pressure relief valve question

[borealis]

So I just added a new keg to my keezer and thought everything was great until I lost all of the CO2 in the tank last night. I think I have the leak narrowed down to the pressure relief valve in the new keg. The other three kegs still are under pressure despite the empty tank, but the new keg has no pressure. I noticed that the pressure relief valve was not tightened all the way.

My question is will just tightening it solve my problem or do I need to get a new valve? The keg was holding pressure when I bought it, so the I must have somehow inadvertently loosened the valve while cleaning everything before its first use.

Thanks.

 

[Cottonmouth]

I'd spray a little star san or soap solution on the PRV to make sure that's the problem and if a little keg lube doesn't fix it replace it.

 

[borealis]

Just as a quick follow up, since there is no pressure in the keg right now, is the beer okay in there for a bit? I don't have any way of adding pressure until I can get the tank filled.

 

[TimelessCynic]

Connect gas in on carbed keg to gas in on uncarbed keg. That way you can share some of the existing CO2. You can purge a little from uncarbed keg to get rid of any air if there is any in there. You can also conduct a soap water test as recomended above.

Your beer should be fine. CO2 is heavier than air so as long as you didnt open up the lid or agitate it while the relief valve was open you should still have a nice blanket of CO2 above your beer.

 

[borealis]

This is stupid and I should know better than to be worried at this point in my brewing career, but do you think I can wait a day before filling the tank? It's 45 minutes away and I have a busy day.

 

[TimelessCynic]

I think even if there is air above your beer, which I am guessing there is not. You would still be fine.

 

[Kahler]

Being that you had has going in, and out, I doubt that there's any air in the keg. The gas purged it out when it leaked.

 

[borealis]

Do you guys think I am right about the cause of the leak being the PRV on that keg since it was not tightened and there was no pressure and the other 3 kegs were fine?

 

[TimelessCynic]

Do you guys think I am right about the cause of the leak being the PRV on that keg since it was not tightened and there was no pressure and the other 3 kegs were fine?

Not sure. Test with soapy water and small piece of sponge on a stick. Wet all the connections and see if any bubble.

 

[day_trippr]

If you don't already have a spray bottle filled with standard Star San/water mix, get one, because it's one of the most used items in my brewery, and I wager I'm not alone. In this case, you could seal up the keg in question, hit it with a good blast of CO2, disconnect the gas QD, and spray the entire top of the keg.

Star San will bubble with the slightest provocation, so it's a great leak chaser. And it's nearly odor & taste-free, AND it's a sanitizer, so you can go nuts with the spray bottle without worrying about the consequences.

In the meantime, a strong dishwashing liquid/water mix (like 1:2) brushed over the keg top after you've charged it up should reveal any leaks. You'll just want to wash it off once you're done...

Cheers!