"new" CO2 tank dial in red already

[hilljack13]

I go to pour a drink and noticed the pour was less than usual. I checked the gauges and the low side had dropped to 7-8psi, down from 10. I have my CO2 tank in the fridge with the keg and it has been there just over a week. The "level" is now in the red. I am hoping this is just a temperature thing. It is a 20lb tank and have only gone through one keg. The current on is the second and should still be 80% full.

I did turn the gauge to the beer down yesterday so it would not overcarb. Still good there. Does this sound like a temp swing thing after over a week or a leak? I sprayed and didn't see any bubbles.

 

[Bobby_M]

The only way to know if have a leak is to perform a leak down test. https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1992.htm

When a tank is put into the fridge at about 35F, the high pressure gauge will read about 600-700psi and higher at room temp. Beer really doesn't overcarb at 10psi.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Do not trust soapy water for testing joints you can submerge. I had a joint that passed the soap test but still leaked. It was more obvious under water.

If you're already in the red, you have a pretty decent leak, but you probably have enough gas left to power leak testing. It's best to do it before you fill the tank again so you don't risk losing as much.

Be sure you don't try to read the tank pressure while the valve is shut. Not saying I would ever do anything that stupid. Or have.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Having the tank in the cold temps will make the high pressure side read lower, but it shouldn’t be in the red if it’s only had one keg on it. As Clint said, do a submerge test. I had a tough leak to find, and the only way I found it was to submerge everything in water. I don’t recommend submerging the regulator, but you can safely submerge everything up to the check valve at the regulator.

 

[hilljack13]

Sounds good. Are there any video's or pictures on doing this? I'm a visual learner.

 

[wsmith1625]

You can tell how much co2 is in the tank by weight. Close the valve on the tank and remove the regulator. Then weigh the tank and subtract the tare weight which is usually stamped on the tank, T or TW. Check the weight every day to see if it's dropping to confirm a leak. If so, then do the test the other's suggested.

 

[hilljack13]

I weighed it, with regulator. 47.2lbs. The needle is already just on the line of going red, so temp was part of it. I looked at all the markings and "TW" is not stamped on this tank. There are other numbers. A "TC" with some alpha numeric stamping. Looking at the all mighty google search, a 20lb tank empty should be 25-30lbs so for now seems like I had the temp a bit too low. I did go to 34F. I'll raise it a bit, but should be good based off weight.

Regulator is ~3-4lbs so I assume 43-44lbs total for the tank. Appreciate the responses as I keep learning!

 

[doug293cz]

What is the pressure reading (numerical value) on the high pressure gauge? The chart below shows the pressures at different temperatures, and this pressure is valid until there is no longer any liquid CO2 in the cylinder. At 34°F, the pressure should be ~520 psi, no matter how full the tank is (unless it is almost empty and there is no liquid CO2 left.)

Brew on

 

[hilljack13]

Looks legit, right on the 600 line. It has certainly moved up since taking it out of the fridge.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

You need to measure it when the temperature is stable so you know what the pressure should be. In the fridge all night, or at room temperature all night.

You only have so many molecules of gas regardless of the temperature, so if you're out of CO2 at 34, you're also out at 75. Hope I'm not insulting your intelligence here.

 

[hilljack13]

You need to measure it when the temperature is stable so you know what the pressure should be. In the fridge all night, or at room temperature all night.

You only have so many molecules of gas regardless of the temperature, so if you're out of CO2 at 34, you're also out at 75. Hope I'm not insulting your intelligence here.

Naw, I'm still learning. First time kegging so there are bound to be issues and mistakes.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Sounds good. Are there any video's or pictures on doing this? I'm a visual learner.

I’ve not seen any videos of submerging everything, but I just used a bucket full of water, and put the disconnects in, then the manifold. I found my leak was the end cap of the manifold. Tiny little bubbles, so they were hard to see. I had to let everything sit for a while to let all motion of the water to settle down before I saw the stream of tiny bubbles rising to the surface.