure there. The gauge may be inaccurate, or the regulator may need to be cleaned or replaced.

The pressure gauge is not a great means of telling hoe much GAS is in the tank, only how much PRESSURE (and some gauges are not very good at that.)

By the time you start losing pressure on the gauge, you are just about out of gas. The gauge is really good for telling you "Hey, dude, you better plan on getting a refill in the Very near future!"

 

[kh54s10]

How many kegs have you gone through on that fill? You should get 5-6 or more out of a 5 pound tank.

Make sure any valves are in the open position. In this picture they are open:

In this picture they are closed:

The other way to check is to close the valves, purge the keg, open the valves and you should hear co2 entering the keg. No sound - probably empty.

 

[ShaLaH]

I'd check the out line of the regulator and see if there is pressure there. The gauge may be inaccurate, or the regulator may need to be cleaned or replaced.

The pressure gauge is not a great means of telling hoe much GAS is in the tank, only how much PRESSURE (and some gauges are not very good at that.)

By the time you start losing pressure on the gauge, you are just about out of gas. The gauge is really good for telling you "Hey, dude, you better plan on getting a refill in the Very near future!"

Yesterday, I ordered another CO2 tank. The lesson learned here: always have a backup CO2 tank, especially if you're hosting a party to serve your home brew.

 

[ShaLaH]

How many kegs have you gone through on that fill? You should get 5-6 or more out of a 5 pound tank.

Make sure any valves are in the open position. In this picture they are open:

In this picture they are closed:

The other way to check is to close the valves, purge the keg, open the valves and you should hear co2 entering the keg. No sound - probably empty.

I've only kegged 1 x 3 Gallon batch with this tank. Perhaps there's plenty still left in it or I didn't close the tank valve after my last batch over a year ago...

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I've only kegged 1 x 3 Gallon batch with this tank. Perhaps there's plenty still left in it or I didn't close the tank valve after my last batch over a year ago...

Uhhhh...over a year ago,ever think there was a small leak that pissed out over a FULL year of sitting.A car tire looses air after a year of sitting,doesnt mean the tires bad

 

[ol-hazza]

Did you hear any gas going into the keg when you first connected it to the CO2?

If so then sounds to me like you have a leak in the system, happened to me with my first keg.
Second time I tightened everything right up, sprayed the entire system with soapy water. No initial indication but checked it 10 mins later and had the tiniest leak where one of the gauges connects to the regulator.
Tightened that up and have had no problems since.

If not then it could well have been empty the whole time

This was with the sodastream kit that I started with, it's got enough gas in it to carb and dispense a 5 gallon keg, so im holding onto it for use between my main cylinder kicking and being able to get it refilled, also for when I take a keg to a party.
Although the price of equipment here is through the roof so it might not have as big of an economical advantage for you.

 

[ShaLaH]

Yeah, I'm assuming there's a slow leak. Haven't had a chance to check it this week due to life getting in the way. I hope to spray all the connections with some starsan tonight or tomorrow to see if I can spot a leak anywhere. There does seem to be gas in the cylinder because when I increase the PSI I hear noise coming from the cylinder.

thanks for the replies, I'll get this sorted out.