Dumb CO2 question

[kfgolfer]

If I have a keg in the fridge hooked up to CO2 at serving psi of 12...and I go on vacation for a week, can I just keep it hooked up or should I diconnect it? reason being, will I be wasting a lot of CO2 or as long as the beer isn't going down, no more gas will enter the tank? Not sure how this stuff works...

Also, just curious, but can you age kegged beer in the fridge hooked up to CO2 or should you leave it in the keg at room temp with no gas?? or does it really matter.

 

[rdwj]

You won't waste any C02 leaving it hooked up unless you have a leak - I leave mine on all the time.

As far as aging, you should have C02 on the tank, but it doesn't really need to be cold. It just takes longer to carb if it's warm

 

[kfgolfer]

How would I know if I have a leak?? I set my keg up with CO2 yesterday and left it at 12 or so PSI.. when I checked on it this morning, it went down to 11.. Is this normal for newly tapped keg until it pressurized correctly or does this mean I might have a small leak??

 

[rdwj]

You can check all the connections with soapy water. Other than that, you'll just notice that you're using more C02 that you think you should. Those can be tough to detect. Just make sure to tape all your connections that don't have O-rings

 

[kfgolfer]

I assume you mean teflon tape?? I did that. but is it normal for it to drop 1 psi in the very beginning?

 

[rdwj]

I'm not sure what you mean by drop 1 psi. Did you turn it off, or leave it on?

 

[kfgolfer]

It's still on. I had it at 12 psi yesterday afternoon and this morning it dropped to 11 psi.

 

[rdwj]

I'm guessing that's due to a difference in temp or something. It's not really a tell-tale sign of a leak. Typically, when you dial in a psi, it just sits there - leaks or not, until there is no more gas.

 

[david_42]

Most likely a temperature change that shifted the regulator's setting. Another, simple way to check for leaks is to just shut the tank off, once the keg is carbonated. The pressure should not change. Of course, you can't drawn a cold one for the duration of the test.

Once you know you have a leak, start checking with soapy water.