Here's the deal guys and gals, I got a kegerator for my birthday last year . . yee ha! It came with a 2.5lb Co2 bottle. I had it charged with Co2. I've been buying 5gal kegs (torpedo) from the liquor store and the Co2 seemed to last about 5 to 6 months. I also brew my own beer and decided to quit bottling and go to a kegging. This past Christmas my wonderful wife bought me a used keg from a local brew-ha store. The keg was not the same as the store bought kegs regarding the tap connection. This particular keg has two ports, in and out. So, I bought all the necessary hardware from the local brew-ha store and hitched it up. The fully charged Co2 bottle only last about a week! There must be a leak in the system but I can't find it. Looking at the quick connect on the inlet of the keg it appears there are no O-rings or gaskets to seal and wondering if that is the problem. Has anyone else experienced this type of problem with this type of keg?? If so, what is the solution to the leak issue?? I can't be spending $17.22 a week on Co2. Baffled
You've got a leak (don't worry, it happens ) Crank the pressure up to 50psi, then spray all of the fittings, connectors, and anything where two pieces come together with soapy water or StarSan (I have a spray bottle of StarSan solution handy, so I use that). Fix, tighten, or replace anything where you see bubbles forming. There are five o-rings on the keg - A small one on each post (clearly visible), a small one at the top of each dip tube (you need to remove the posts to see those), and a big one on the lid (that's an easy one). The small o-rings cost about 2 cents each in quantities of 100. I replace all four every time I break down a keg for cleaning - cheap insurance, IMO. The big one costs about a buck, as I recall, so it gets replaced only when it leaks. Always use lubricant on the o-rings. A lifetime supply of Keg-Lube costs about $6. If your leak is on an o-ring, a dab of lubricant may seal it. Get a bigger CO2 tank. Lots of people have 5# tanks. Lots more have 20# or even bigger. It only costs a few dollars more to fill a big tank, so it'll pay for itself pretty quickly (one of the suppliers nearby used to fill any size tank for $20). It's also good to have a spare so you always have one ready to go when you run out. I get about 40 kegs out a tank, or 2.5 years, give or take, given my rate of consumption. That's purging, force carbing, transferring, etc. Keep an eye on CraigsList. Surprisingly good deals pop up from time to time on ebay, too. Better yet, ask around at your local brew club (please tell me you belong to a brew club!). That can be a powerful network for all things beer.
Lid: http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k218/=r3q3o7 Dip tube: http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k172/=r3q3nb Post: http://www.mcmaster.com/#9452k23/=r3q41p
Here are some tips for finding that leak, and in general how to determine if you have one. Like mike said using soapy water helps, or if you can submerge portions of equipment in water that works to. What you want to start with though is to test the pressurization of each component in the system. You do that by pressurizing everything and then segregating every seperate component. So for instance you can shut off gas at; the co2 cylinder, the regulator, a shut off valve, the quick disconnect, and the keg. So start by simply pressurizing the gas line without hooking it up to the keg and then turn the gas off at the tank. Wait for ten minutes and come back and check the gauge readings, did they go down? Then relieve the pressure at the quick disconnect, is their a pop of pressure that quickly dies? So if your gauges didn't budge and you had gas pressure when you decompressed the quick disconnect that connects to the soda keg then it means the system is holding pressure up to the point. Now if it doesn't check out then keep going down the line until you get some section of the gas system that isn't losing pressure like say at the regulator and the tank. You can do that by turning the gas off at the regulator and pressurizing the regulator then turning the tank off and checking the guages 10 min later. So your gas system checks out from the tank all the way from the tank to the quick disconnect then you know its the soda keg. I use cleaning cans on a daily basis and they are not easy to seal when the large o-ring is wearing out. That would be your most common reason for a soda keg to leak, you have to play around with the adjustment of the lid to get the o-ring to seal properly. Now to test the keg you just pressurize it, remove the gas line, and come back 10min later and pop the pressure relief valve. If it holds pressure you should hear gas come out of the pressure relief valve.
I'm guessing that since he posted twice a year ago he has either run out of CO2 on a weekly basis since or found his leak.
Cranking up the pressure is usually all it takes. Most leaks will announce themselves audibly at a high enough pressure. Indeed, you'll frequently find leaks that are inconsequential at 'normal' serving pressure. fix those, too. While your systematic approach is certainly valid, I find brute force to be a lot quicker and, dare I say, more thorough. A tip for stubborn lid o-rings - bend the clamp legs down, ever so slightly. That will increase the compression on the o-ring, making for a better seal. And don't forget to lube the o-rings. That, alone, will fix most lid problems.
I don't really have the option of cranking co2 pressure up, I use a gas sniffer anyway but when I started out finding leaks those were the methods I use. Besides a number of pressure release valves actually are set to go off around 50- 60 psi. But anyway, another thread started 2yrs ago, oy vay.
crank the pressure to 61 psi and then just look at it funny. breath too close to the regulator. the slightest tap will cause it to blow. every time the safety valve releases it scares the shit out of me. i'll admit it. I will never get used to that. Cheers.
