Keg Leak Troubleshooting

[Nick JD]

Only got 4 kegs from my 2.3kg bottle before it started heading into the redline.

So it's troubleshootin' time.

From what I've read so far, to check everything but the kegs - I remove the gas quick disconnects, set the low pressure dial on the reg to 100kpa, turn off the gas at the tap ... and see what happens.

If my lines and reg and bottle are okay, then I should still have the needles on the dials remaining the same after an hour? Or should the high pressure drop to zero, and the low pressure remain at 100kpa?

All my keg seals are new. But I have a feeling I might have a leak out of a blow-off valve in the lid. How can these be fixed?

Any help would be much appreciated. Is there a systematic guide on troubleshooting keg system leaks anywhere?

 

[DU99]

there's soapy water around the connections looking for air bubbles..is the reg on tight..

 

[Nick JD]

there's soapy water around the connections looking for air bubbles..is the reg on tight..

Both gauges are holding rock steady with the tank turned off and the gas disconnects disconnected, so I'm pretty confident it's not the lines of the tank/reg. Must be in the kegs...

EDIT: after watching that youtube video I'm pretty sure it's not the safety valve on the tank as it's a very new tank. Is this a common thing?

 

[kelbygreen]

is the blow off valve new?? what kind is it? I have 2 kegs with 2 different blow off valves one is like a toggle you push up and it locks it open and the other has a ring on it you just pull and have to keep hold of it to leave it open. I got a replacement for the one with the ring but not the toggle one yet I am sure you can get them some where but I havnt really looked as it seems in good shape ATM.

 

[Nick JD]

is the blow off valve new?? what kind is it? I have 2 kegs with 2 different blow off valves one is like a toggle you push up and it locks it open and the other has a ring on it you just pull and have to keep hold of it to leave it open. I got a replacement for the one with the ring but not the toggle one yet I am sure you can get them some where but I havnt really looked as it seems in good shape ATM.

It's a ring-pull blow-off valve. All my keg seals are 2 months old but the blow-off valve seals haven't been touched (not sure if you can change them?).

I noticed just now because I thought I might as well carb up a flat keg with the remaining CO2. I forced carbed while rolling on the floor and when I sat it back up there was a little bit of beer around the blow-off valve. I just touched the ring and it foamed out a little bit. That blow-off valve is very hairtrigger, doesn't have to be pulled out to release gas, just slightly twisted.

Both gauges on the reg are still holding exactly the same - so I'm now positive it's a keg issue.

 

[Ross]

Nick, spray or dab some soapy water around all suspect areas, the bubbles will show immediately.

If you turn off your gas bottle & both dials drop to zero over time, you have a leak - If the high pressure one drops alone (& maybe the low pressure slightly), it just means the beer is undercarbed to your pressure setting & the head pressure is absorbing into your beer.

cheers ross

Edit: re your post above - unscrew the valve & have a look at the seal - sometimes the ones with an end plug seal, the plug falls out & needs glueing back in place.

 

[Nick JD]

Edit: re your post above - unscrew the valve & have a look at the seal - sometimes the ones with an end plug seal, the plug falls out & needs glueing back in place.

Thanks, Ross. Will do. Is it the little plug on the very bottom of the valve?

 

[DU99]

there should be..you see it in the pic..they crack or perish..new valves are not that dear..

 

[MHB]

Most slow leaks are the gas post O-Ring, when you push the disconnect on you make a little scratch or wear mark on the O-Ring, the gas system can test as OK, so can the keg when you join the two you have a leak.

A bit of food grade lube helps the O-Rings last a lot longer and helps prevent damage.

MHB

 

[katzke]

I had a bad lid and it leaked out of the gas relief. The valve was OK it was the seat in the lid that was bad. I was able to fix it. Can not remember what I did. I am sure it involved some kind of polishing of the seat.

The best way to find leaks and brew good beer is use Star San. It is a great sanitizer that needs no rinsing and is very foamy so it makes a great leak detector also. It is the only thing to use on stainless kegs. One sprits and the disconnects are safe to use. A few sprits and you can check for leaks.

