Co2 Reassurance Needed

[wyatt_girth]

Heya,
I have had my new(ish) keg fridge running in the shed since I got it a couple of months ago - just til I was confident that I had it under control rather than taking inside and making a mess of it. I am looking to find a new home for it indoors but as I have a young family I am a little hesitant to have the co2 bottle inside.
What I am wondering is if there are any precautions that I can take to ensure that this is safe to have around my littlun. I am not that worried about her playing with it because she has spent some time around it outside and hasn't even been bothered to touch it - or even look it over properly, and the bottle it self wil be in the corner behinfd the fridge and out of site or at least reach. I check for leaks with the soapy water and am confident that my JG connections are all good. Another concern is that should I get a leak somewhere in the system would the drain in the laundry floor be sufficient to vent the area (the CO2, being heavier, would sit on the floor right?)
The gas bottle is a BOC 6kg rental so I am also happy to assume that they it is in good, serviced, condition.
I realise I have partly answered some of my questions here but still would appreciate any advice from those that have their gear inside to help ease my paranoid hesitation.
I am comfortable being a little paranoid BTW cos I feel that it helps to minimise complacency, which is dangerous with littluns around.

wyatt

 

[paul]

I just have my bottle tied to the side of my chest freezer so that the kids cant knock it over and break my reg.

 

[cdbrown]

CO2 will only create a nice "blanket" if there is very still air conditions in the house. Any movement from walking will quickly cause turbulance and mixing of C)2 with the air. Once you are happy that the kegs are fully gassed, temperature is constant, bring the setup inside and tests it out by turning the gas off at night. That way you can be sure that if there are any leaks it will only be the head space of the kegs and any CO2 which may come out - but of course this is only if the leak is from somewhere near the reg, if it's near the keg than the CO2 will just set up shop in the freezer.

 

[domonsura]

Probably the best & easiest advice for piece of mind (and what i do) is to turn the bottle off when the taps are not being used. I turn them on when i start pouring beers and turn it off at the end of the evening. That way if something does let go, it's only going to vent the gas in the lines or kegs, not the whole gas bottle. As far as venting through the drain goes, I wouldn't rely on it as a safety measure.

 

[PostModern]

Floor drains have an S bend (assuming it goes to the sewer?). If the room you have the CO2 in has an external door, you might want to install a strong (for security) vent grille down low in the door. That way if the bottle leaks for some reason it will vent outside.

 

[wyatt_girth]

Thanks folks for the advice.

Probably the best & easiest advice for piece of mind (and what i do) is to turn the bottle off when the taps are not being used. I turn them on when i start pouring beers and turn it off at the end of the evening. That way if something does let go, it's only going to vent the gas in the lines or kegs, not the whole gas bottle. As far as venting through the drain goes, I wouldn't rely on it as a safety measure.

The fridge is only big enough for two kegs - one pouring & one carbonating at pouring pressure. Will turning the gas off each night still allow the next in line enough time on the gas to be ready in a couple of weeks or so? At the moment they are lasting a few weeks cos it is a pita to go out to the shed to get a beer so I only drink from them up til dinner then it's lights-out in the shed.

Also, bein a keg noob, the reg is what keeps the pressure right right? ( :blink: huh?) so aside from using a non return valve, which is in my shopping basket, I just turn the tap off without touching anything else and I will not be looking for trouble h34r: ?

 

[wyatt_girth]

The fridge is only big enough for two kegs - one pouring & one carbonating at pouring pressure. Will turning the gas off each night still allow the next in line enough time on the gas to be ready in a couple of weeks or so? At the moment they are lasting a few weeks cos it is a pita to go out to the shed to get a beer so I only drink from them up til dinner then it's lights-out in the shed.

Also, bein a keg noob, the reg is what keeps the pressure right right? ( :blink: huh?) so aside from using a non return valve, which is in my shopping basket, I just turn the tap off without touching anything else and I will not be looking for trouble h34r: ?

Sorry guys for the early bump but I was hopin to get it all inside this weeekend if I can be confident that the above processes will do the job.
Thanks again
wyatt

 

[muckey]

When I carbonate a keg I normally put it on the gas once or twice a day for at least a week. Without shaking, it's still under carbed after that but not far off ( slightly under for an english ale).
If you have gas on while you're pouring each day and turn it off when you finish, a couple of weeks should give you reasonably good carb in the beer. Of course, it cant hurt to have some tweaking room either h34r:

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

Wyatt, you might want to think about some sort of safety chain on the bottle so if it does get knocked it wont fall and crush little feet or hands, also can save your reg. I know they're not that heavy but if it gets knocked over it can really hurt if it lands on your toe.

 

[matti]

Wyatt, you might want to think about some sort of safety chain on the bottle so if it does get knocked it wont fall and crush little feet or hands, also can save your reg. I know they're not that heavy but if it gets knocked over it can really hurt if it lands on your toe.

Great advice.
If its a rental bottle they get checked regularly,one would hope.
You seem confident every thing else is ok so I can't see any real problems.

re garding getting carbonated fine.
I use Ross' method of force carbonation.
I then adjust the regulator to the pressure I desire and leave for a couple of days.
After checking/adjusting the carbonation I then leave it for week and she pours great.

I gather you have looked in the articles how the balance a keg.
Neil young is calling with "You know it Takes a long long time"
Here is the link

 

[wyatt_girth]

Thanks again gents,
I guess, as with most of this brew journey, its another case of trial and error. I didnt get it inside on the weekend after all so will probably drag it in this weekend (before someone at work notices the trolley is missing). I was hoping to avoid the force carbonation until i get myself a non return valve. I might try turning the gas off like some of you suggested and make up for the lack of continual gassing to the 'next-in-line-keg' by giving a couple of higher pressure blasts/top-ups over a couple of days.
Will see how it goes.

Cheers to all.
wyatt

 

[jimbo82]

I use a fire extinguisher for my kegs and all I do is bump the handle until the hissing stops and the reg has brought the keg up to serving/carbonation pressure. I do this a few days in a row for a new cold keg and you can tell when its carbonated because you'll check it and the pressure gauge on the regulator hasn't dropped from the day before. Works fine for me and I don't stress too much about minor leaks because I'm not going to empty my cylinder as its only on long enough to repressurise the keg. Even if the keg leaks gas and I find it 0psi a week later I just gas it up to serving pressure and pour a beer and its seems perfectly drinkable to me. But then I'm not fussy :icon_cheers: