Need some advice. I have a single tap kegerator. Keg only came with a low pressure gauge. I tapped the keg and opened everything up. Beer flows fine. My problem is my low pressure gauge which was set between 10-12 psi will drop after a while. For instance, it went down to 8 psi after a few beers and it sat overnight. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the regulator? I’ve done leak tests and all that crap. Can’t find a leak. Psi on low pressure gauge just decreases gradually and not sure why.
If you have a kegerator that was shipped with a single gauge regulator it means it is a cheap kegerator. Single gauge regulators are not necessarily always cheap but in this instance, yes, you get what you pay for. Could be the gauge. That is a $5 part. 1/4" thread, you can probably find a 100 psi at Lowes or Home Depot but a 60 psi or even a 30 psi is what you need. That will be the first $5 wasted on replacement parts. Or it could be the regulator itself. A drop of a few psi after each pour is not a big deal so long as it comes back in a minute or two. Otherwise you have a shit regulator. That is the next $45 spent on replacement parts I'm guessing it will be the first of many things you replace on this kegerator. Of course, don't be afraid to use the warranty service provided by your retailer. Sorry to be down on your situation, just feel bad that cut rate retailers are flooding the market with sub standard equipment. Cheers.
Might not be trash. Yet. Does it hold pressure? Tap the gauge a bit. Regulators do stop working from time to time. 800 psi to 12 psi with a spring and a diaphragm after all. Might just be a gauge. I like Taprite myself. Economy, Norgen, Cornelius are all reliable. Micromatic is very popular. No better but more expensive. You don't need a "professional" model. While you are at it, pick up a few $0.10 washers too. Nylon. Or get a regulator with an integral washer. Cheers.
Ok cool. Just to confirm. The low pressure gauge, which is the only gauge on the regulator, decreases from 10-12 psi to 6-8 psi with minimal use. I did not use the kegerator all day today and noticed the gauge level was down to around 5 psi. Is this indicative of a leak, tube obstruction, or just a shitty regulator? Thanks for the feedback.
Troubleshooting is straight forward. First thing is to weigh your tank (bathroom scales or whatever) and write this number down. Then pressurize to something like 40 psi and shut off tank master valve and shut off valve . . . leave overnight. If pressure holds, repeat the procedure with shut off valve open but coupler disconnected from keg (again, 40'ish psi and master valve off). If pressure holds, reconnect coupler to keg, lower pressure to normal (12'ish) and leave overnight with master valve off. If pressure is holding you have no leaks, if dropping you have a leak or less likely (but still possible) is the reg is incapable of holding a steady pressure. Even less likely (but it happened to me) is the gauge is so damn cheap it doesn't know what to tell you. Taprite regs are decent, many home keggers use 'em. If you have to replace a gauge only, suggest you spend a few bucks more and get a nicer one, i.e. 2 ½" face (all will have ¼" threaded stem) with a single psi scale (easier to read . . . find 'em on Amazon). Oh yeah, go back and re-weigh your tank, this is the reliable way to measure quantity loss. Don't be afraid to keep a configuration of single low pressure only, the high pressure gauge is of marginal valve . . . the scales tell the tale. And thanks for the post, we need the business in Home Bar.
I disagree. The high pressure gauge will give you a 2 minute warning that you're out of (not merely low on) CO2 . A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but when the high pressure starts dropping, it's a pretty safe bet you won't have enough gas for tonight's party. That's not an exaggeration.
If the leak is between the regulator and the tank it won't be long but you can have a slow leak if its between the regulator and the keg. When I first had my kegerator I'd get random numbers of sixth barrels between tanks on my dual tap kegerator. I finally started to keep a log of number of kegs before I ran out. Finally realized I had a small leak after the shutoff valve after the regulator. I had sprayed soapy water a couple of times when I first thought I had a leak but I learned after that you need to spray the heck out of it just to make sure. It also didn't help that my regulator was crap, it would get wonky when the tank was getting close to empty. Investing in a good regulator is money well spent.
When looking for leaks, disconnect the kegs and raise the pressure to 50+ psi. Most small leaks will become audible at that pressure. Even some leaks that are inconsequential at serving pressure will make themselves known at 50 psi. Fix those, too.
If you're still not sure it can help to turn off the compressor and anything else that is noisy. You can hear a leak at 50 psi. Put your ear next to every connection iff needed, you can certainly hear it. Just don't go ape shit with the pressure as many air lines for draft systems is rated to 40 psi at 70F IIRC. Which is really not much. Cheers.
What Bill said. In addition, virtually all pressure relief valves (PRV) on a draught system are set for 60 PSI.
