Where did my CO2 leak from?

[h22lude]

The last few tanks it seems like they will hold the CO2 just fine but then it seems like overnight all of a sudden the CO2 leaks out somewhere. The tank is empty and all my kegs don't have CO2 in them anymore.

I have a reg hooked up to a 3 way with on/off valves going to three kegs. If any part of this leaks, would that be why my kegs are empty? I thought the 3 way was supposed to stop that from happening.

Where could the leak be from?

 

[Jeffinn]

Could be leaking from post o-rings, poppet o-rings, lid o-rings or clamped fittings on your CO2 lines. Others have found leaks in their regulators or valves.
Use some soapy water or StarSan on all of your fittings to see if you can find the leaky connection.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]I have a reg hooked up to a 3 way with on/off valves going to three kegs. If any part of this leaks, would that be why my kegs are empty? I thought the 3 way was supposed to stop that from happening.[...]

If the valves on your 3-way manifold have functional, integrated check valves (anti-backflow valves) your supposition would be correct. If they're straight shutoff valves sans checks, gas can flow in either direction...

Cheers!

 

[h22lude]

If the valves on your 3-way manifold have functional, integrated check valves (anti-backflow valves) your supposition would be correct. If they're straight shutoff valves sans checks, gas can flow in either direction...

Cheers!

Oh ok I didn't know there was a difference. Thanks. I'll have to check on that.

I know my kegs weren't leaking. I always leak test those before carbing. It is either my reg or the 3-way manifold. I'm going to make up a spray bottle of starsan to check it out.

 

[Natdavis777]

Do you still have a teflon washer where the regulator connects to the tank? Just pointing this out bc I burnt through 2 tanks before realizing I lost my washer and that was my leak source.

 

[h22lude]

Teflon washer is still there but it was leaking a little from that connection. I put a small amount of tape on it and it seems to be ok. I have a y connection coming from the reg. 1 line goes into the keezer to the 3 way and the other stays out of my keezer so I can fill up kegs without having to put them inside the keezer. The part that fills the kegs outside was leaking. I removed the y fitting for now. Let's see how that goes. Everything else seemed to be ok.

 

[day_trippr]

With the washer in place you should be able to tighten the regulator coupler to the tank tight enough to seal. Adding tape to the threads is unlikely to do anything useful, that type of union seals at the faces, not the threads...

Cheers!

 

[h22lude]

With the washer in place you should be able to tighten the regulator coupler to the tank tight enough to seal. Adding tape to the threads is unlikely to do anything useful, that type of union seals at the faces, not the threads...

Cheers!

I'll try to tighten it more but I had it tightened down really tight almost to the point it the wrench hurting my hand.

 

[day_trippr]

Time for a new gasket. Pick up a handful.

Because the coupler stem passes through a hole in the center of the nut, you can see why taping the threads is basically pointless, and in the extreme can interfere with tightening the coupler nut enough to seal both stem and tank valve faces against the gasket...

Cheers!

 

[BuffaloJohn]

I recently purchased a 3 gallon corny on EBay. When I received it it tested ok, but after cleaning it up, I found a pretty good sized leak between the in poppet and container that required welding. $$25 later I thought I had it fixed. Then I re-cleaned including the removal of the handle. I found three more leaks including one at the base where the bottom is joined to the mid tube. $50 later, I have a 3 gallon corny that holds CO2. I doubt the guy that was selling it even knows it was a leaker. He was using it for soda and it probably helped seal itself. As it is an old style corny from the original Cornelius Keg Company and has the harder plastic bottom that doesn't scuff black marks everywhere, I'll just call it a learning experience and be happy. In my five years of kegging I have twice lost bottles one each of CO2 and Nitro. The CO2 leaked from a bad PRV. The nitro leaks from smaller holes than CO2 and I have no idea where it went. Now I check with starsan religiously.

 

[h22lude]

Time for a new gasket. Pick up a handful.

Because the coupler stem passes through a hole in the center of the nut, you can see why taping the threads is basically pointless, and in the extreme can interfere with tightening the coupler nut enough to seal both stem and tank valve faces against the gasket...

Cheers!

I took off the tape and tightened it down as hard as I could. The reg is basically horizontal but that doesn't matter. I used starsan and it doesn't seem to be leaking like it did before. Maybe I just needed to put more weight onto the wrench. I'm definitely going to pick up more gaskets though. They are cheap. Might as well replace them often.