Difficulty with used regulator setup.

[mrkeeg]

Hi folks, maybe someone can help a simpleton figure this out.

I got this rather old regulator setup with some used kegs. I have mounted it to use with my fridge/tap system.

It looks simple to set up with 4 kegs at two different serving pressures (2 kegs per regulator)

When one keg stopped pouring, I began to investigate, and found that of the 4 connectors coming off of the regulators, only one would "hiss" gas when I pressed the inner pin with my finger.

Am I missing something here? If two lines off the same regulator were having trouble, I could maybe chalk it up to the regulator being stuck/ corroded/ mucked up (does that happen?) - but it looks like a simple "T" feeds both lines from a single regulator, so it is hard for me to imagine why one line might work and the other might not.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Here is my first attempt at posting 3 pics

 

[clayof2day]

Well, you have a "T" on each regulator, so they should all be working. Is there check valves anywhere on the system? If so, make sure all are open (I know it sounds stupid, but sometimes its the easy stuff we miss). Thats all I have for now

 

[mrkeeg]

Hmmm... nope... no check valves...

Could the connectors to the keg possibly be mucked? They seem so simple that that seems unlikely. The little pin inside all of them is mobile.

 

[salzar]

Could be plugged. Remove the threaded brass pieces connecting to the T, and then turn on the gas a little
to see/hear if the CO2 flowing. Sorry if i missed it, but are the two that flowing off the same T or separate, if they separate are the horizontal , or the vertical outlet on the T

 

[WBC]

My bet is there is check valves and 1 is sticking. The check valves prevent a keg with a higher pressure from pushing beer into the regulator.

 

[mrkeeg]

Well I got around to playing with this again.

Salzar... I'm not sure I understand your question, but each of the two regulators feeds to a T ... the regulator is off one of the top bits of the T, and thus the gas lines feed the kegs from the other top bit and the bottom stem of the T. I think the photos show it pretty well.

Anyway... I took the line connectors off of the T's, turned on the gas, and got good flow to the outlets of the Ts. Then something interesting happened. I pushed the pin on the keg-connector of a hose I had disconnected from the T... and it let out a hiss. Pressure had been stored in the line even after disconnection, meaning that you guys must be right: The brass piece connecting the T to the line must have a check valve. I'm soaking a couple of them in hot TSP solution (can't see a way to get in and clean the suckers), and if that doesn't work perhaps I'll replace them.

(Well, no... I'll try a host of other hokey things, all the while keeping the beer flowing by moving a single functioning gas hose back and forth between 4 kegs. THEN I'll replace them. At least I know I'm cheap, and I recognize it.)

 

[mrkeeg]

Well it's past my bedtime and I should be doing other things, so why not catch up on some old posts?

I'm humbled to say that you guys were right... I pulled apart the assembly and found... check valves! (If only I had known what they looked like before hand). They were made out of a plastic that I imagine was soft at one point, but which was hard and brittle. They looked sort of like... ah... protruding lips.. so gas could part them and blow one direction, but back pressure would force them together and stop flow. Short work with the pliers destroyed/removed them, and all is well. I suppose I should re-install functioning valves sometime though. Until then, I guess it's just caution.

Thanks yall.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Wish mine had check valves. I have to take one of mine apart since beer sprayed 3 feet in the air from the gas release hole on the reg.

Overfilling keg, force carb , then putting into keggerator on a diff LOW pressure line = Mess

 

[JesseRC]

In the meantime, while you dont have check valves, make sure you dont over fill your kegs and always release pressure on the keg prior to connecting the lines. I would also shy away from the old force carbin technique by shaking. You really dont want beer to flow up through the lines and into your regulator.