My gas was gone in about 2 days

[mparmer]

I hooked up my new tanks and noticed the guage that shows how much gas you have showed barely over the red "order new gas" zone. Did I get a tank that was not full? I'm new at this and didn't hear a leak but maybe there was one. The kegs came with a new oring kit but also came pressurized so I didn't think they should need the new orings. I cleaned sanitized and filled both with beer and now I"m not totally sure what I should do. Can I open everything up and replace all those orings at this point or am I screwed? I don't want to spend another $8 on a tank if it's just gonna leak out in 2 or 3 days. Thanks.

 

[deezy]

Break it down: have you checked to confirm the tank is empty and not a broken gauge?

Is your c02 tank inside your kegerator?

 

[neovox]

What did your regulator say before you pressurized the keg? Did you start with a full tank? If you have a leak the gas can go really fast. I learned that the hard way.

Fill your keg and use some soapy water around the mouth and poppets to see if your keg's leaking.

 

[nostalgia]

Did you put the CO2 tank in the fridge? The cold temp will cause a drop in pressure in the cylinder to just about the red zone.

If not, fill a spray bottle with Star-san or soapy water and start spritzing all of your connections, posts and keg lids to see what's leaking.

-Joe

 

[nostalgia]

Break it down:

-Joe, and no, I couldn't resist.

 

[woodstone]

Hi side gauge is almost useless and reads if you have CO2 or if you don't...not much in between.

Pull you vent and see if you have CO2.

If you are really out, you have a leak...been there, done that = sucks!

Soap the crap out of everything, everytime, to ensure no leaks. I use 50% diswashing liquid with 50% water but when I run out, I'm goinig to use gas plumbing leak detect as suggested on another post...you can buy this at any big box hardware store.

 

[mparmer]

Thanks, yeah, it's out, won't even push a drop of beer out of either keg. Is it OK to keep the co2 tank in the freezer? ( i have a johnson temp controler on it)

 

[downinit]

Been there too. Make sure to use teflon thread tape wherever you have threads in your gas system.
Its okay to keep your co2 tank in the cold.

 

[Ravenshead]

I keep my co2 tank in the freezer all the time. Basically, you have a leak. If you don't see bubbles on the keg seals, try the threaded connections to the keg QDs. That's where I always find my leaks.

 

[JRems]

Been there too. Make sure to use teflon thread tape wherever you have threads in your gas system.
Its okay to keep your co2 tank in the cold.

Not on all threads. You do not use Teflon on flared connections

 

[Boodlemania]

Not on all threads. You do not use Teflon on flared connections

Correct. Only on tapered pipe threads.

On a side note, seems like the foaming properties of starsan would make it a good leak test solution.

 

[skyebrewing]

Reading your initial post, it almost looks like you just ordered your co2 tank. If thats the case, they come empty and you need to fill them once they arrive. If i misunderstood and you know for sure you started out with full tanks, follow all the good advice already mentioned

 

[woodstone]

Reading your initial post, it almost looks like you just ordered your co2 tank. If thats the case, they come empty and you need to fill them once they arrive. If i misunderstood and you know for sure you started out with full tanks, follow all the good advice already mentioned

I just re-read OP myself and think you are correct!

What skyewines said...new tanks are shipped empty...need to fill those bad boys!

 

[motobrewer]

you won't always hear a leak. i reconfig'd my system and blew a tank in a week....

sprayed down all my connections with starsan mixture, and found the one bubbling

 

[xenophobe2020]

My regulator reads right above the "order gas" line immediately after ive had the tank filled, i believe my tank is a 5# tank. The assumption ive made is that the regulator is designed for much larger tanks with much higher capacities. I dont have my regulator in front of me, but i believe the units on the volume guage are in pounds so when full it reads, 5 #'s. That could be why yours also reads so low when full.

That said; you shouldnt be going through any size tank in 2-3 days. I use a dish soap & water solution on all fittings to test for leaks when i suspect i have one.

EDIT: just read the message about a star san & water in a spray bottle, thats a great idea. Ive had a kegerator for years, but am new to homebrewing and using star san. I will definitely use this method from now on.

 

[copenrc]

correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there a hard black seal(gasket) on the regulator to cO2 tank? This happened to me a few years ago and it was the black seal that had a crack in it.

 

[mparmer]

I did take my shiny new tank in and swap it for a full one. (cost me $8) I could hear it hissing a little but I just thought it was the co2 going in the beer. I swapped it again today so I'll hook this one up tonight and check for leaks and replace any bad seals. Thanks everyone!