I just put a brand new co2 bottle on my keg system. This is my first homebrew kegging. After about a week the co2 bottle is almost empty. I sprayed it with soapy water but seen no bubbles. Does anyone have any tricks for finding keg co2 leaks?
Empty CO2 bottle
- Thread starter ksutton2
- Start date
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blueballsbrewer
Well-Known Member
dunk it in water....it was the only method i found to prove to my lhbs that the 10 lb tank they sold me had a slooooooooooooow leak.
blueballsbrewer
Well-Known Member
also...keep in mine the process of elimination theory. you found your c02 tank empty and went straight for the tank as being the culprit....typical american male move. your keg could have a leak, or any of the fittings. check EVERYTHING!!!
When I first put my setup together I wanted to be absolutely sure that everything was 100% tight and leak free. To that end, the best method that I could think of was to take the entire CO2 tank, primary regulator, secondary regulator and all my kegs and put them in the pool under pressure. Everything was tight except one of the 10 kegs that I had. Found that I had a slightly damaged lid on one of the kegs. Replaced that and everything was good to go.
After the dip in the pool the only thing I did was to take apart the pressure gauge covers and blow out the water that got into the gauges. I've been using this setup since about 2006 and I've never had a tank go flat on me except for when I've simply used it up.
After the dip in the pool the only thing I did was to take apart the pressure gauge covers and blow out the water that got into the gauges. I've been using this setup since about 2006 and I've never had a tank go flat on me except for when I've simply used it up.
zacjack
Well-Known Member
How are you determining that it is almost empty? By weight, or by the gauge on your regulator?
Well, that's a problem.
Check the weight - the high-pressure gauges are essentially worthless. They'll fluctuate with temperature (if you put the tank in the fridge, it'll drop), but as long as there is any liquid CO2 remaining in the tank they won't change with volume (as long as there is any liquid CO2 remaining, the pressure inside the tank won't change).
