Gassing Up A Keg Question

[flano]

so what happens if I leave a keg to gas over 24 hrs.
then when I go to turn it off I discover the gas had run out during the gassing up ?

do I just keep burping the keg until it is flat again then re-gas ?

hasn't happened but I reckon it will soon....I have had my gas bottle on since April last year.
It still reads like there is plenty left but it is feeling quite light.

 

[Malted]

so what happens if I leave a keg to gas over 24 hrs. Depends on what pressure the reg is at...
then when I go to turn it off I discover the gas had run out during the gassing up ? Why turn it off?

do I just keep burping the keg until it is flat again then re-gas ? NO

hasn't happened but I reckon it will soon....I have had my gas bottle on since April last year. They last quite a while don't they.
It still reads like there is plenty left but it is feeling quite light. The guages often don't really show a differecne until almost gone

Sounds like some questions that indicate you're a bit confused.

I can't understand why you think you would need to burp it till flat and gas again when the gas bottle runs out.
Burping is only used if you have overcarbed a keg by having the pressure dialed up too high for too long. Burping is only to relieve EXCESS pressure, not all pressure.

Gassing up can be via the Ross method= high pressure for a short period of time whilst shaking/rocking the chilled keg, or it can be as simple as leaving the beer hooked up at serving pressure & temp for a week or so. I wouldn't really leave it at high pressure for 24hrs.

If the gas runs out before a keg is empty, disconnect the bottle (and gas lines from keg etc) and get it refilled, reconnect and keep pouring. No burping of the keg. Leave keg chilled.

 

[flano]

Sounds like some questions that indicate you're a bit confused.

I can't understand why you think you would need to burp it till flat and gas again when the gas bottle runs out.
Burping is only used if you have overcarbed a keg by having the pressure dialed up too high for too long. Burping is only to relieve EXCESS pressure, not all pressure.

Gassing up can be via the Ross method= high pressure for a short period of time whilst shaking/rocking the chilled keg, or it can be as simple as leaving the beer hooked up at serving pressure & temp for a week or so. I wouldn't really leave it at high pressure for 24hrs.

If the gas runs out before a keg is empty, disconnect the bottle (and gas lines from keg etc) and get it refilled, reconnect and keep pouring. No burping of the keg. Leave keg chilled.

I am saying if the gas bottle runs out while I am actually gassing up a new keg.
I do it over 24hrs..that is how it works for me.
Lots of people do it this way...I got the info from this forum.

What if I have no idea at what point during the 24 hr gassing up period it runs out?

 

[raven19]

What if I have no idea at what point during the 24 hr gassing up period it runs out?

Dial the pressure back to 70kPa ish (or whatever your serving pressure is) and let it go for a week or so.

It should be carbonated perfectly by then, maybe even earlier depending on how highly carbed the beer was when the gas ran out.

Worst case sample the beer to check carbonation level!

 

[hsb]

Don't vent the keg before you get more gas, no point. Like raven says, get more gas and recarb, if you overshoot a little burp it then to rebalance.
Or just test it on the way.

I'm another +1 to just gassing at serving pressure, much easier in general, but I'm lazy and can wait.
If you do this your beer should balance again anyways.

Another option is to just get your gas changed now before you gas that keg, if it lasts that long, are you really fussed about a dollar of CO2.

 

[razz]

It doesn't matter when it runs out Beernorks, as long as there is no leaks in the system the keg will stay carbed although not a lot of carb. Just connect up the new/refilled cylinder and set the reg.

 

[QldKev]

Dial the pressure back to 70kPa ish (or whatever your serving pressure is) and let it go for a week or so.

It should be carbonated perfectly by then, maybe even earlier depending on how highly carbed the beer was when the gas ran out.

Worst case sample the beer to check carbonation level!

I assume you are doing the 3 bar for 24hrs, it's how I did it for years before I got spare kegs for a buffer.

I would do exactly as raven has mentioned here.

If you did want to get flash, you could work it out with maths based on what the pressure on the output site of the reg was reading once the keg/gas bottle equalised. But that is harder than leaving it at serving pressure, so I would leave it alone at serving pressure until ready.

