what wrong with my kegging?

[AdamLucko]

ok. First of all THANK-YOU to all who can give me input on my problem. I have spent hours upon hours upon hours researching what wrong with my kegging and why I have no carbonation. Any help would be astonishing!

My equipment
1 20lb co2 tank
4 way manifold
3 kegs attached

and my problems I very little to no carbonation

Beer #1 (munich dunkell)
Beer #2 ( pilsner of my own)
Beer #3 ( kokanee clone)

I attached beer (#1) 2 weeks ago. 20 psi
I attached beer (#2) 2 days later. 20 psi
I attached beer (#3) 1 week ago. dropped them all down to 12 psi.

Now. Hardly any carbonation in any of them.. There are no leaks anywhere.. I have triple checked.

I do not have regulators in all of them.. I have one gauge that tells me the amount in the tank and the the output from the tank.

My question is now. Do I need to raise the pressure in the tank for each additional keg? Such as 10 psi for 1 keg, 20 psi for 2 kegs, 30 psi for 3 kegs and so?

The beer comes out of the taps in my keggerator with ease but its not very bubbly?


Any suggestions would be great! I don't mind waiting for carbonation but when dextrose works faster than carbing from co2 I think there might be a problem.

Thank-you

My name is Adam


also if there are pics or anything you may think would help I will post!

 

[grathan]

Temperature is important. Look at a chart and see where you should be at:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/temperature-vs-co2-volumes-serving-beer-301592/

 

[acidrain]

Maybe your gauge is off. At 20 psi, it should be gushing out.
You say the beer pours well... are the lines 10' of 3/16"?

Oops, just saw you have dropped the pressure to 12 psi.
Was the pressure up while at serving temp?
What is your serving temp?

I generally force carb at 30 psi & 36 F for 1 day and then check. I usually end up going 2 days at 30 psi, then drop to 12 psi.

 

[Pie_Man]

How long are your beer lines and what is the inside diameter?

Also, if you remove a quick disconnect, do you hear any gas escaping?

 

[AdamLucko]

My temperature were between 3C and 4C (sorry Canadian Metric is all I really know) These are the schematics

-3 Way Gas Manifold (with Check Valves)
-6' of Bevlex 200 Beer Line (Thick wall 3/16" ID X 7/16" OD) for each tap
-4' of Ultraflex Gas Tubing (5/16" ID x 9/16" OD) for each gas connection
Pin Lock MFL Threaded Gas & Beverage Disconnects with Stainless Steel Swivel Nuts (1/4" Barb for Beverage, 5/16" Barb for Gas)
-Chrome Plated Faucets with Tap Handles
-4 1/8" Stainless Steel Beer Shanks with Stainless Steel Tail Piece Assemblies
-Stainless Steel Hose Clamps

 

[ballsy]

Unless valves are turned off instead of on...I would look towards either the gauge is off and not reading correct psi...or maybe there is a problem with the co2 tank.

 

[Bobby_M]

2 weeks at 20 psi would be very well carbonated. I suspect the gauge.

 

[jro238]

If you pull the pressure release valve on the kegs do you get escaping gas?

 

[BigFloyd]

2 weeks at 20 psi would be very well carbonated. I suspect the gauge.

Same here. 2 weeks at 20 psi and 3*C (about 38*F) should be somewhat over-carbed.

Pushing the beer at 12psi through 6ft of 3/16" line at that temp should produce a fair amount of foam too.

 

[AdamLucko]

If you pull the pressure release valve on the kegs do you get escaping gas?

Yes I do. however they are pin locks so I have to do that through the gas line.

I will check my gauge. maybe its going a 3 psi down to 2 psi instead of 30 psi to 20 psi (example)

Also, Do I have to turn up the pressure if I have more than 1 keg? I have 3 but the psi still stay at 12. do I put more pressure through if I more kegs?

 

[duboman]

If the system is functioning properly there is no reason you would need to bump the psi to handle more kegs, it is a closed, equalized system.

If there was a leak your co2 tank would be empty so wither the gauge/regulator is not functioning properly or there may be an issue with your manifold/shut off valves not allowing the gas to get to the kegs properly or possibly the disconnects are blocked with debris.

 

[AdamLucko]

If the system is functioning properly there is no reason you would need to bump the psi to handle more kegs, it is a closed, equalized system.

If there was a leak your co2 tank would be empty so wither the gauge/regulator is not functioning properly or there may be an issue with your manifold/shut off valves not allowing the gas to get to the kegs properly or possibly the disconnects are blocked with debris.

