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CO2 questions

Kegging
#1

I’m 3 days in on my first keg hook up and have a few questions:

Other than space, is there an advantage or disadvantage (I read somewhere that the gauges may not be accurate if it is inside) to having the co2 tank in the fridge?

I did not do the force carbonation thing so how long should I expect the keg to be fully carbonated?

Is the CO2 tank always open until you finish off a keg or do you shut it off once you get the desired carbonation?

If I over carbonate, can I just purge a little and reset the regulator?

Thanks in advance.

#2

[color=#004040]Tank pressure is dependent on the temperature. This chart

list the variances. [/color]

Meaning you added sugar? It will take 2-3 weeks then. If you mean that you have set the regulator to your serving pressure, verses higher pressure and shaking it, then about 3-7 days.

Leave it on. Other wise the CO2 in solution will be what forces the beer out. Eventually your beer will be flat. 3-7 pints.

It will take several purges to get the CO2 level to where you want it. What you can do is just leave to CO2 off and pour beer until you reach the level you want. Then reset the regulator to a lower pressure and hook it back up. If you have a back flow preventer on the line, you can set the regulator low (like 5 psi) and increase it until you hear gas going into the keg.

#3

"Tank pressure is dependent on the temperature. This chart list the variances. "

thanks for the chart, so it’s better to have the tank outside the fridge if I want the CO2 to last longer or is it all relative?

No the roll on the floor method is what I meant, thanks thats what I wanted to know.

#4

Inside or out doesn’t make any difference.

#5

Yep, the only thing that matters is the pressure coming out of the regulator, and that will be constant regardless of tank location. There is no benefit of having the tank inside or outside unless you need space in one or the other. I prefer outside to have more room for beer inside :slight_smile:

#6

Is there a right and wrong way of lowering the pressure? The beer is coming out way fast and my glass is mostly head. I adjusted the pressure at the regulator, do I need to purge the keg a bit or will it work itself out after a few glasses?

#7

Purge the keg a bit and get faster gratification :slight_smile: If the pressure has been higher for a while then keep in mind the carbonation level in the beer will be higher for a while too, but shouldn’t be a biggie.

#8

Perfect, Thanks Dean

#9

I was out of town for 4 days this weekend and last night I went to poor a beer and there was almost no pressure. I had it set at about 5 PSI last week and when I checked it after filling my glass it was on 0. Is this normal to have to adjust the regulator screw every so often to keep the same pressure? The tank doesn’t seem to have lost anything so I don’t think I have a leak.

#10

NO. Once you have it set and everything stabilizes there is no reason to touch it. Make sure the whole setup has been sitting at the same temp for a while and make your adjustments without the gas line connected to the kegs. This takes out the variable of the kegs and beer themselves.

Unless you weighed the tank before and after there is no way to see if you have had a leak that resulted in a loss unless the tank went empty. We must assume you have a pretty full tank remaining. Even with a leak, if you set a stabilized regulator and setup at a certain pressure, it will typically leak at the pressure you set :slight_smile:

#11

So this means that I have a slow leak somewhere?

#12

No.

It means you have to figure out your issue. If your issue is that you tinker around with the regulator before the system is temperature stable you need to adjust once that is the case.

If it is already temp stable and the pressure continues to drop no matter what setting you have it can be a regulator issue. Regulators can fail, but it’s rare unless they are old or mistreated.

A leak is a leak, and as I stated, the regulator will continue to deliver the pressure it is set to as it doesn’t know about the leak, and this will drain your tank.

Figure out which is your issue.

#13

FWIW, when I adjust my reg down I always go below the set point and then come back up to it. Kinda like tuning an instrument. If the last thing you did was go down to 5psi, I could see it falling to 0. You might not really have a problem. Also, it’s probably very very minor, but I’m under the belief my tank lasts longer when it is warmer, hence not in the fridge.
:cheers:

#14

[quote=“Chester3”] Also, it’s probably very very minor, but I’m under the belief my tank lasts longer when it is warmer, hence not in the fridge.
:cheers: [/quote]

It doesn’t last longer due to temp, and that’s been debated since Jesus was in diapers.

#15

Right O - I’ve been known to believe crazier things than that. Still, that’s what my experience has told me. To each his own.
:cheers:

#16

It’s physics that dictates, and most people are fooled by the tank pressure rising when it is out of the fridge and shows more pressure. With the tank cold or warm the CO2 used at any pressure is the same. The equations you’d use to figure the usage don’t need temperature as a factor.

#17

[quote=“Chester3”]FWIW, when I adjust my reg down I always go below the set point and then come back up to it. Kinda like tuning an instrument. If the last thing you did was go down to 5psi, I could see it falling to 0. You might not really have a problem. Also, it’s probably very very minor, but I’m under the belief my tank lasts longer when it is warmer, hence not in the fridge.
:cheers: [/quote]

I’m betting thats what I did, just lowered it. I had initially set it way too high, about 10 PSI too high, and when I figured that out I just lowered it instead of down then up. Or it could be that my beer is just so awesome that the guage gets confused. I’ll tell you what, I’m never going back to bottles any time soon.

Thanks guys. I’ll see in the next few days, that is if I don’t drink it all by then.

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