Regulator won't read 0 PSI

[slapnutz]

I've had some pretty negative experiences with my kegging setup since I bought it. The beers I've made have usually needed to "saturate carb" at around 10-12 PSI. If I set my regulator at 10-12 PSI then the carbing is slow to non-existent. I then have to crank it to around 20+ PSI and still wait for 1-2 weeks for full carbing.

I decided to try my hand at using a diffusion stone to see if I get better results at a lower PSI. I still needed to crank to about 20+ PSI and wait awhile (less than before the stone).

I'm starting to think that there is something wrong with my regulator. I noticed last night that I can turn the tank off, disconnect the outlet, purge the co2 out of the regulator, etc... and the PSI will not drop below 5 psi. I'm pretty sure that the air in my fridge is not 5 PSI, so what gives?

Does this wreak of a broken regulator or does it seem like I'm doing something wrong?

 

[raouliii]

Sounds like maybe a bad low pressure gauge. What is the gauge's max? A gauge with a high maximum can be useless at low pressures. A 0-60psi gauge is a good choice, while a 0-30psi gauge will be more accurate but care must be taken to not over pressurize it.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

With the regulator off of the bottle, does it read zero?

If not, your gauge is tits up, unless you just wish to compensate by adding the amount that the gauge is off...........I'm betting on the gauge, and I'd swap it out.

 

[JuanMoore]

Another guess that the gauge is off.

FWIW using a carb stone works best when the pressure is increased slowly over time. Start wit cold beer at 2-3 psi (or as low as you can go), and then increase it by 1-2 psi every hour until you're at serving pressure.

 

[slapnutz]

Alright I'll look into replacing the gauge since yes won't go to 0 even when guilt disconnected.

I did do the 2 psi every 30 minutes but stopped At my 10 psi (roughly 5 psi based on my gauge) and had ****ty bubbles. Got fed up set it on "17" and came back after a few days and everything we good.

Thanks everyone.

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