I just lost a shit load of CO2

[abyss]

G'day keggers.
Last brew day I keg hopped two kegs and used 8kg fishing line to hang the hop bags from.
I just tied the line to the hop bag with some marbles as a weight and ran it out between the keg and lid.
Now my recently filled 6 kg cylinder is nearly empty...luckily I have a pair of the bastards and the back up bottle is always full on standby.
I wouldn't dream of using kegs without a spare bottle of gas.
Now I'm thinking of getting a third one for emergencies.
My previous 6kg lasted for around 50 kegs, left connected 24/7 with the odd stuff up.

 

[MHB]

No surprises, if you run something between the hatch and the seal odds on it will leak.
First up I would confirm that it is leaking around the fishing line (soapy water and a paint brush) - Dental Floss is much less likely to cause a leak than fishing line.
lots of other options, get a small loop to tie things to tacked onto the inside of the lid, let the hop bag float...

Mind you loosing 6kg of CO2 around a piece of fishing line passing an O-Ring sounds excessive, I would be leak checking the whole system.
Mark

 

[abyss]

Yea I've just finished checking with Starsan spray and found a gas post with another leak.
I replaced the flat rubber washer with an O ring and all good.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Re - unflavoured dental floss works well. Easy way to check If there is a leak is to charge up the kegs to serving pressure then close the bottle valve eg. at the end of the night - next morning the pressure should read the same on the outflow gauge. You will see the gauge show the loss in pressure if there is a leak. I used to turn off the bottle every night.

 

[abyss]

Re - unflavoured dental floss works well. Easy way to check If there is a leak is to charge up the kegs to serving pressure then close the bottle valve eg. at the end of the night - next morning the pressure should read the same on the outflow gauge. You will see the gauge show the loss in pressure if there is a leak. I used to turn off the bottle every night.

Re - unflavoured dental floss works well. Easy way to check If there is a leak is to charge up the kegs to serving pressure then close the bottle valve eg. at the end of the night - next morning the pressure should read the same on the outflow gauge. You will see the gauge show the loss in pressure if there is a leak. I used to turn off the bottle every night.

If you close the valve overnight with under carbed kegs as well as fully carbed kegs in the Keezer, should they still stay at the same pressure or would the under carbed ones take up the gas ?
I have up to 7 kegs under pressure in mine all at around 11psi, half ready to go and the rest are recently kegged.
I normally carbonate at serving pressure for 7 to 10 days before swilling.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Yeah they do absorb the co2. I admit I haven't force carbed for some time now. Pressure ferment the beer is naturally carbonated and ready to go its a bonus. You don't have to wait that extra week.
Another way is to have a manifold for the gas lines. That way you can shut off any kegs gas line. Crank up an under carbonated keg with pressure then shut off that line again without messing up the other kegs pressure levels. I've done that a few times. The manifold has internal check valves so if one keg is charged at say 30psi is wont release to other kegs that may be at 10 psi.

I keep it on 24/7 now though. sometimes I just shut off the bottle one night just to check its all holding. Hose clamps on every line connection etc. The screw type hose clamps mostly.

 

[abyss]

Thanks Dan.
I already have manifolds with non returns.
Now I'm thinking of adding a dual outlet regulator for pouring and carbing at different pressures.

 

[randomiser]

I feel your pain on losing CO2. Once my girlfriend went to pour herself a beer from my kegerator. She came back telling me she was only able to get half a glass before it blew. Oh well time to brew more I thought, no big deal. The next morning go to take the keg out of the fridge and see the beer tap still open. Lost all of a near new CO2 bottle. :angry2:

 

[mtb]

Lost all of a near new CO2 bottle. :angry2:

 

[Coldspace]

I'll second the dental floss technique

 

[nosco]

A little OT but some of the new keg lids you can buy have a loop underneath for hanging dry hop bags. Or at least I think that's what its for?