QldKev

 

[flano]

cheers
think I 'll just get a new gas cylinder....and give myself another 18 months to come up with a plan.

 

[razz]

Sorry Beernorks, I should have added you would need to set the reg at serving pressure, as per raven19's comment

 

[Amber Fluid]

cheers
think I 'll just get a new gas cylinder....and give myself another 18 months to come up with a plan.

Slightly OT sorry but, I keep a spare full gas bottle for when the time comes that I run out. Just like a BBQ which I have a spare also. There is no bigger PITA when you run out of gas half way through a BBQ or session and it is Friday night.

Maybe get around it this time with what others have posted above then have the next 18 months saving for another bottle??

 

[MaestroMatt]

Slightly OT sorry but, I keep a spare full gas bottle for when the time comes that I run out. Just like a BBQ which I have a spare also. There is no bigger PITA when you run out of gas half way through a BBQ or session and it is Friday night.

Maybe get around it this time with what others have posted above then have the next 18 months saving for another bottle??

As someone who has just got into kegging, there is NO WAY I could justify an extra $200-ish for a spare. I could possibly justify a couple of CO2 bulbs and a keg charger for an emergency. Would be a lot cheaper, no?

 

[raven19]

$30 change over at most local brew shops for your smaller gas bottles. No point in having a spare imo either, once the gas runs out you can still push some beer out for a few more pints if you give the keg a shake to drive out some CO2 out of solution. By then you have ducked down to the store for a swap and go and you are set to go again!

Have a few bottled brews on standby if need be also in case of emergency.

 

[stux]

As someone who has just got into kegging, there is NO WAY I could justify an extra $200-ish for a spare. I could possibly justify a couple of CO2 bulbs and a keg charger for an emergency. Would be a lot cheaper, no?

I gas at high pressure for 24 hours, then slow carb at serving pressure for a few days. The 24hrs cuts down the slow gas up from a week or so to just a few days.

Worst case, if you run out while gassing up, just connect at serving pressure and it will finish carbing up in a week or so. No sweat.

Don't even think about replacing the bottle until you needle plunges down to about 1000kpa! And even then, you only have a problem once it gets down close to zero

I do have a keg charger and spare bulbs, so if I run out during a BBQ (which will NOT happen if you BBQ starts when your high pressure needle is still in the high range) I can always use the keg charger

Neat thing is I can actually attach the keg charger to the gas in nipple on my gas distribution manifold

 

[Amber Fluid]

As someone who has just got into kegging, there is NO WAY I could justify an extra $200-ish for a spare. I could possibly justify a couple of CO2 bulbs and a keg charger for an emergency. Would be a lot cheaper, no?

I wasn't addressing your situation and it was indicated that the refill will last 18 months before he needs to worry about it again. Therefore, to save $200 in 18 months ($2.78 a week) might be viable in this case and was only an alternative suggestion.

$30 change over at most local brew shops for your smaller gas bottles. No point in having a spare imo either, once the gas runs out you can still push some beer out for a few more pints if you give the keg a shake to drive out some CO2 out of solution. By then you have ducked down to the store for a swap and go and you are set to go again!

Have a few bottled brews on standby if need be also in case of emergency.

This depends on the situation. eg. where I am there is no way I can get a refill if I run out of gas on a Friday night before at least Monday (and I'd probably have to wait another day or so then) and the headspace will not last the rest of the weekend to push the liquid. This obviously depends how much more you intend to consume over the weekend of course.

 

[QldKev]

I'm lucky, I run 2 systems, a keg maturing out the back patio and a serving one in the house. Then you need 2 bottles and when you run out on one you can always grab the other if needed. Works a treat.

Qldkev

 

[BobtheBrewer]

I'm lucky, I run 2 systems, a keg maturing out the back patio and a serving one in the house. Then you need 2 bottles and when you run out on one you can always grab the other if needed. Works a treat.

Qldkev

Or have a Soda Stream bottle on standby. Have to shell out for the adapter to attach it to your regulator though.

 

[Nick JD]

Write down how much the system dispenses once your high pressure gauge reaches 15 bar.