understanding co2 gauges during carbonation

[NewB2Brewing]

I am kegging for the first time and have noticed that during carbonation I lose pressure slowly and it appears that my gauge that tells me how much co2 I have sits just above the red marking to "order more gas". Ive checked for leaks and truely believe thats not the issue but was wondering if anyone can explain and/or give me some peace of mind. Thanks!

 

[timdillon36]

Some assumptions here but. Do u have the co2 in the fridge. That will give a low pressure on the high pressure Guage. Bc co2 is in liquid form in the bottle all that Guage tells us it what pressure it takes to keep it from boiling at the temp it is at. The same as with a propane tank the weight is the only way to tell how much is in there.

Next
It sounds like u r force carbing and might b shutting the gas of somewhere in your process. If this is the case then yes the pressure will drop over time as co2 is absorbed into the beer.

I'm no expert and like I started with I made some assumptions.

 

[NewB2Brewing]

It is in the fridge and I have all valves open. How long does it take until the beer stops adsorbing the co2? I had it at 30psi for about 24 hours then dropped it to 10 psi.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Check out this graphic. Find your temperature and then find the equilibrium pressure inside the tank. Does it match your high pressure gauge?

CO2 is a liquid in the tank. The only part that is in gas form is in the head space. As the co2 GAS is removed from the head space the liquid changes state to gas form to maintain equilibrium. This happens throughout the entire tank until there is no more liquid. At this point the pressure will start to drop until all the gas is gone.

You can measure how much co2 you have by the weight of the tank. The tank tare weight will be stamped in the top curved part somewhere. Make sure to keep the regulator off to measure remaining co2.

Remember, the tank temperature dictates the tank equilibrium pressure. So if you have the tank in the fridge at 40ºF the pressure will be much lower than if the tank is in the warm garage at 80ºF. The AMOUNT of co2 is exactly the same but the tank is under differing pressures.