Mini Keg - Not holding pressure?

[gerald8_kop]

Funnily enough I opened my fridge door today and noticed the PSI had dropped to almost zero because the sodastream has ran out.

It had been sat at 15 for a couple of weeks, and to maintain this I don't actually turn the reg off I just set it there and leave alone. So am I right in thinking the gas shouldnt run out until I dispense or purge? Ie, is this loss indicative of a leak still? The beer was fully carbed and so I assume would no longer be absorbing after a fortnight?

I bought this back in October for about 200 quid and was very patient following delays, unanswered questions, the omission of my sodastream adaptor which had to then be sent out separately, and a keg jacket which didn't fit meaning it also had to be replaced without apology. After some back and forth via whatsapp whilst trying to narrow down the pressure issue Gareth twice refused to ring me and now hasn't replied to the last couple of facebook messages on another unrelated matter.

Pretty rubbish.

 

[thejackat]

Really glad I found this thread. I've got two of the Dark Farm 5L kegs with the mini-CO2 canisters. It's been driving me mad - losing pressure - on all of my recent batches. I don't think it's the regulator because eventually, after repeatedly messing around with adjustable spanners, it tends to settle down but at the cost of using around 2 x CO2 canisters per 5L batch and dispensing a lot of flat beer while it stabilizes. I've not yet tried the vaseline option but keen to know where others think the leaks are most likely to come from; for example, where 1) tap assembly attaches to keg 2) twist tube attaches to tap and 3) regulator attaches to twist tub. My keg arrived with PFTE tape on the '3' fitting.

 

[BoomSchnitzel]

Sorry @thejackat but I have no idea where the kegs are most likely to be leaking from. I've only kegged once in them and did not do a leak test in a bucket of water or anything like that for fear of wasting beer or CO2.

I'm kegging tomorrow so was wondering where everyone suggested vaselining and if you need to be careful not to put too much on? So probably a similar question to you jackat.

It would be great to hear from @Gareth Davies. Even if he could just point us in the direction of some previous advise?

 

[gerald8_kop]

Sorry @thejackat but I have no idea where the kegs are most likely to be leaking from. I've only kegged once in them and did not do a leak test in a bucket of water or anything like that for fear of wasting beer or CO2.

I'm kegging tomorrow so was wondering where everyone suggested vaselining and if you need to be careful not to put too much on? So probably a similar question to you jackat.

It would be great to hear from @Gareth Davies. Even if he could just point us in the direction of some previous advise?

I've heard of some people disliking vaseline for fear of drying the O rings out, instead using keg lube which is more expensive.

I'm quite liberal with it tbf but again I've no idea whether that's right or wrong - I just do it because I'm fed up of the product being such a pain. When I spoke to Gareth last year he said it was weird and that he'd had no other complaints about pressure loss so it's nice to know that I'm not alone (sorry, you know what I mean!).

 

[Tanglefoot]

I've been mulling over getting a couple of corny kegs, as I've started brewing small AG10 L batches I was
considering buying a pair of these minis.
Having read this thread puts me right off.

As a diehard old school barrel user though, it makes a refreshing change to read about corny owners
suffering from pressure loss !

 

[Gerryjo]

Quick question for those using the mini regulator,are you assembling these yourselves or are they a preassembled unit?
I for one would certainly be disconnecting the keg as its probably the unit at fault and would make sure that it's leak free prior to connecting to a keg with a pressure test.
If you have a food waste bag simply cover the regulator making sure the output has been turned off or plugged and make sure it's taped down to seal as it exists the cylinder and set it to 5 psi.If it's leaking it will inflate the bag.
Make sure any threaded connections are wrapped in PTFE and when using vaseline or lube both of which are fine just a smear to cover o-rings is plenty as too much will cause a leak.

 

[BoomSchnitzel]

Kegged my 9L(ish) on Sunday (not happy with the taste but more on that here: Boom's second brew (first posted brew)
I put a bit of petroleum jelly on the O rings this time.
Noticed a small drop in pressure tonight (Monday) but I forgot what exact pressure it was set to (doh!). I've put it up to 14 tonight so I'll let you know tomorrow.

