Using a pressure gauge to keep tabs on stored beer

[bigken462]

Figured this would be a good shade tree question.

If a person was willing to spend the little extra cash, how useful would it be to attach a pressure gauge to the stem of a ball lock fitting and keep it attached to the keg while it conditions in the closet at room temp?

I've only got room for two kegs in my fridge, but I don't yet have enough experience to trust that the kegs will stay charged to their set PSI for conditioning. To be able to open the closet door and take a peek at the gauge to see if all is well to me would be worth not to have to pull out the C02 reg just to see that you are still good on pressure.

I can see this not being economical for those who have a bunch of kegs. But considering I only have three, it's not going to break the bank.

Does the ball lock fittings hold a good continuous tight seal?

 

[krenshaw]

yeah, they can hold a decent seal as long as the O-rings are in good shape.. what you need is a spunding valve.. there are a bunch of ones you can DIY on here or purchase them online.. here is a link to one i just found that looks good.. 2 different modifications in the thread... and here's another one

 

[pjj2ba]

I built one to check keg carbonation. Disconnect, short length of copper tubing, then the gauge. You only need one of these. I just pop it on the gas fitting, get the reading, and then take it off.