Help troubleshooting kegerator leak

[Philip1993]

Ok, after several busted knuckles, stripped wrench faces, gouged pipe and valves, much cursing, disassembly, pipe dope removal, teflon tape application, etc., etc. the 4 bank AS&S regulator assembly is back together. I found one tiny leak at the #2 gauge connection, but nothing to account for the erratic pressure losses in the other 3 regulators secondaries. I bench tested for 24 hours with tiny variations +/-, but no significant negative loss. No visible leaks using soapy water and/or kids bubble solution. Now it's back into the fridge to see if it behaves in colder climates. Unfortunately, it'll take a few days as it worked fine on the bench before and then misbehaved in the fridge.

I'll keep posting in case someone else is interested.

I applied pressure with ball valves closed, shut off the tank, and walked away. Within 10 minutes, regulator #1 was down to 0psi. Within another 45 minutes, regulator #2 was down to 0psi. #3 appears to be doing okay.

Based on bench testing, it appears these regulators behavior with 0 primary (input) pressure is undefined. Sometimes they maintain secondary pressure, sometimes they back-bleed and lose secondary pressure. I've seen one drop instantly on primary depressurization, and the others drop at apparently random times, some quite a long time (up to 1hr+) after the primary pressure has dropped to zero.

 

[Chriso]

I'll be doing the same soon - I just need to find someone with a bench vise, so I can get this f*ing thing back apart. (I think my parents have one) I'll post back when I'm done too.

We can beat this thing. We gotta.

I wonder if Jester fixed his leak. He was having problems with his AS&S regs too.

 

[Philip1993]

I put mine back in the fridge and despite zero leaks and nopressure drop on the bench, #2 will not hold pressure if the supply is cut off. 1,3,4 are set at 10psi. #2 drops fairly rapidly to 10psi and holds there.

I suspect that when the supply is removed, the gas in the primary side cools (and shrinks) dropping the primary pressure. #2 then backfeeds until pri/sec pressures are balanced. That should yield pressure >10psi and < 25psi, but that's not the case. A leak should yield a continuously dropping pressure, but that's not the case either. Continually changing fault behavior is a big part of the problem isolating the issue.

Right now, my bottle is down to all gas (~500-550psi warm). So I'm charging the whole system (kegs and all) to make sure that everything is saturated, chilled, and not re-carbing from lowered pressures. If so, the bottles primary pressure should drop and then stabilize. If it continues to empty, then I know I still have a leak some where. Why that leak manifests itself only in cold temperature is baffling.

Step next will be to make a gauge on a "T" with valves and MFL fittings on the input/output. I'll start inserting that places and alternately opening/closing the valves until I can isolate where the pressure drop is occurring. If that fails, I'll break this reg bank apart and feed each regulator separately with a shutoff valve so I can isolate each regulator independently.

 

[Jester369]

I wonder if Jester fixed his leak. He was having problems with his AS&S regs too.

Knock on wood, yes it is fixed. The safety valve on my primary kept releasing on it's own. Found this out while pressure testing it on the kitchen counter. So far, the AS&S regs are still working.

 

[Philip1993]

Last night I found a small leak after the #3 ball valve where forward closure (with MFL threads) meets the valve body. The thread locker/sealant must have gotten cracked during re-assembly. Disassembled, cleaned, new sealant, re-assembled. No leaks found.

Now quite frustrated with this thing (and no beer on tap), I put the whole regulator bank under water and pressurized it (pressurized pri 28psi, 12-25-9-11 sec). Then I stared at it like an idiot in a trance for 1/2hr. Not one single bubble of any size appeared. So I removed it, dried it off, and set it on the kitchen counter for an 1+hrs. ZERO changes in pressure. Feeling successful (finally) I went to bed and left it there. This morning I woke up to gauges that had dropped to 5, 15, 7, 5 psi. Then as I watched #2 dropped another 5 psi (15->10) in a split second.

I think I'm quite done with these regulators. I've got at least 20 hours in this bank so far, and cannot find any rhyme or reason for the pressure losses.

 

[PaulB]

I got these same pieces of crap and I too and done messing with them. They are junk and I would not recommend buying them to anyone. I cannot see any leaks with the setup sitting in a bucket of water, but it slowly leaks down every time and I am sick and tired of this crap. They are going in the garbage.