Earlier this week I had posed a question about some unusual readings on 1 of my gauges on the dual gauge regulator I have (see http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/help-with-kegerator-leak-issues.358102/). So last night I thought maybe I had fixed and balanced that gauge/line, as the regulator read stable at 10 PSI after an hour. This morning before work I checked it and it had drifted up around 25 again. I once again vented the keg and turned the adjuster knob to set it to 5 PSI to see what would happen. After work I checked it tonight and it's again around 25 PSI and I had to vent the keg. So I decided to shut off both valves between the regulator and the keg and then I set that gauge to 0. After a few seconds I could see the needle drift up on the gauge and sure enough it was real, as I pulled the PRV on the gauge and I had CO2 come out. I let another hour go by and when I checked it the PSI was over 40. So at this point I think it's safe to say the regulator is bad. Is there anything I can do to try and fix it or do I just have to bite the bullet and get a new regulator?
they usually sell rebuild kits for most of them. you can try that as it's cheaper than a whole new one.
Just a few thoughts. If the beer is badly overcarbed, it's certainly possible to see what you're describing until the carbonation gets back down where it belongs. But that would have to be a super overcarbed beer! Have you tasted the beer? An infection could cause the CO2 level to rise pretty dramatically. Do you have check valves on your gas lines? If you do, then the pressure at the regulator should not rise.
I had the beer for the first time last weekend and it was fine. Worried about being overcarbed, I sampled it last night too and it was appropriately carbed still, so it's not overcarbed. It tasted great and no signs of infection. It's definitely the regulator. When the valves from the regulator and the distributor are in the off position, the needle on the gauge would still rise.
When I first received my 3 inline secondary regulator the first in the line had this same issue but the other 2 were fine. It took me awhile to determine that the regulator was the issue since I was searching for gas line leaks. Once I figured out it was the regulator I took it entirely apart and cleaned it out with forced air and put a very thin layer of petrol gel on the o-rings. After putting it back together it has held pressure fine ever since and that was at least 6 months ago. I suspect it was just a tiny particle of something that interfered with the mechanism and cleaning removed it. Mine is a Kegco brand and may be designed slightly differently, but for 10-15 minutes of your time it may be an easy fix.
I'm not sure what type of regulator you are using but the very common regulators I see around that micromatic sell you can buy a repair kit that is $10 or so. The part going out on your regulator is actually just a plastic disc that a small brass needle presses on that is pushed in or out by the screw you use to adjust the pressure. Because the disc compresses it can no longer hold pressure to what ever you set it to, instead it adjust based on how deep the disc has been mis shaped. Here is a repair kit http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/regulators-parts-pid-840-15.html