They are brand new so I am not sure what kind of debris unless backup of beer maybe?

I, gonna check my regulator.

That's gotta be it! I hope.

 

[AdamLucko]

Well. Word to the WISE. Never buy anything off the internet,,,, EVER!! Turn out the poppits for the gas are ****ty on all my kegs! I didn't hear them until afterwards when I let the co2 out and started again! then I could hear the gas escaping... @20lb tank empty.. pissed off.. and beerless for the weekend.. or maybe it could be each and every input valve attachement... I'm gonna try new poppits. I encourage everyone to buy from a local beer shop and never order off then internet. I got from OBK and I am so pissed at them. I have had nothing but problems from the first order, they sent me a keg without and diptubes!

enough from me

thanks everyone... I should have bought brand spanking new, from a local professional source.


Adam

 

[brettg20]

Only thing I buy off the web really are hops, and a lot of them


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[Pie_Man]

Sorry to hear your troubles. The poppits on my used kegs can be finicky which is why I recommended removing your gas qd earlier.On my kegs, I can usually reseat the poppit with a screwdriver to stop the leak. You can buy new poppits as well.

 

[grathan]

I don't think poppets can actually cause a leak. The disconnects are spring loaded themselves and don't rely on the poppet.

 

[geoffm33]

I bought my setup from my local shop. And leaked through a 5 lb CO2 in 24 hours. It's up to you to test for leaks. No matter where you buy it.

 

[Pie_Man]

I don't think poppets can actually cause a leak. The disconnects are spring loaded themselves and don't rely on the poppet.

The poppit can absolutely cause a leak. The poppit in the post may not seal properly despite being spring loaded.

I've seen this happen on my kegs. When I disconnected the qd, the poppit was off center and leaked a little. Using a screwdriver, I aligned the poppit and sealed the leak.

 

[Pie_Man]

I bought my setup from my local shop. And leaked through a 5 lb CO2 in 24 hours. It's up to you to test for leaks. No matter where you buy it.

+1

I had a few leaks when I first started kegging, but I learned from those mistakes.

 

[bobby4]

The good news is that once you taken your keg completely apart, you know how it works. In the future problems will be easier to fix.


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[grathan]

The poppit can absolutely cause a leak. The poppit in the post may not seal properly despite being spring loaded.

I've seen this happen on my kegs. When I disconnected the qd, the poppit was off center and leaked a little. Using a screwdriver, I aligned the poppit and sealed the leak.

That doesn't make sense because the disconnect pushes the poppet wide open anyways.

 

[Pie_Man]

That doesn't make sense because the disconnect pushes the poppet wide open anyways.

That's a fair point. I had a beer on the gas for two weeks and it would pour, but it was a little flat with no head. I disconnected the qd and the poppit did not reseat properly, so I fixed it as mentioned above. After reconnecting the qd, everything was normally.

 

[ericbw]

The poppit can absolutely cause a leak. The poppit in the post may not seal properly despite being spring loaded.

I've seen this happen on my kegs. When I disconnected the qd, the poppit was off center and leaked a little. Using a screwdriver, I aligned the poppit and sealed the leak.

I had this happen recently. I noticed a tiny thread or something stuck in the hole of the out post but thought i got it out. I had the gas on, but nothing on the out post. After about an hour, I noticed a tiny puddle on top of the out post.

So I pushed the poppit with a screwdriver, sprayed myself in the face with beer, the the problem was fixed.

Something stuck or not properly seated could cause a leak. But to just lose gas and not carb is weird. Check all the seals. Again.

 

[AdamLucko]

It actually started to leak once I put the fitting on. so the poppit was depressed but I could hear the gas coming out. not really filling the keg. when I take the gas fitting off there is no gas leak? what do you think?

 

[grathan]

Is the post more than finger-tight? You can use soapy water to pinpoint the leak. Maybe your disconnect is leaking.

 

[ericbw]

It actually started to leak once I put the fitting on. so the poppit was depressed but I could hear the gas coming out. not really filling the keg. when I take the gas fitting off there is no gas leak? what do you think?

The disconnect is faulty?

 

[geoffm33]

When I had my leak issue it was due to the connection from the hose barb to the wye splitter and the gas hose barb to quick disconnect MFL fitting. I didn't have them tightened down properly with a few wraps of Teflon tape.

 

[AdamLucko]

What do you mean by disconnect? the valve depressed the poppit when attached and is leaking, I really think it has to be a seal somewhere.

 

[geoffm33]

Can you post some pictures? That might help. Thanks!

