Finally got my 3 gallon keg, governor regulator, and 5 lbs C02 tank and having issues. I hook everything up, turn the pressure to 20 psi to start the force carbonate, spray water on the fittings and valves and find no leaks, but yet in just a few hours the tank is just about empty. I thought this was due to me using the CO2 to push cleaner through the lines and accidently wasted some hooking everything up but I’m on my second tank and it went just as fast. Is there something I might be missing or should check out? I readjusted the hookups and closely examined all valves and fastener and getting frustrated. I think I exhausted all the resources I could find but couldn’t come up with solutions. If anyone has some suggestions I would be incredibly greatful.
I had an issue with losing my tank way too quickly. Use some star san in a bottle and spay it on every single connection in your keg system. The bubbles will point you to your leak.
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]It’s easy to miss the leak if you are just spraying water. A lot easier to find the leak if you dunk everything in the tub.
Have you checked the fittings on the regulator? There could even be a leak in the regulator itself.[/quote]
I wouldn’t dunk the regulator in the tub.
But starsan spray is a good detector, especially if you have 20-30 PSI going into the keg. Use hose clamps for all connections and a washer for the connection to the tank is a good idea also.
Are you using a barbed valve or a threaded valve. If you’re using threaded valves with your gas lines, make sure you put a nylon washer in it before connecting it as it will leak there as well.
Very soapy water works too. Several drops of dishwashing liquid in a bowl of water, drop it on the fittings. I had the same issue early on. Really, really torque on the connector between the regulator and the bottle - lots of pressure there. Give it everything you’ve got.
I’ve never had to do this. I do always make sure I have the while nylon washer in there though. I get it on with a wrench, but I’m not putting all of my weight into it.
Is there a wrong way to have the washer in the regulator connecter? I have it in there, I just wonder if it’s supposed to set a certain way and I have it wrong. I haven’t tried the soapy water yet. It will be in the next day or two before I get to muck around everything. Thanks for all the advice and ideas!
I purchased a 20# cylinder mid December. Yesterday I went to pull a pint of irish ale I kegged a couple weeks ago to pre-taste it for st Paddy’s. Nothing came out.
I opened the fridge and the beer line to that tap had air in it, just a little beer where it was coiled up and below the level of the tap. HUH…not good. Regulator, high pressure gauge showed 0, great… That cylinder should have lasted much longer. The other 3 kegs still had pressure in them. So the Irish ale keg is suspect.
After a trip to get the cylinder filled this morning in a near white out, I hook the cylinder back up using a felt washer and really crank down on it. I know that irish ale keg is the culprit that drained my cylinder though. Hand check all the barb nuts, worm clamps and the check valve…seem ok… there it is…pressure relief valve on top of the irish ale keg was probably half a turn loose. Check all the others they’re fine. Simple thing to check when you fill a keg. I check it every time…
