Leaking keg

[dood56]

Merry Christmas all. Just got my keezer built and have put two kegs worth of beer in it. However I have been checking out the temp of the interior to ensure it is what I wanted. Well, I smelt what I thought was the sealant drying. Not so much. I am all but certain it is CO2. Well, I think I isolated it to the lid of the keg. I received it with a good seal. When I sanitized it I reapplied keg lub to O ring and thought I should be fine. I pulled off the lid and reapplied keg lube. Gave it a shot of 30 psi to help seal it. Any other suggestions on what I can do if this does not fix the leak? Thanks for the help and Merry Christmas all!

 

[wizardofza]

Did you try soaking the lid o-ring in hot water first? I've found that this loosens the rubber a bit and makes it more pliable thereby creating a better seal.

 

[JesseRC]

At 30 psi you should be able to tell if it is leaking. Put 30 psi on it, disc the gas put keg on its side, if its leaking you'll know. Otherwise if you dont see any beer coming out you should be fine. You may want to check you gas hoses for leaks. I usually just dunk them in a bucket of water to see if the disconnects or tubing are leaking. The other connections at the tank and regulator can be check with a soap/water solution and sprayed on the connections.

 

[dood56]

I did not soak the O-ring. I have not seen any signs of leaking anywhere at the connections. How much keg lube should I put on the thing?

 

[wizardofza]

Put a liberal amount. I usually make sure that it's coated pretty well - both the o-ring itself and the lid recess where it sits.

 

[abracadabra]

I like to check for leaks by spraying or brushing a Star-San solution. That was I have no worries about any nasty taste from a soapy solution.

CO2 should be odorless so the smell of sealant is more than likely something else

 

[JesseRC]

I like to check for leaks by spraying or brushing a Star-San solution. That was I have no worries about any nasty taste from a soapy solution.

CO2 should be odorless so the smell of sealant is more than likely something else

Yup , I agree. Usually co2 detection is just about the nose feel, kinda like burping through your nose, other than that you really cant smell it.

 

[dood56]

Well, I think I got the leak isolated to the pressure relief valve. Not too sure on how to fix that one. I just replaced the lid with the one from another keg. Will see how that works. Not sure how to explain the smell. If anyone else has any solutions, I am all ears.

 

[david_42]

Some pressure valves have an o-ring. If yours doesn't, give the threads a couple wraps with plumber's tape.