Head space pressure decreasing

[NEKvt]

So I've kegged a few batches and noticed the same thing occuring that I haven't read about anywhere, though it may be my system.

I have a kegs in a fridge dispensing through party taps, only hooked up when dispensing. I connect CO2 once a day and fill to 12psi.

During the first week or so when I connect the CO2 there is little or no pressure in the keg. Eventually when I hook up the tap in the morning the pressure remains constant. This is usually when I start drinking. Does this occur because the CO2 pressure which initially is only in the headspace gets distributed into the beer as dissolved CO2? I ask this because I'm noticing that in a recent batch which was very close to being overfilled in the keg it is taking a long time for the CO2 pressure to stop decreasing (at 5 days now). I've hit this keg all over with starsan to try to find a leak in the keg and can't find one so I figure it must be due to the small amount of CO2 I'm able to inject into the headspace being dissolved into solution.

Does this sound right? Or have I not found a leak?

 

[Dan]

How did you carbonate the beer? Once carbonated CO2 is used to dispense and maintain the level of Co2 in the beer. Eventually the pressure from the head space will diminish and beer won't come out if the Co2 was turned off.

 

[NEKvt]

I keep the beer chilled in a fridge, but I don't have the CO2 running into the fridge yet so I hit it with 12 psi every morning from a CO2 tank.

 

[raouliii]

How are you carbonating? Sugar? DME?

It sounds like the CO2 is just equalizing/dissolving into the beer in between connections of the CO2 source. If you haven't carbonated with any fermentables, then the CO2 should be left ON for carbonation to take place.

I leave my CO2 connected all the time on my kegs. It takes about 5 days or so, for full carbonation to take place and then its ready. I see no reason to disconnect anything.