Is kegging always a battle against leaks?

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JimEb

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Just got into kegging and had to get my CO2 tank refilled after only one week.

Double checked all my orings, connections before putting on the fresh tank. Appears to be no leaks when checking with soapy water, but I'm paranoid now so I've been keeping the gas off. I've been giving it shot of CO2 a couple times a day. Gas always flows when I turn the valves on...still leaky?

Going to go broke getting CO2 tanks filled at $20/5lb.
 
Had a similar problem. I submerged all my lines and manifold into a bucket of StarSan water (let any foam subside so its clear) and turned on the gas to look for the problem(The tell-tale bubbles will show when submerged) as soapy water will not show a slow leak easily. Mine was around where the valves screw into the manifold and I ended up soldering them to the manifold to get it to stop leaking.

Another option/idea is to replace all the O-Rings in the keg (even the post ones). This is cheap and takes this as the potential issue out of the equation.
Also using Keg Lube with a good lid seat to get a good seal on the lid is good practice to get a tight seal on your keg lid.

Sucks to have to chase a CO2 leak down. Let us know how it works out.
 
JimEb said:
Just got into kegging and had to get my CO2 tank refilled after only one week.

Double checked all my orings, connections before putting on the fresh tank. Appears to be no leaks when checking with soapy water, but I'm paranoid now so I've been keeping the gas off. I've been giving it shot of CO2 a couple times a day. Gas always flows when I turn the valves on...still leaky?

Going to go broke getting CO2 tanks filled at $20/5lb.
Click to expand...

Chasing down a leak sucks... But no, kegging is not always a battle against leaks. They certainly happen occasionally, and they can be a real PITA to find, but once you get things sorted out, than you'll be okay!

You've got to find the leak, though. Turning the CO2 off, and giving the beer a shot a couple times a day is only a temporary solution. When I was finding my leak, I used Star San solution in a spray bottle. It's cheap, doesn't need to be rinsed off, and bubbles like crazy! Give your gas disconnects a wiggle at the posts while spraying them, as that can often be a source of a leak. Make sure to tighten down any worm clamps or plastic clamps where your tubing is attached to disconnects or the regulator. Ensure that you have thread seal tape on the regulator, and where all gauges are screwed into the regulator.
 
Yeah... haven't had a leak problem yet, pretty lucky there.

BUT! When I first set up my system, I found a leak where I crimped the hose on the regulator.

I knew to check all my connections with StarSan in a spray bottle, and it bubbled right up. So, re-crimped, problem solved.

Something to be said for doing a little research and taking the time to check these things.
 
I turned off the 2 gas lines at the reg and the valve on the co2 tank. Watching the overall pressure gauge for about 30-min I saw it was losing pressure. Figure a leak must be at the manifold. Pulled hoses off manifold and submerged the pressurized tank and manifold in the sink...no leaks.

Reinstalled on kegerator. Pressurized the manifold and shut everything off again. By this morning its still holding the same pressure. I did redo the hose worm clamps when I removed them and also snugged the tank/reg connection a little extra. Maybe that was it?
 
FWIW, the CO2 valve should be opened fully when in use, not partially open. Fully open and against the stop, as you would to turn it off but reverse.

"gas cylinders and tanks have back-seating valves, and should be opened all the way to reduce the pressure on the valve stem packing seal. if you crack these valves part way, they can develop leaks over long periods of time..."
 
Just discovered my brand new legging system has 3 leaks. I'm fed up with this entire purchase. My perlicks won't go on the tower and all three air lines leak at the little clamps. I will be contacting the company I purchased it from and requesting a return. I'm sure that will just turn into a mess.
 
Perhaps worse than that is finding too late, a leak on the liquid side. A couple years ago I had a leak empty my near full keg into my cooler.
 
Dont get discouraged its just life. Use soapy water dish soap with water shaken up or starsan or leak detector. Something i learned as a plumber is that you can cause more leaks by over tightening fittings and connections than anything. Use good tape wrap it in the right direction. Keeps the tape from coming off while tightening. Another great sealer is loctite thread sealant with teflon, it sets up almost like a rubber. Flare fittings give them a dab of silicone grease and snug them up. I hope you find your leaks. Once you get the hang of it you wont have leaks. Just because its a factory joint dont assume it is a leak free joint.
 
JimEb said:
Just got into kegging and had to get my CO2 tank refilled after only one week.

Going to go broke getting CO2 tanks filled at $20/5lb.
Click to expand...

Congrats, by getting into kegging you just amped up your cash layout and complexity for no real benefit.
 
To each their own, but I find HUGE benefits with kegging! Don't give up the fight - you'll learn so much in the process, and will be happy with the results!
 
