Went to fill up a pint of recently kegged Scottish ale and nothing out the tap. This tank was lasting about 8mths on avg prior to, I've upped my brewing lately but not to the extent this tank should be done. My poppets do not seal anymore when I remove the gas line (pin lock), but I figured when line is connected there's no leakage that can happen from the poppet...is would only come from the post, right? I know the bubble test isn't 100% accurate though. New gaskets, poppets, and keg lube for me this weekend I guess....
Emptied 5lb CO2 tank in like 3-4 mths
- Thread starter ballsy
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BrewerBrad82
Well-Known Member
Agreed. This has happened to me a few times. A few cheap o-ring sets should solve your woes.
CO2 usage isn't a function of time, it's a function of temperature, pressure and volume.
How many kegs did you push off this tank?
If you suspect a leak, turn off the tank when not in use. If the regulator pressure drops over the course of a day or two, you have a leak.
How many kegs did you push off this tank?
If you suspect a leak, turn off the tank when not in use. If the regulator pressure drops over the course of a day or two, you have a leak.
Yeah, I thought of better explaining by changing it to # of kegs...but saying my amount of brewing/drinking from them hadn't changed and it went from lasting ~7-8 mths down to 3mths suddenly was a less than optimal summary. That being said, the tank "tanked" about 3.5 kegs into it.
The regulator has been stable level for well over a month....but I know you can't rely on those, weighing the tank is really the only sure way to know.
After hooking up my newly filled tank, I went to town with some 409 on the gas hook ups (I know you can use star san, but the keezer was dirty anyways haha...) and found the culprit. It was one of the 3 lines where the hose is crimped to the hose barb as well as where the nut is connected to the gas quick disconnect body....it was a realllly slow bubbler. A slight torque on the nut and a twist of the crimp and no more bubbles. Lesson: I need to start spraying down all the parts of the better each time I connect a keg!
Buy a $3 spray bottle at WalleyWorld and keep some Star San mix in it for leak detection.
Especially if you're testing lid seals...
Cheers!
Especially if you're testing lid seals...
Cheers!
Have you been weighing your tank after getting a fill or exchange? It's way more likely that you just got a short fill. If you have a leak, it would be gone in days or weeks, not months.
Good point, my LHBS fill tanks and needs to put them in the cooler for about an hour to get the tanks cold enough to fill. I think he does about 3#, chill, and then finish.
I've had one for years. I check when I hook up but I never spray up high around where this nut was leaking.
I haven't. The bubbles were sneaking out super slowly. I wouldn't necessarily say there's no such thing as a leak slow enough to deplete a keg at the rate mine went. Also, I wasn't using that line the whole time. You do have a point though. Will definitely start weighing it.
My tank is still cold when I take it. It goes from my keezer into the trunk for a 15 min drive to the brewery for filling!
That's a long time for 3.5 kegs
The pipeline really slows down over the Holidays so I try and switch b/w store bought and kegged beer....we're ramping back up now
Natdavis777
Well-Known Member
I have two 5# tanks that have lasted me since summer and will replenish this week. Now I brew 2x a month, force carb, and purge with co2 before transfer. That is some co2 usage. Seeing how Ive gotten 6 months from each (100 gal total of beer with this process), Id say that is pretty solid.
