Carbon Dioxide usage.

[CD]

So how much carbon dioxide did you buy last year? I reckon I must have used almost all the contents of one S30 cylinder, so that’s about £7 spent per 90 gallons of beer brewed.

Of course I only use bought CO2 to keep air away from my beer in part-used PBs, not to carbonate it.

 

[Clint]

Does your c02 help dispense it?

 

[HarryFlatters]

I got my tank (6.5kg) filled in March, and I've brewed maybe 6 x 20 batches in this time. So to carbonate and dispense 120+ litres of beer has cost me less than a fiver.

 

[BlackRegent]

I got a 6kg cylinder from Energas about 6 months ago. It was a low up front cost (£20) but there is an ongoing £7.99 monthly rental charge. I am rather regretting the decision because, if the regulator reads correctly, there is still most of it left, despite regularly purging kegs, force carbonating several brews and keeping it permanently connected to the kegerator. So the monthly charges are stacking up. I think I'm going to go with Adams Gas once this one is empty.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I got a 6kg cylinder from Energas about 6 months ago. It was a low up front cost (£20) but there is an ongoing £7.99 monthly rental charge. I am rather regretting the decision because, if the regulator reads correctly, there is still most of it left, despite regularly purging kegs, force carbonating several brews and keeping it permanently connected to the kegerator. So the monthly charges are stacking up. I think I'm going to go with Adams Gas once this one is empty.

You‘ll probably find that will last you a year or more so that makes it a very expensive 6kg of gas. I use a 2kg canister as it fit in my kegerator with two Cornys and saved me drilling any more holes. I use it to purge the kegs, force carb and serve and one will last me around 4 months. A refill costs me a fiver.

 

[obscure]

Two packs of 30 16g cartridges (£23.90 each including shipping) and two soda stream cylinders at £12.99 each so £73.78 total.

 

[CD]

Does your c02 help dispense it?

No, I dispense either by gravity or hand pump, depending on how the mood takes me. Usually the beer in a pressure barrel will continue working and producing enough of its own carbon dioxide for me to continue drawing it off at a couple of pints a night until it is neigh on empty. Occasionally I have to add a few squirts of gas if the Noddy balloon looks flat. And by the look of it you spoil that dog!

 

[Clint]

No, I dispense either by gravity or hand pump, depending on how the mood takes me. Usually the beer in a pressure barrel will continue working and producing enough of its own carbon dioxide for me to continue drawing it off at a couple of pints a night until it is neigh on empty. Occasionally I have to add a few squirts of gas if the Noddy balloon looks flat. And by the look of it you spoil that dog!

Thanks for the info CD...I've got a couple of plastic PBs which I don't use all the time and gas with those little bulbs if needed. They need a bit extra when it's really cold though..
Yes,you're right about the dog...she's a great companion and family friend...not good with strangers to the house!

 

[Drunkula]

Pffft - about a fiver. I've been force carbing not just the kegs but got a decent carb cap and been making fizzy water for pop and batter. The schrader valve carb caps I made are a nightmare. Half the time they jam open and the room gets soaked.

 

[Tim Wilkes]

I've got a 5L SS mini keg with a tap and bulb gas mini regulator and it works well enough for visitors (when allowed!). What would I need to add if I wanted to go to Cornys and a 6Kg CO2 cylinder?

 

[Obadiah Boondoggle]

Two packs of 30 16g cartridges (£23.90 each including shipping) and two soda stream cylinders at £12.99 each so £73.78 total.

Over what period?

A sodastream cannister holds 250gms of CO2 - local to me I can by 6.3kg of CO2 for the same price as a sodastream - i.e. 25 times more for the same price

 

[obscure]

[QUOTE="Obadiah Boondoggle, post: 996534, member: 3911
Over what period?

A sodastream cannister holds 250gms of CO2 - local to me I can by 6.3kg of CO2 for the same price as a sodastream - i.e. 25 times more for the same price
[/QUOTE]
That was for 2020, as for why I use them over a large cylinder I don’t have the space for a dedicated keg fridge so the ability to easily take mini kegs and half size corny Kegs in and out of the fridge is worth while to me.

I happily accept that I pay a premium for my own connivence.

 

[marshbrewer]

2 and a half 6kg bottles worth...... But then I've got a leak somewhere that I just can't track down

After this Kev is finished I'm tearing the whole gas part of my kegorator apart and starting again.

