Follow CO2 cylinder weight

[Adrian Gresores]

I have re-done my keezer gas manifold recently and have twice emptied out my 20lb CO2 tank over a period of days. I have tried, but cannot find the leak so far. I am going to re-assess the setup and try to tighten it up. However, I would like to have a better way of assessing slow, but continuing, gas losses from the tank. Following pressure is inadequate as it will not drop until the supply of liquid CO2 in the tank becomes critically low. The best method would be to follow the weight of the tank.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to an economical scale that I could keep the tank on and follow weight that way? Or any other ideas?

Thanks.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yes, continuously monitoring the weight of your tank assembly (regulator and hoses attached) is the best option.

Calling @bracconiere.

Reread...
<ugh> 2 20#ers emptied in mere days... That must be a sizeable leak!

How are the o-rings on your kegs?
MFL or barbs? Push to Fit fittings?
Maybe you can show pictures of your gas assemblies?

 

[Adrian Gresores]

I'm actually not so worried about the source of the leak. I will find it, as I have before. But, even after that, I want a better way of monitoring tank fill. My concern regards which scale would do OK with all the weight on it continuously.

 

[slurms]

I ran into the same problem a half a year ago. Lost a 20 pounder on one keg. I ended up buying one of those continuous read-out scales. And also keg lube. Ever since the keg lube, the CO2 take behaves. But good to know if there's a leak with the scale. Check the link below for the scale. Think it's the same as Bracs.

https://www.amazon.com/Accuteck-Shi...ippro&qid=1625524041&s=office-products&sr=1-1

 

[Adrian Gresores]

Yeah, that's the same scale I use for weighing grain. My concern is whether it would become inaccurate with constant weight on it. Have you used it like that? I know I could always just lift the tank onto it intermittently, but my back disapproves of that idea.

 

[slurms]

I've sat my CO2 tank on it to monitor the weight of it. Seems to work well. Think that's what this is made for, constant monitoring. You'll lose a few oz to carb, and the same for serving. But you should see a steady decline of you have a leak.

 

[Adrian Gresores]

 

[bracconiere]

I ran into the same problem a half a year ago. Lost a 20 pounder on one keg. I ended up buying one of those continuous read-out scales. And also keg lube. Ever since the keg lube, the CO2 take behaves. But good to know if there's a leak with the scale. Check the link below for the scale. Think it's the same as Bracs.

https://www.amazon.com/Accuteck-Shi...ippro&qid=1625524041&s=office-products&sr=1-1

Calling @bracconiere.

welp, seems, my plan is already known....i just hooked up my 20lb'er and lost 6 ozs right off, because the i didn't tighten the reg enough. trying to hold it at the right viewing angle...glad i keep it on that scale and caught it quick..would have been another tript to the welding shop in a couple weeks if not....

 

[bracconiere]

I've sat my CO2 tank on it to monitor the weight of it. Seems to work well. Think that's what this is made for, constant monitoring. You'll lose a few oz to carb, and the same for serving. But you should see a steady decline of you have a leak.

and the gravity of the sun effects it over the day... but just like weight in the morning on the bathroom scale. it only loses 0.2ozs me puring a gallon, but the sun changes it 0.3ozs when it's pulling down instead of up.....that damn scale is AWESOME!

 

[Toxxyc]

This is why I have my tanks outside, and turn them off if they're not in use.

 

[Bobby_M]

Get used to doing a leak down test. It's the quickest way to assess if you're losing gas. Open tank, close reg output valve, set pressure to 30psi, close tank. Watch gauges for 10 minutes to see if there is any drop in either the high pressure or low pressure gauges. If there is. You have a leak between the tank and reg or in the regulator threaded fittings. If it holds, allow the pressure to get further into the system, say up to the manifold or up to the couplers (disconnected from kegs). If it still holds, you're plumbing is good. You still need to bubble test any newly filled kegs.

 

[Talker]

Get used to doing a leak down test. It's the quickest way to assess if you're losing gas. Open tank, close reg output valve, set pressure to 30psi, close tank. Watch gauges for 10 minutes to see if there is any drop in either the high pressure or low pressure gauges. If there is. You have a leak between the tank and reg or in the regulator threaded fittings. If it holds, allow the pressure to get further into the system, say up to the manifold or up to the couplers (disconnected from kegs). If it still holds, you're plumbing is good. You still need to bubble test any newly filled kegs.

If the high pressure valves drops pressure and the low pressure valve stays at 30psi, where is the most likely place the leak is? *soapy water test doesnt show anything*

 

[day_trippr]

Of course the high pressure gauge will show a larger deflection before the low pressure gauge if there's a systemic leak - the cylinder pressure would have to have dropped down into the low pressure gauge's range and by that time the tank is effectively empty - like, indistinguishably close to the 0,0 point in this plot...

Cheers!

 

[JAReeves]

This ^^ @Bobby_M .

If you haven't used this method before, spray StarSan all over the pipe junctions and it will either drip onto the floor or bubble up where you have a leak. That and Keg Lube are how I have stopped losing #'s of CO2 to leaks.

Reevesie

 

[ITV]

After I clean and santize my kegs, I purge them with CO2 and store them with about 5 PSI. When I need to fill a keg if my empty keg has no pressure I put it aside until I can fix the leak.
To trouble shoot my manifold, I submerge it in a bucket of water (pressurized with CO2) and look for leaks. Same for the gas posts.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm actually not so worried about the source of the leak. I will find it, as I have before.

It's a big leak, I would be worried...

Have you checked there's actually a washer (or in some cases an o-ring) on the regulator stem, where it attaches to the tank nozzle? It could be a plastic washer or a fiber one, depending on the regulator stem. When you tighten the large nut it compresses the washer, making a positive seal.
Those fiber washers really can be used only once or a few times, and should be replaced with each tank. The plastic ones can last many changes, as long as it doesn't get damaged.

 

[JAReeves]

It's a big leak, I would be worried...

Have you checked there's actually a washer (or in some cases an o-ring) on the regulator stem, where it attaches to the tank nozzle? It could be a plastic washer or a fiber one, depending on the regulator stem. When you tighten the large nut it compresses the washer, making a positive seal.
Those fiber washers really can be used only once or a few times, and should be replaced with each tank. The plastic ones can last many changes, as long as it doesn't get damaged.

I know this is a budget (i.e. poor-man's) fix, but I keg-lubed a corny keg post gasket and put it between my CO2 and manifold. Stopped my leak.

 

[bracconiere]

Yeah, that's the same scale I use for weighing grain. My concern is whether it would become inaccurate with constant weight on it. Have you used it like that? I know I could always just lift the tank onto it intermittently, but my back disapproves of that idea.

i've kept my co2 tank on mine since i think january of 2020. it doesn't drift. or anyway, when i swap my tanks. it's only a couple tenths off from 0.

but as the trend of this thread, the scale will just tell you you're losing co2. not where.

 

[IslandLizard]

I know this is a budget (i.e. poor-man's) fix, but I keg-lubed a corny keg post gasket and put it between my CO2 and manifold. Stopped my leak.

On the high pressure side, at the tank/regulator connection? Yes, that o-ring could work. Does it lie in a groove?

But on the low pressure side, any metal to metal flare (MFL/FFL) connection needs one of those plastic "fisheye" washers.
A keg-post o-ring is way to large for that.

The only exception is plastic MFL keg QDs. They don't need a separate fisheye washer because the plastic tippy on top of the (male) threads is the flare washer, which makes the seal.