Finding Co2 Leaks

[AT-JeffT]

Hey All,
I thought I would share some techniques I learned to troubleshoot leaks in draft systems. I work at a craft beer bar with 50 taps and had to chase down leaks yesterday. I learned some pretty easy techniques that I think HBT can benefit from.

There is a very easy test to see if your system is leaking at all. All you have to do is shut off the co2 cylinder(close the valve on the tank). Watch the working pressure gauge (low scale gauge) on your regulator and if it drops even a little you have a leak. This makes sense when you think about it. If you close off your tank and have no leaks the co2 in the line should stay at the same pressure. If you have a leak the pressure will drop as it escapes out the leaking area.

So, you have a leak. For those with a gas manifold this could be a bit tricky. For me working with 50 lines I have no time to guess where the leak is. Pinpointing your leak can be done by shutting off all the individual line shutoffs(on manifold). Then open one at a time and use the method mentioned earlier. If the working pressure gauge drops then your leak is on the line that is open.

So, now you have found which line your leak is on. We all know the soap and spray bottle trick. Truth is, it sucks. A much better method is to find a clear container and submerge the entire coupler in water. This is a much more thorough method.

Hopefully that should help pinpoint any leaks. Some other common areas for leaks (sanke related):
Make sure the coupler (sanke) is fully seated (turned) on the keg. Some of our bartenders were not turning them enough and we had leaks between the coupler and keg.

Never have any metal on metal seals. Always have a washer between the coupler and tailpiece.

 

[JuanMoore]

This only works when the upper packing on the tank shut-off seals perfectly, which I've found isn't the case on ~1/3 of the tanks I've swapped. If the packing doesn't seal fully, it will act like there's a leak even if there isn't one. This diagram explains it pretty well. (this is also why it's generally a good idea to open the valve all the way)

 

[davygoat2]

Working on Heavy Trucks with Air Brake Sytems I've used the spray bottle trick.
That seems to work for locating bigger leaks.
For the Annoying smaller leaks I mix Dishwashing detergent and a small amount of water, say 2-1, 1-1. Paint that mixture on with a paint brush and walk away, come back 5-10 min later and look fir the bubbles/foam.

 

[mikescooling]

The soap bubbles, flashlight and a mirror work, if done correctly. Also if you have home brew on tap that could absorb co2, that may drop the pressure on a line, when it's just carbing up the beer. Corney kegs just suck, everything on them can leak.

 

[funnycreature]

Corney kegs just suck, everything on them can leak.

Now that's an encouraging statement to someone like me who just got 4 Corneys to start kegging Mine seem to hold up pretty well so far.

 

[mikescooling]

Don't get me wrong I use them, and they have lots of up points. But each time you unhook the gas or liquid line, check the poppet to make sure it's not leaking, and the seals on the lids, some of mine only go on one way or they leak. And I just had a relief valve start leaking. Sanke kegs seem to be better.