 

[BoomSchnitzel]

Down to 10. That's a drop in 4psi in 24 hours. Must be a leak somewhere. Wish I knew what I was doing wrong! Or even what to try next...
I didn't quite understand what @Gerryjo meant with the food waste bag. How do you plug the output? I can't quite see what you are pressuring to 5psi if there's no container attached.

 

[Gerryjo]

Down to 10. That's a drop in 4psi in 24 hours. Must be a leak somewhere. Wish I knew what I was doing wrong! Or even what to try next...
I didn't quite understand what @Gerryjo meant with the food waste bag. How do you plug the output? I can't quite see what you are pressuring to 5psi if there's no container attached.

Post a picture of your regulator.I assume it has a quick disconnect for a corny keg,if it has disconnect from your keg and enclose the keg in an airtight bag and if this is leaking well and good,at the same time discharge the regulator by disconnecting from the gas bottle,open the pressure valve and make sure it reads zero.Now close the valve and attach the gas bottle and open ever so gently so that the gauge reads 5 psi and cover with a seal bag and wait for one too inflate.

 

[Gerryjo]

Or is this the type of set up you have.

If so that is a different kettle of fish as you would need 2 blanking plugs to test that.

 

[BoomSchnitzel]

Or is this the type of set up you have.
View attachment 42903
If so that is a different kettle of fish as you would need 2 blanking plugs to test that.

That's the badger! Thanks for your extra explanation though :)

 

[Gerryjo]

That's the badger! Thanks for your extra explanation though :)

It would be worthwhile putting some PTFE tape on the threads of the has coupling if you haven't already done so.

 

[BoomSchnitzel]

It would be worthwhile putting some PTFE tape on the threads of the has coupling if you haven't already done so.

Has coupling? Do you mean the thread of the disconnect into the keg. I think this is the only thread anyway.
I'll try that next. Thanks again dude!

 

[Gerryjo]

Has coupling? Do you mean the thread of the disconnect into the keg. I think this is the only thread anyway.
I'll try that next. Thanks again dude!

The 2 nuts on the pipe coupling the gas to the keg,undo the and tape up the threaded connections.

 

[Dads_Ale]

Are you setting at 14psi and then turning off the gas?
If so as you only kegged the beer on Sunday I would expect a drop in pressure as the beer absorbs the CO2 in the headspace.
Have you checked for a pressure drop with the keg empty?

 

[gerald8_kop]

Are you setting at 14psi and then turning off the gas?
If so as you only kegged the beer on Sunday I would expect a drop in pressure as the beer absorbs the CO2 in the headspace.
Have you checked for a pressure drop with the keg empty?

Checking whilst empty is a good point - not something I thought to do.

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Hi,
If you are carbonating in the fridge then as the beer gets colder the co2 gets absorbed into the liquid more easily.
this will be pretty unstable for the first few days as the beer cools to a stable temperature. So if you are sitting at 15 psi and the next day you are down to 5 psi. Just keep going with it, it will eventually stabilise as your beer becomes carbonated and settles at a stable temp.
Don’t worry you don’t have a leak. Also don’t gunk up all year gear with Vaseline. Hand tight fixings will be more than enough to keep your threads etc tight.

 

[Sandimas]

Just found this thread, I've got one of the 10L kegs with all-in-one lids rather than the disconnects.

I too thought I had a leak, but now I'm pretty sure it's CO2 being absorbed into the beer. We've just had a couple of cold nights and the pressure has really dropped, presumably due to the CO2 being absorbed due to lower temps. Last night it was a bit warmer and there was only a slight drop.

As a guide, I'm using 2 x CO2 bulbs per 10L keg, and this seems repeatable for every batch. If you want to test it, suggest not taking out any beer, keep topping up the CO2 and see if it stabilises: if you're continually using CO2 and get through more than 2 bulbs then you have a leak.