 

[Nick JD]

I just did a soapy test on the suspected relief valve (should use the proper name I s'pose) and no bubbles. Nada.

Then I gave it a slight bump and HELLO all the little holes around the valve became bubble machines - and this is just with the keg's own pressure.

I bumped it again and the bubbles died away and stopped. So the worst problem ever - intermittent - solved, I think. Still have to do a complete check on everything else, but I'm now pretty sure that all it's taken from the system to go from fully sealed to leaky sieve has been a bump, or using/not using the relief valve.

Cheers all. :icon_cheers:

 

[DU99]

order some new valves and replace them..ross might stock them or you can order from here
http://www.mybeershop.com.au/index.php?mai...;products_id=40

 

[Nick JD]

order some new valves and replace them..ross might stock them or you can order from here
http://www.mybeershop.com.au/index.php?mai...;products_id=40

I'll unscrew the relief valve and see if the grommet has come loose. Seems a pity to have to replace the whole valve.

 

[stux]

Both gauges are holding rock steady with the tank turned off and the gas disconnects disconnected, so I'm pretty confident it's not the lines of the tank/reg. Must be in the kegs...

EDIT: after watching that youtube video I'm pretty sure it's not the safety valve on the tank as it's a very new tank. Is this a common thing?

I would wait overnight before discounting a slow leak

 

[mxd]

another thing I do is the following, if I can't find it with soapy water

N.B I have a manifold and 1 way valves on each keg.

1) turn the gas off at the manifold to all kegs.
2) turn the gas of at the reg
3) the next night check the reg, if it's dropped there's a leak before the kegs.
4) open gas on bottle and manifold.
5) turn off gas as manifold for all but 1 keg
6) turn gas off at reg
7) the next night check the reg, if dropped there's a leak to that kg (this assumes there all balanced etc), if not repeat 4 to 7 on each keg.

 

[stux]

is the blow off valve new?? what kind is it? I have 2 kegs with 2 different blow off valves one is like a toggle you push up and it locks it open and the other has a ring on it you just pull and have to keep hold of it to leave it open. I got a replacement for the one with the ring but not the toggle one yet I am sure you can get them some where but I havnt really looked as it seems in good shape ATM.

You can rotate the ring 90˚ after pulling it to lock it open

 

[kahlerisms]

HOLY THREAD RESURRECTION BATMAN

I think I have got maybe a keg out of my last two co2 bottles. I might've got 12 kegs from the one before that.

I am having a ******* frustrating time finding the leak. I have a metal manifold from the gents at Gryphon that I believe has one-way valves in each tap and I have another one way valve before the manifold

despite this I come home today to three empty kegs and a very empty c02 bottle. After a ******* long day this has done little to improve my mood - NO ******* BEER AND NO ******* GAS MAKES KAHLERISMS SOMETHING SOMETHING

I'm having to drink the second best beer in Australia out of stubbies instead of my own draught beer.
WHAT IS THIS, A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY?

Anyway, I'm frustrated and needed to vent. For some reason even though I use the soapy water trick on LPG all the time I have never done so on my keg system. The tips in this thread about disconnecting stuff and seeing if pressures drop are great, too. Will report back. I have three fermenters full of beer that need to get into kegs and I can't pressureise any of them so they're all sitting near zero for a day or a week or something until I get around to getting my CO2 bottle swapped.

 

[DU99]

thought of placing beer in kegs and natural carbonation method.least you can empty your fermenters

 

[kahlerisms]

Edit: found /three/ leaks in a quick underwater test this morning. Yikes. Check your joins, gentlemen. Easy to have a leak that is inaudible.

 

[of mice and gods]

I feel your pain.. I`m in Japan on holidays and I know my only keg of beer is in the fridge at home slowly de-pressurising.. yet the soda water keg holds pressure like a champ.

Lesson learned.. thoroughly test all new kegs before filling with beer. I`ll be doing the soapy water test and the tests as recommended by mxd when i get home.