 

[Griff097]

2 and a half 6kg bottles worth...... But then I've got a leak somewhere that I just can't track down

After this Kev is finished I'm tearing the whole gas part of my kegorator apart and starting again.

Have you tried spaying a starsan solution or soapy water solution on all the joints in the system?
If you using plastic lines into push fit connectors, what did you cut them with?
Any roughness or burrs on the piework can cause leaks where the O ring in the connector sits on the pipe, it's also easy to have pies not pushed 'fully' home and they won't seal properly, best to mark the depth of each fitting on the pipes before pushing them together, it's really easy to think its al the way in where it's barely through the seal and hits a shoulder in the fitting and needs to go another 5mm or so in for a proper seal.

 

[marshbrewer]

Have you tried spaying a starsan solution or soapy water solution on all the joints in the system?

Yep, I even purchased some fancy pants has leak spray from screwfix that found a couple more leaks, but the gas kept coming.....

If you using plastic lines into push fit connectors, what did you cut them with?

The brake hose cutter I use for my bicycle hydraulic brake pipes; it gives a perfect, clean 90° cut.

So far, I've narrowed it down to a faulty cornie gas connector , possibly the manifold, or the gas faries

 

[Griff097]

Yep, I even purchased some fancy pants has leak spray from screwfix that found a couple more leaks, but the gas kept coming.....


The brake hose cutter I use for my bicycle hydraulic brake pipes; it gives a perfect, clean 90° cut.

So far, I've narrowed it down to a faulty cornie gas connector , possibly the manifold, or the gas faries

I didn't want to teach you to suck eggs lol

The reg on the cylinder could be leaking from the diaphragm too.

 

[marshbrewer]

I didn't want to teach you to suck eggs lol

Don't worry, I wasn't offended in the slightest; it's a source of endless frustration for me. I had thought about the regulator being faulty, but didn't really know of it was possible? What is odd is that if the bottle is turned on, and I pour some drinks, when I've finished I turn all the outlets of the manifold, and turn the gas off at the bottle, so the reg, line to the manifold, and the manifold are pressurised but not being 'fed' by any new gas, it slowly leaks out until, suddenly, the pressure guage (the line one, not the bottle full / empty one) starts rising and the pressure release valve opens and vents all the gas. However, this only happens if the reg is left set at whatever pressure I've set it at (usually 30psi as I have secondary regulators) , if I dial the pressure down then turn the bottle off, it just slowly leaks out. Odd.

 

[Griff097]

Don't worry, I wasn't offended in the slightest; it's a source of endless frustration for me. I had thought about the regulator being faulty, but didn't really know of it was possible? What is odd is that if the bottle is turned on, and I pour some drinks, when I've finished I turn all the outlets of the manifold, and turn the gas off at the bottle, so the reg, line to the manifold, and the manifold are pressurised but not being 'fed' by any new gas, it slowly leaks out until, suddenly, the pressure guage (the line one, not the bottle full / empty one) starts rising and the pressure release valve opens and vents all the gas. However, this only happens if the reg is left set at whatever pressure I've set it at (usually 30psi as I have secondary regulators) , if I dial the pressure down then turn the bottle off, it just slowly leaks out. Odd.

A regulator shouldn't do that for sure, that is their porpose to show bottle contents and then on the downstream side to flow at the pressure you have set, regardless of usage it shouldn't raise line pressure until a PRV is set off.
Do you know what the PRV is set to relieve at on the manifold?
You could break your sysyem into three sections to narrow it down for the leak
Cylinder to manifold
Manifold to keg connectors
Kegs
From what you have already described I would buy or borrow a new reg as line pressure after it shouldn't be rising with time, but I would also disconnect the gas connectors off the kegs, turn the manifold isolators for each line off and see if the individual gauges for each line hold pressure for 24/48 hrs, take a picture so you can accurately compare gauge pressure before/after, that will tell you if that section is sound.
Keg posts/lids can be tested seperately with LDF as previously bought, easier to do them individually when empty at 30/40psi

From what you describe though I think your whole issue may be the Primary regulator at the cylinder, unless you have more than one problem which breaking it down into sections will help you identify.
Hope that's of some help or I may have to supply more eggs :)

 

[marshbrewer]

Aye, I was hoping that wasn't the case, as if it is, this reg has been faulty since new (and frustratingly it's just over a year old now ) but it makes sense.

New regulator time, me thinks.