I have a keezer with my CO2 tank outside and the gas line snaked through a hole to the kegs. Occasionally I want to take a keg to a party, and it's sort of a pain to undo the hose clamp to free the tank, plus needing to flip all the shutoff valves, blah, blah, blah, so I figured getting a quick-disconnect would make it nice and easy. The problem is, I've tried two sets now (stainless steel and polysulfone) and they both seem to leak if there's any lateral pressure on them . To make it worse, a couple times I've connected them up, checked for leaks, then come back into the room hours later to a hissing noise. I've lost more than half a tank of CO2 at this point and I'm sort of frustrated at this point. Is this a common experience with these disconnects? Is there some trick to avoiding the sort of pressure on the connection that leads to them leaking? Edit: Specifically talking about these items: http://morebeer.com/products/beer-gas-tubing-quick-disconnect-14-barb-male.html http://morebeer.com/products/beer-gas-tubing-quick-disconnect-14-barb-female-shutoff.html http://www.midwestsupplies.com/co2-quick-coupler-male-5-16-barbed.html http://www.midwestsupplies.com/co2-quick-coupler-female-5-16-barbed.html
I was just experiencing the same problem and after losing 3 10lb tanks of CO2, I finally did a careful trouble shooting. My issue was that my kegs were holding pressure just fine, it took me a few go arounds to figure out that it was when the QDs were connected that I would get a leak. Well it turns out, there were multiple leaks, but the most significant leaks were where the gas tubing connects to the coupler. The hose is clamped with those metal worm clamp deals, and it was not completely sealed. So I took some pliers and tightened them and used soapy bubbles to check all points. I also used a wrench to tighten all connection points. I believe I have finally resolved this pesky issue, hope this is of some help.
first, be sure you are using the correct ID hose. you should use braided line for the gas. regular vinyl is ok but the braided is thicker and will tolerate more abuse. the extra thickness helps secure the clamp to the barb. next, and most importantly, use Oediker clamps and not worm clamps. Oediker clamps require a special crimping tool but are permanent. look for "stepless" or what is sometimes known as single ear or double ear clamps. worm clamps are fine, I use them occasionally but never on an install. they will always loosen over time. finally, you want to match the clamp size to the hose OD size. if you buy from a dedicated beverage supplier like micromatic or kegworks they can tell you which clamp works best with the tubing you are buying. home depot etc wont have a clue and will sell you a clamp that is sort of the right size. the clamps they have are for Pex tubing, same thing but slightly different sizes. Cheers.
Okay I misspoke, my clamps are Oediker clamps. Those seem to be where the issue I was facing was. I purchased my keg set up as a set, and all of the tubing and clamps were pre installed. I'm curious if there is any way to adjust these clamps or anything that can be done to safeguard against leaking at this point. Putting some pressure on it with pliers seemed to do the trick, I fear that it is only a quick fix though. Thanks for your post Bill.
Let me clarify... this is not a problem with the hose connections. The hoses, barbs, and clamps are fine. The problem is the quick-connects themselves, which leak if there's sideways pressure. I.e., I can connect it, then grab the two sides of the connection and bend slightly, and you hear gas coming out. The same thing happens even just under the natural curve from the lines as they run to my tank.
there should not be any leaks caused by some bending. the polysul connectors are just plastic and not meant for constant handling. even still you can toss them around and not have any problems. the s/s quick connects should withstand anything short of being driven over. sometimes o-rings do not seat correctly if there is not enough pressure. you probably can't fix your trouble by running 30 psi, but cranking up the pressure will force the seals together. counter intuitive. connectors are designed to mate under pressure. I think you just have some poorly designed connectors. you are making your life a lot more difficult than it needs to be. using a washer and beer nut combo for sankes or a barbed nut for a corny is a lot easier. Cheers.
None of this is about connecting to kegs. This is about being able to quickly disconnect my gas tank from the system.
yes, I can understand what you want to do. I'm trying to solve your problem and there is a better way to do it. if your quick connects are not working then send them back. I don't know why you are having trouble with QC's as they are usually fool proof. your gas connects to a keg, with a coupler. and the gas line connects to the coupler with beer nuts. they work, always. you can couple any hose with this set up. get two of this http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-525.html a few of these http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-759.html some of this http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-526C.html into this thing http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-543BS.html got it?
I have a similar set up as you describe and have had no problems. I use the polysufone QDs similar to the link in your first post. I had one physically break, but they have never leaked. If you are properly using Oediker clamps then I suspect you've been snake bit with some bad connectors. When I bought mine (Micromatic) I asked which was more reliable; stainless or poly. The tech rep himmed and hawwed a little bit but finally said the poly's are returned less often. I'm a big fan of solving leak problems before the tank is empty. With these QDs outside your keezer you can easily dunk the whole thing in a bucket of water. This will tell you if the leak is where the hose is attached (your mistake) or the mating of the female/male connectors (mfg defect). Whenever I make a change I like to crank the pressure up high, shut off the tank master valve, and let it sit for at least 24 hours. I'm looking for the pressure to hold before I leave the tank unattended with all the valves open.
Just my .02! To me it sounds like you have gotten defective ones. I have been using quick disconnects for years and have not had a problem. I have the brass ones from Micromatic. When the connectors are mated properly you should be able to hit them with a sledgehammer.
I've never hit my brass QDs with a sledgehammer, but they've never leaked, despite being moved around and connected/disconnected regularly. I bought a handful each of male and female. I seem to recall buying these off ebay for around $7 each.
