Keg carb method...?

Maybe he's thinking of the tank gauge.

 

I think that is it. Or - and I might be wrong, but you might have to change the regulator when its cold. But it will always read correctly.

 

The tank gauge is still reading the correct pressure. The fact that it reads a few hundred psi lower at fridge temp indicates, correctly, that the pressure in the tank is lower at that temp. It's not an inaccuracy in the gauge. If you run a high pressure gas line outside the fridge, the pressure will still read a few hundred psi lower than it would with the tank at room temp.

 

^^^^
This.

 

I've found that my gauge tends to change slower at colder temps so maybe that's what he meant? In the summer when I adjust the gauge it immediately reads the adjustment but during the colder months it creeps more slowly.

 

The tank gauge is NOT accurate...it says it's EMPTY (red), when it is not. : )

Please...no more lessons on gasses, liquids, temp, and pressure.

I suppose it is accurate when the bottle is empty...but that doesn't help much.

 

Then it's a faulty gauge and any discussion of its behavior is moot. The issue was whether a regulator/gauge is unreliable at refrigerator temperatures. The answer is no.

 

Red does not indicate empty on my high pressure gauges. It indicates lower pressure than the non red area. In terms of measuring amount of CO2, the hi pressure gauges only tell you 'empty' (0) or 'not empty' (other than 0). There is no data available in between.

 

The interface with the bottle gauge and the user is the problem...the gauge internals are accurate, but the face plate (specifically the red area showing empty) is not. Imagine a gas gauge in your car that always read "empty"...would you say it was accurate?

 

This is exactly what I do. My beers are drinkable after 3 days and perfect at about a week.

 

as VikeMan said, mine also doesn't say empty in the red area. The red area is a warning that you don't have enough gas for tonight's party. You need to understand what this gauge tells you. It only says empty, not empty, or might as well be empty. As such, it's only marginally useful, IMO. The analogy to a car's fuel gauge is not valid, since the fuel gauge is designed to give you an idea how much fuel you have left. The red area can be misleading just like a meat thermometer that calls 140F 'rare' or tells you to cook your pork to 180. (And don't get me started on the pop-up thermometers they put in turkey!)

 

"The red area is a warning that you don't have enough gas for tonight's party. "

No parties EVER where I live...because when cold, the bottle gauge always reads "no party" : )

Cheers

 

Does yours actually have the word 'empty' in the read area? If it does, that's whack. I have three different styles of high pressure gauge and none of them do.

 

I like putting the PSI up for at least the first day. I'm more comfortable with the seal I get around the O ring. I add pressure, purge the headspace, and spray the top with starsan to check for leaks. I give the keg 20 minutes (time I use to clean up after racking) and check it for leaks again. I back the pressure down after a day or two and let the beer settle. Of course I check it every day or two by pouring a pint.

 

Priming can work, but I think you would still need the co2 to seal the keg. I feel as if the gas created by the yeast would not ever create enough pressure, and just escape the keg. I suppose I could be wrong, but I don't see this procedure working without the co2.

 

I kinda figured that - or at least to start. I would hit it with the party charger to start - to get enough pressure to seal the keg. I know those don't have enough juice to fully carb the beer, so I'd need to prime and naturally carb that way. Then I'd need to use the charger to push the beer out of the keg when serving.

 

Oh. Yeah. Serving the beer...good call on the party charger. Go for it, why not?