I love my kegs. I don't have to buy bottles any more and it cuts 'bottling' day in half if not more.

My system leaked the first time I used it; all it took was a quick disconnect, and reseat of the poppet and it was done. I've also got a small CO2 tank and its still going strong after 4 batches. Shouldn't need to be refilled that often.
 
huckbof said:
Congrats, by getting into kegging you just amped up your cash layout and complexity for no real benefit.
Click to expand...

huge benefit.

people go from bottling to kegging all the time...rarely the other way around.

"this kegging nonsense is too convenient for me...i want to package beer the hard way"
 
JimEb said:
Just got into kegging and had to get my CO2 tank refilled after only one week.

Double checked all my orings, connections before putting on the fresh tank. Appears to be no leaks when checking with soapy water, but I'm paranoid now so I've been keeping the gas off. I've been giving it shot of CO2 a couple times a day. Gas always flows when I turn the valves on...still leaky?

Going to go broke getting CO2 tanks filled at $20/5lb.
Click to expand...

It definitely felt the same way for me too. It took a few months and a bunch of different tries but I finally got everything figured out. Don't get discouraged, lots of us go through the same thing.
 
Keep it on topic. huckbof, you are welcome to start a new thread about the pros/cons/economy of kegging, but this isn't the thread to carry on like that.

Back to the topic at hand - I've gone about 2 years on the same 20 lb cylinder of CO2 without turning the gas off. Chasing leaks certainly isn't fun, but they can be eliminated fairly permanently.
 
fair enuff yuri, I'm just doing my research on the all the issues and complexities and judging by this thread leaks are troublesome and expensive.
good idea on starting a new thread though, hey maybe even an article or 2
 
Is kegging always a battle against leaks?
Click to expand...

Depends. Buy good parts, install them correctly, test the **** out of them, and there shall be no leaks.

I take off from home for up to a couple of weeks at a time, and don't do anything to the three gas systems in my brewery (6 tap keezer and two fridges outfitted with CO2 drops for carbing kegs and purging fermenters).

No leaks - gas or beer - ever...

Cheers!
 
I've been kegging since I bottled my first batch. That was enough. Kegging ever since with a two tap DIY kegerator, dual pressure reg and 4 cornies. It really is very simple. I have had one leak as a result of a failed PRV O ring. Easily detected. The o ring was at the bottom of the keg.

The cost of the leak was a approximately 1/2 a tank of Co2 . 2-3 lbs. $10 in list gas plus $0.20 for the cost of a new O ring

That's less than $1 per month in maintenance.

I got my lines, and tower pre assembled from keg connection and have never had a system leak. So to answer the OP I would say no, kegging is not a constant battle with leaks.
 
Any new system will need to be debugged and kegging is no different. There is no doubt kegging is the easy way to dispense home brew, I still bottle certain brews, mainly because they require higher carbonation than my 4 keg system is setup for. Once you dial it in you will be good to go, just keep an eye on your seals, if you nick any when connecting a keg, change them out. Also, if you bought used kegs, I would tear them down completely and change all seals and clean the poppits/connectors to get rid of potential off flavors and infection. Once rebuilt, pressurize and test for leaks. The cost is minimal in parts and you will know you are working with equipment that is clean and tight.

I also leave my kegs for weeks after I have emptied them before I bother cleaning, this allows me to see if the keg is holding pressure, I have enough kegs in my supply line that this isn't an issue. If I find a keg that has lost pressure sitting empty, I rebuild and test for leaks before putting beer back into it.
 
The only leak I've had was at the MFL connectors between the gas line and the gas disconnect. I mention this because my first inclination was to just check the kegs for leaks. Gotta check everything in the system though.

Don't give up hope man. You'll find it, fix it, and there will be beers.

Cheers.
 
I found a leak at my regulator because I wasn't using the little grey plastic feeling gasket. Wen I set mine up it was fine but i had a leak after a wedding. Replaced the gasket and it hasn't leaked yet.

As someone on page 1 said you can cause leaks by OVER TIGHTENING fittings and hose clamps. When I installed my manifold I tightened up everything after the gas was turned on. Some I thought were loose but heard no gas. Another I thought was tight and it leaked. Once you get it setup you're good to go.

Look at fire extinguisher paces to do CO2 refills. Locally they fill bottles for $15. I bought a 20lb tank and it costs me $15 to swap it out at the local hydroponic shop and the homebrew shop is double that or more. With the 20 I think it will last me a year even WITH purging bottles with my Beergun.
 
My leak occurred at the dip tube o-ring. I replaced it and life is good. I bought a bag full of the three different o-rings and replace them every so often.

The benefit is not having to wait for bottle conditioning and cleaning those bottles. Huge benefit in my mind.
 

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