Do I have a leak?

[Chap]

So after my last gas leak where I lost half a 2.6kg bottle overnight, I repaired the leak (new oring and lube in the beer out post) detergent tested and hooked it back up. Had a few beers the other night and decided to turn off the gas as it looked like I was losing gas quickly (over 1000psi when swapped, fair way under now a week later). Had a look the next day and my regulator showed 0psi where I would normally see 12psi serving pressure.

Do I have another leak somewhere?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Yes.
Its an elimination thing. I use the (smallest) screw type hose clamps for all connections now on the airline hoses, actually the beer line too. That fixed it for me.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

What you did is the easiest way to check for a leak. Considering all the serving beer is fully carbonated then end of the night turn off the bottle. The Bottle gauge can return to zero but the keg side gauge should hold at 12 psi (serving pressure). If you lose pressure there noticeably quick (12 to 24 hours) without serving any beer then there is definitely a leak.

 

[Quokka42]

Sounds like it. I fixed most of my leaks when I bought some food safe lube and used it on everything, but o-rings are cheap and I ended up replacing them all as well. If the lid O-ring wasn't lubed it is another likely place for a slow leak.

 

[Grott]

So after my last gas leak where I lost half a 2.6kg bottle overnight, I repaired the leak (new oring and lube in the beer out post) detergent tested and hooked it back up. Had a few beers the other night and decided to turn off the gas as it looked like I was losing gas quickly (over 1000psi when swapped, fair way under now a week later). Had a look the next day and my regulator showed 0psi where I would normally see 12psi serving pressure.
Do I have another leak somewhere?

Not necessarily. If you left the gas disconnects on the kegs the 12psi in the lines could have been absorbed particularly as you had a few beers and then turned the gas off. As said before, disconnect gas from kegs, set pressure at say 12psi, turn bottle off. If after a few hours the pressure drops then you have a leak in the system.

 

[mckenry]

To determine leaks in the system, disconnect the kegs first. Pump up the pressure, turn the bottle off. Feed will stay where it is if it's leak tight. Turn the pressure back down to serving pressure. Vent as required. Without turning the bottle on, reconnect the kegs, without the beer out disconnects on. If the beer is at the right carb level it should stay stable. If the beer is under you'll lose feed pressure straight away. That's ok. Just note the number then check again in 24 hours. Bummer if you want one in that period. If that turns out ok, reconnect beer lines and observe again. Gas can escape through beer lines without beer showing on your fridge floor.

 

[Pnutapper]

Not necessarily. If you left the gas disconnects on the kegs the 12psi in the lines could have been absorbed particularly as you had a few beers and then turned the gas off. As said before, disconnect gas from kegs, set pressure at say 12psi, turn bottle off. If after a few hours the pressure drops then you have a leak in the system.

This is correct. Also by using this method, it will tell you if the leak is in your gas delivery system or your keg. If the pressure holds for a long while when gas is disconnected from keg - then the leak will be in your keg.

Leaks can develop in places you may not immediately think of. People are often amazed to see a leak coming from a worm drive clamp for instance. (The little "steps" in the clamp bite into tubing and pierce it)

 

[Grott]

As Pnutapper has said leaks can come from not so obvious places eg. pressure release vales on kegs (can tend to unscrew over time and become sensitive to the touch), cheap gas disconnects that can be ok directly on the post however if there is some sideway pressure they can leak.

 

[TSMill]

Also note, bottle pressure drops significantly if you are storing it in the fridge, 1000psi is likely at room temperature I think 4-500 closer to the mark at fridge temperature. You will not see pressure loss in the cylinder (other than temperature induced) until all liquid CO2 is vapourised.

 

[damoninja]

Weight is all that matters, as TSMill says.

A full bottle will be around 500psi when full and you won't even see it move until it's got about 300-400 grams left in it.

I wrote the tare weight on mine so I know what to expect, the tare stamped on the bottle often doesn't include the valve so it's a good idea to check...

 

[klangers]

People are often amazed to see a leak coming from a worm drive clamp for instance. (The little "steps" in the clamp bite into tubing and pierce it)

Same with aggressive hose barbs. This is why I like pushfit (aka john guest) fittings.

 

[Chap]

Thanks for the feedback all, firstly yeah bottle is at room temp outside the fridge giving me the 1000psi reading. I have now set at 12 psi, disconnected the gas and turned off the tap. Now we wait

 

[manticle]

Tempted to answer ' yes if your bladder is full. Be warned though - once you open the sluices, the juices will flow".

Then I realised how annoying and unhelpful it would be to articulate such thoughts and kept them to myself.

 

[Chap]

UPDATE
After 12+ hours the gas lines are holding pressure so is either a keg/disconnect issue. 2 of my3 kegs are now empty so will pull apart posts and lube everything and hopefully no more issues. If there are any I will report back. Cheers all!

 

[Grott]

As Pnutapper has said leaks can come from not so obvious places eg. pressure release vales on kegs (can tend to unscrew over time and become sensitive to the touch), cheap gas disconnects that can be ok directly on the post however if there is some sideway pressure they can leak.

I would first put the gas back on to the kegs with the bottle turned on and wriggle the disconnect to see if they leak with sideways pressure ( you should hear it ), then brush some soap solution on the pressure release valve and then around the gas post to keg and the keg lid seal. It's now a matter of elimination and you need to find the leak(s) as just servicing the gas posts doesn't guarantee you have fixed the problem.
(You can do above with your empty kegs)

 

[klangers]

I would first put the gas back on to the kegs with the bottle turned on and wriggle the disconnect to see if they leak with sideways pressure ( you should hear it ), then brush some soap solution on the pressure release valve and then around the gas post to keg and the keg lid seal. It's now a matter of elimination and you need to find the leak(s) as just servicing the gas posts doesn't guarantee you have fixed the problem.
(You can do above with your empty kegs)

You can but I'd fill them up with tap water. If you apply pressure to an empty keg you'll waste a shiteload of gas. Removing the volume with incompressible water means that less CO2 needs to be injected into the keg to reach test pressure.