Help, can't find leak

[rpolzin25]

Help me. I recently expanded my kegerator and keep going through co2 tanks way too fast. I for the life of me cannot find the leak. I have tried spraying potential leak locations and cannot find a damn thing. Only thing I can think of is a slow keg leak but I kept spraying the top of the keg and no bubbles were showing. Thoughts?

 

[stonebrewer]

Could be anywhere. Best if you can submerge equipment in water, but even that might not help. I had a regulator that was faulty and it would just vent out a lot of CO2 all at once. Just happened to be at the kegerator with a friend one day and caught it in the act. The pressure relief valve was faulty and would dump a great deal of CO2, then seal. I also had problems with kegs a long way back that leaked out a lot of CO2 as well. Between fixing those two things, CO2 tanks last me over a year now...good luck!

 

[rpolzin25]

It took me like a year at a time for tanks to run dry but since I added a 4th keg I started having issues. My big difference was the 4th keg addition and the addition of a 3 way splitter. Lines have been changed. I guess the only thing I can think of is the keg but it's happening so slow and its not showing up anywhere on the keg.

 

[day_trippr]

Definitely submersion is the acid test for a suspect keg. Pressurize it and flip it over in a sink with a half dozen inches of water.

Otoh, if there's still beer in the keg, you could pressurize the keg, remove both disconnects, build a dam around the handles using duct tape, fill it with sanitized water and see where the bubbles are coming from. This will cover the lid and both posts, and it's highly unlikely the sanitized water will get into the keg if it's under pressure...

Cheers!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Crank up the pressure to 40..little leaks become big leak and are easier to find

 

[stonebrewer]

When I had keg leaks it was very obvious. Turn off the CO2 for a few days. Turn it back on. If you hear a keg filling up with gas, that is your suspect. I have my tank outside the kegerator and am in the habit of turning it off when not pouring. So I only fill up with a tiny amount of CO2 to account for the beer I drink. If I go a few days, without a beer and turn on the gas and hear it filling a keg, I know I have a leaker and need to deal with it. I had one or two lids that would seal, but not well, and would eventually leak. I did the above until I discovered the ones with issues, bought replacement lids, and tossed the leakers. No problems since doing that...best of luck!

 

[acidrain]

A couple of my experiences...
High pressure leaks are really hard to find. They don't make bubbles like low pressure leaks do when sprayed with soapy water or starsan. This is why submersion is the best way to really find them.

Also, the Co2 tank itself can be an issue if you don't open the valve all the way. These tank valves are mad to be opened hard all the way or they will leak around the gland nut.

Finally, use a new gasket everytime.

 

[homebrewer_99]

The first thing I do when I can't find a leak is to turn the lids 180 degrees and pressurize it again. You also might want to disconnect the gas "in" connector when not using it.

 

[brewbama]

Ck the usual suspects first: Teflon tape around every fitting, new o-rings and keg lube at each post, dip tube, and lid. Tighten all hose clamps. If using swivel nuts: new Teflon seals and a new seal at the regulator keg connection. Finger tight plus a quarter turn with a wrench. If that’s not it, go deeper into gauges, body, relief valve, check valves, etc.

 

[BrunDog]

I had a leak that I couldn’t find either. I sprayed everything multiple times with soapy water and/or a Star-San solution. Closing the valves on either side of the regulators showed pressure loss there fairly quickly. I replaced the regulator gasket/diaphragm assembly and the leak was resolved.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

my last tank drained.
I'm using an old corny regulator originally used for soda.
I ended up submerging it in the sink to find the leak.
Whatever was originally used on the threads must of given out so I just took it apart and Teflon taped it and all good.

 

[NeoBrew]

Great suggestions in all those. I would second KegLube.

When I first installed a secondary manifold I had this same kind of problem. I found that if I tried to run my main line at 30psi and then use the secondary regulators to get down to serving pressure, I would loose CO2. When I set the primary pressure down to 20psi the leaking stopped. It's still a little aggravating that I never found the leak, but my CO2 is lasting months and months now.

Another trouble shooting tip is to isolate parts of the system and see if they loose pressure. If you have a secondary manifold shut off each keg at the manifold and see if it looses pressure over time. If that doesn't find it shut off all the manifold valves and then the main valve on the tank. If that doesn't loose pressure then you know it's not in that zone, etc.