If i can hear my co2 tank does that mean it's leaking

[Gustatorian]

I'm currently putting about 1psi of pressure on my conical during a cold-crash to prevent oxygen ingress, and I'm hearing a very small, barely-audible CO2 flow near the regulator. So far, the needles within the gauges look to be steady but with such a slow flow, I'm not sure if it's leaking based on those guages. Any way to troubleshoot this? I've tightened everything and am still hearing that tiny "leak"...

 

[ehpower2]

soap and water in a spray bottle will show you exactly where the leak is. My bet its the regulator. If it does happen to be the co2 tank it is not repairable under that much pressure. I would drain the co2 slowly and go have it exchanged out if it was me, If it was just exchanged i would take it back and let them know about the leak.

 

[IslandLizard]

If you hear gas running, there must be a (small) leak somewhere. How sure are you about the lid's seal on the conical? That's typically a weak area.

 

[Gustatorian]

soap and water in a spray bottle will show you exactly where the leak is. My bet its the regulator. If it does happen to be the co2 tank it is not repairable under that much pressure. I would drain the co2 slowly and go have it exchanged out if it was me, If it was just exchanged i would take it back and let them know about the leak.

Not seeing any bubble formation and I feel like I'm spraying everywhere...

 

[Gustatorian]

If you hear gas running, there must be a (small) leak somewhere. How sure are you about the lid's seal on the conical? That's typically a weak area.

I'm hearing gas flow at the regulator though, not the conical.

 

[iijakii]

Does the sound stop when you get pressurized? Hearing it flow isn't abnormal.

 

[Gustatorian]

Does the sound stop when you get pressurized? Hearing it flow isn't abnormal.

I think Island Lizard is right. There must be small leak at the top seal of my conical. When I open the valve on the regulator but keep the manifold to the fermentor close, the noise stops. Probably just need tighten the lid of my fermentor, but that will be at the expense of losing precious hop aroma...

 

[Gustatorian]

Do you guys think I'd be ok with just hitting the fermentor with a little CO2 every few hours throughout the cold-crash? I don't want to drain my tank.

 

[IslandLizard]

I wouldn't open the lid.

Spray the edge where the lid and the conical meet with Starsan. It will fly away if there's a significant leak. Then tighten down that local area. You could use a rope and a wedge or a piece of wood to transfer the extra downward pressure to just that spot.

Otherwise, yeah, hit it every few hours. If you lose a quart of CO2 every minute, keeping the gas on for 48 hours will surely drain your tank. It's not that the influx of air will be very high, it's a minute pressure difference, much smaller than the 1 psi you're putting on.

Next time recheck that seal before filling with wort. Maybe there's a small bump or other irregularity.