 

[geoffm33]

What do you mean by disconnect? the valve depressed the poppit when attached and is leaking, I really think it has to be a seal somewhere.

The "disconnect" is the gray plastic fixture that you have your gas line connected to and then it fits over the gas post. You want to be sure it is pushed all the was down onto the post until it clicks and cannot be pulled off.

Do you have a hose clamp over the gas line where it meets the hose barb on the disconnect?

 

[ericbw]

The "disconnect" is the gray plastic fixture that you have your gas line connected to and then it fits over the gas post. You want to be sure it is pushed all the was down onto the post until it clicks and cannot be pulled off.

Do you have a hose clamp over the gas line where it meets the hose barb on the disconnect?

Good thought. If the barb and hose are different sizes, it might leak from the where the hose meets the barb.

 

[acidrain]

Oops, nevermind

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

Post pick of your co2 gauge


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[kombat]

I've ordered from OBK many times with no issues, they're a fantastic shop. Patrick runs a great business and his customer service is top-notch. If you're having issues with an order, you should contact him directly and give him an opportunity to fix it before badmouthing him on the internet. He's a very respected retailer in the Ontario homebrewing community.

That said, kegging is very finicky. Anyone who's gotten into kegging knows how easy it can be to lose a tank of gas either from a bad seal, not enough keg lube, a loose post or a hose clamp not tight enough - there are a lot of places that gas can escape and it takes some practice and experience to really fine-tune your system.

In your case, it's clearly not the poppet. As another poster pointed out, when the gas QD is connected to the post, the poppet is depressed anyway. It's not supposed to provide a seal while the QD is connected - that's how the gas gets into the keg! Once you disconnect the QD, sure it could leak then, but that's not the situation you've described. You said it's been connected to the gas this entire time.

How long have you waited for the beer to carb up? You know it takes a couple of weeks at those pressures, right? Make sure you're being patient and give the gas time to dissolve into your beer.

Check your hose clamps. Someone else mentioned a spray bottle of Star San, that can be a great tool for finding leaks. Also check your pressure relief valve, I've had one or two that leaked until I tighted them down snugly.

 

[AdamLucko]

I've ordered from OBK many times with no issues, they're a fantastic shop. Patrick runs a great business and his customer service is top-notch. If you're having issues with an order, you should contact him directly and give him an opportunity to fix it before badmouthing him on the internet. He's a very respected retailer in the Ontario homebrewing community.

That said, kegging is very finicky. Anyone who's gotten into kegging knows how easy it can be to lose a tank of gas either from a bad seal, not enough keg lube, a loose post or a hose clamp not tight enough - there are a lot of places that gas can escape and it takes some practice and experience to really fine-tune your system.

In your case, it's clearly not the poppet. As another poster pointed out, when the gas QD is connected to the post, the poppet is depressed anyway. It's not supposed to provide a seal while the QD is connected - that's how the gas gets into the keg! Once you disconnect the QD, sure it could leak then, but that's not the situation you've described. You said it's been connected to the gas this entire time.

How long have you waited for the beer to carb up? You know it takes a couple of weeks at those pressures, right? Make sure you're being patient and give the gas time to dissolve into your beer.

Check your hose clamps. Someone else mentioned a spray bottle of Star San, that can be a great tool for finding leaks. Also check your pressure relief valve, I've had one or two that leaked until I tighted them down snugly.

No pressure relief valves. and as stated there are no leaks in the lines ( checked and tested numerous times.) As for badmouthing. I guess I'm that guy they don't give a [email protected]#$ about... after spending hundreds of dollars many times I get the unchecked duds. and why would they sell the lines not long enough if they are professionals. I'm not trying to start anything I'm just saying... I haven't received good product from them. Its a fact. and if the gauge is broken then what can I say?

 

[AdamLucko]

My connects are threaded not barbed. and checked and tested. Got QD duds.

 

[grathan]

It actually started to leak once I put the fitting on. so the poppit was depressed but I could hear the gas coming out. not really filling the keg. when I take the gas fitting off there is no gas leak? what do you think?

I think your not pushing it on all the way (lift up skirt, push down firmly, then push down skirt, it should kinda snap into place). Or perhaps you're putting the gas on the "out" post instead of the in post.

Another possibility is that you overfilled your keg.

 

[geoffm33]

Are you putting your tubes over a threaded connection and not a barb?

Not sure we can help without pictures.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

Pictures please of them connected. Pictures of them un connected. Pictures of the guage, gas manifold.
Pictures please


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