Keg conditioning/ SHrinking C02 canister

[eager_brewer]

Ok this is my double edged question. First my basement is approx 60 degrees and at room temp my CO2 read full. I put it in the fridge which is about 34 degrees with a single keg attached at 15 psi. With in hours the gauge said that I had lost about 1/3 of my total volume of CO2. That was 3 days ago and it has not moved since. My question "is this normal?"

Second, I have read alot of posts that talk about the beer conditioning in the keg. and I know this is done after the CO2 is added. But I only have one CO2 tank with a single regulator. Can I carbonate a keg for 10 days and then remove it from the tank and let it condition while I attache another keg to the take for carbonation? Damn I hope I worded these questions right. I hope to tap my first keg this weekend, but I think I may wait. As always I greatly appreciate the help I have recieved here! Thank you!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Tanks always read lower in the fridge because of the cold. If you took it out the pressure will adjust itself.

I'ts my understanding that you just put some gas on a keg to seal it and let it condition.

When you want to tap the keg you put it in the fridge overnight to get cold then put 25 psi on it for a couple of days, release the pressure and re-gas at dispensing psi.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes, it normal. You can put 10-20 PSI on a keg to seal it then leave it out of the fridge for as long as you'd like. When you're ready to carb and serve, put it in the fridge and put 12psi or whatever you desired volumes are and give it about 4 days. If you're in a big hurry, put the pressure to about 25psi and shake the keg for a while. The risk is overcarbonation if you leave it at that pressure for too long.

 

[baddog]

Eager:

The volume dial of your reg will read lower when you cool the co2... 1/3 sounds a bit high, I would check for leaks in your connections to be safe, although you said it did stabilize. A little soapy water brushed on your fittings will show a leak bubbling.
Secondly, the beer does condition nicely the longer it is hooked up, but I am too impatient to wait. I cool the keg, attach the co2 to the liquid dispensation side and shake the bejezus out of it, several times. The liquid side has the long tube that goes to the bottom of the keg, so the co2 bubbles up from the bottom of the keg. You can hear the bubbling as you shake it. After a few minutes the bubbling slows down, and you can take a sample or ten. The carbonation will be less than perfect, large bubbles, co2 not completely dissolved, but you get a good sense of what you have in the keg. I have carbonated a keg on the morning of an afternoon pool party, with good results! Of course, who complains about kegged homebrew?
You can unhook at any point, leaving a good amount of head pressure, 15-20psi, and hook up another keg for carbing.

 

[jar]

The high pressure side gauge reading depends only on temperature until all of the liquid CO2 in the tank is gone. Then it will drop really quickly.