CO2 gone in no time.

[balrog]

Sure.

Just, now I have to research all those grolsch style replacement washers I got off AMZ cuz I thought silicone would be so much better than questionable-unknown-rubberish-material washers from wherever.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just, now I have to research all those grolsch style replacement washers I got off AMZ cuz I thought silicone would be so much better than questionable-unknown-rubberish-material washers from wherever.

Originally those red gaskets/washers were a flexible rubber product, they would dry out over a few years.

Right now I've only seen much harder, denser, plasticy, bright orangey-red ones.
I've had good success by flipping them over each time I clean the bottles, then store the empties open. Key being: the bale remains disengaged.
That way the gasket remains uncompressed, preventing the indentation, while it has time to relax the previous indentation on the opposite side somewhat.

When reused right away, the flatter side (due to flipping) will make a good new seal.

 

[balrog]

I had a batch of flat apfelwein due to those orange hard plastic ones on some far country sourced 750ml fliptops so I got these and have been happy. They say rubber.

 

[CaptMogul]

I solved my lost co2 problem (I hope ) I went 100% silicone on my kegs, problem solved. Another pesky problem, the flat washer at the tank to regulator, tended to leak , I rubbed it on a medium diamond block and relieved the impressions, no more leak.

 

[IslandLizard]

I solved my lost co2 problem (I hope ) I went 100% silicone on my kegs, problem solved.

But you introduced another problem:
Silicone has a very high O2 permeability, which translates in oxidized beer over time.

Fix: Use EVA-Barrier tubing, instead! Also for your gas lines.
Bonus: 4mm ID will allow for much shorter beer lines, 4-6' is generally plenty at 12 psi.

 

[CaptMogul]

At $ 44.00 for a 20 lb cyl. I will drink the beer before it gets stale

 

[odie]

As well, you cannot use silicone grease aka "keg lube" as it will slowly dissolve those O-rings

I never knew this was an issue for any O-rings regardless of what material they are made from.

 

[CaptMogul]

As far as I know silicone is good to go even with KY Jelly

 

[odie]

I use keg lube religiously. My O-rings are all black. They are new but black. so I assume some kinda non-silicone rubber.

the lid O-rings I use are white "silicone" as they were advertised to be. Have not noticed any O2 issues in my beers.

 

[Beermeister32]

Silicone rubber is fine for O-rings, in fact I’ll say preferred IMHO. I’ve never noticed and O2 ingress whatsoever, for that matter the system is under CO2 pressure anyway.

All my leak issues went away when I switched to quality silicone, and away from buna-N from constantly changing sources. No more cracking O-rings leaking out your CO2.

 

[odie]

I’ll see if I can locate the numbers. You can buy a lifetime’s worth of O-rings for minimal cost if you buy them bulk online. These are red silicone rubber rings, they are an upgrade from the buna rings usually used.View attachment 731146

what size are these? source?

I've never thought about the actual ring size or measured...just bought "keg O-rings" assuming various sellers already "size" them for kegs

 

[Beermeister32]

oringsandmore.com Here is my recent order, includes poppets, dip tubes and 10 of the lid O-rings... All for about $25 delivered....

 

[smarch0]

For those using an 'extra' flat washer at the tank, do you still leave the rubber one that came with the TapRite regulator in? Long story short, I am on my 3rd new TapRite reg and when I close the tank and check valves I still slowly loose pressure on the high pressure side. Takes about 24 hours to drop 100PSI and I can't seem to fix it no matter what I do. I am trying an old flat washer I have from my previous reg, but maybe it needs replacing?

 

[bracconiere]

For those using an 'extra' flat washer at the tank, do you still leave the rubber one that came with the TapRite regulator in? Long story short, I am on my 3rd new TapRite reg and when I close the tank and check valves I still slowly loose pressure on the high pressure side. Takes about 24 hours to drop 100PSI and I can't seem to fix it no matter what I do. I am trying an old flat washer I have from my previous reg, but maybe it needs replacing?

as far as i know, the nylon washers are only good for a couple uses....and do you have the reg good and tight to the tank?

edit: and yeah, i left the rubber one in.

 

[day_trippr]

I believe that for both nylon and fiber style, single-use is advised, but I would have no idea how many uses the gaskets in my numerous CO2, O2, and beergas regs have on them at this point - way more than one. I just check them for surface damage and toss if indicated. I don't have leaks.

Ironically, the very first refill on my dual-body Taprite reg I put tiny surface tears in the damn captive stem O-ring repositioning the gauge set by about 10° - dry.
Big mistake. Don't do that.

Cheers!

 

[Beenym88]

I was having this issue and my used kegs were the problem. The lids just weren’t closing tight enough and some of the posts would leak. It took a long time to get it sorted out but once I fixed the crappy kegs I stopped flying through CO2.

 

[balrog]

My captive o-ring on taprite developed a slight issue after I was moving it tank to tank for at-home vs at-tennis, 20lb vs 5lb. It was getting little "bits" of o-ring material squeezed out of the o-ring channel, to lie on the flat mating surface, and would cause leaking. I cleaned up the "bits" and it's fine. I also finally got another regulator to eliminate the swapping-induced wear and tear.

 

[IslandLizard]

For those using an 'extra' flat washer at the tank, do you still leave the rubber one that came with the TapRite regulator in? Long story short, I am on my 3rd new TapRite reg and when I close the tank and check valves I still slowly loose pressure on the high pressure side. Takes about 24 hours to drop 100PSI and I can't seem to fix it no matter what I do. I am trying an old flat washer I have from my previous reg, but maybe it needs replacing?

When you shut the tank valve, there's only a small amount of high pressure gas left inside the regulator. It could leak out through the high pressure side as well as the low pressure side.

Those little (low pressure) shut-off valves can be finicky. I had one that leaked through the stem when touched/jiggled, and replaced it. The regulator system holds pressure fine now, for weeks even.

 

[smarch0]

Thanks for the replies. I'll source a new tank washer, crank the regulator on good and hope for the best. Getting frustrated by this one as I am sure it is at the regulator and hard to diagnose

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for the replies. I'll source a new tank washer, crank the regulator on good and hope for the best. Getting frustrated by this one as I am sure it is at the regulator and hard to diagnose

Spray the connections with Starsan or bubble juice to check for leaks.

Contrary to common instructions (or habit), I actually do use a few turns of thin (white) teflon tape on the tank nozzle. It acts as a lubricant (not a seal). That way I can torque the (brass) regulator nut more easily and properly, without feeling the whole thing is gonna snap off. As the Germans would say "gutentight."

 

[matt_m]

Things to check that I was recently burned by:
1) Make sure MFL connections aren't leaking even if tight. I had one that was releasing a slow but steady stream of bubbles when dunked in a pitcher of Starsan but wasn't enough to bubble sprayed Starsan.
2) Make sure there are no nicks or cracks in o-rings
3) Check everything even when you find a leak. You might have 2.