Keg Setup Weirdness...

[grimpanda]

I've finally made the jump to kegging but I'm currently getting some really weird results with my testing.

Long story short is that I suspect the Keg King bottle (2.6kg) was empty when I bought it (it was supposedly full)... When opening up the bottle with no regulator attached there is no usual ear-shattering blast of gas like I'm used to with propane or O2, only a very mild hiss - then again I've never dealt with Co2. The other odd thing is that when I close the bottle off there is still an audible hiss that dies off after about 3-5 seconds.

With the full system connected the tank pressure gauge shows 5000kpa, but as soon as I open up the output adjustment the tank pressure gauge drops to 0. The output pressure gauge always shows 0.

Despite all of this, CO2 is clearly being pushed through the system (CO2 can be heard when I burp the keg, and i can dispense water, albeit the pressure seeming to lack.

Can anyone tell me either what the tank pressure gauge should read for a full bottle, or what the weight of the cylinder should be? I'm trying to work out whether the regulator is flaky, or if the bottle is just empty...

Cheers.

 

[raven19]

There should be a blast of gas if cranked open with no Regulator.

I 'think' my 2.6kg bottle weighed around 5 - 6 kgs full - dont quote me on this though!

 

[grimpanda]

Thanks Raven,

Do you know what kind of reading the cylinder pressure gauge should be at for a full 2.6kg bottle? Is there any kind of seal or adjustment on the bottle itself that could prevent proper flow for a full bottle?

Gabe

 

[glaab]

they weight 10kg full and 7.4 empty

 

[clintmo]

sounds empty to me, i turned mine on once without a reg and scared the sh** outta me, loud blast and whitish-clear gas. On a side my 6.8kg Cylinder (8.35kg) came weighing in at around 15kg

 

[grimpanda]

Thanks guys - I've emailed the LHBS and will see what they say. Hoping it's just an empty bottle rather than a dodgy regulator - would be a PITA to send this back interstate.

Gabe

 

[grimpanda]

Ok,

So I've got more keg-noob questions and thought I'd put them here instead of starting a new thread...

Is it safe to use the John Guest push fittings for gas-in? My LHBS gave me one nut and tail set, and one 1/4" FFL to 8mm JG adaptor. (http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=744)

I would imagine that the nut and tail would be less susceptible to leaking as you can wrench-tighten it, but I can see the ease of the JG fittings to be very handy in the future...

 

[glaab]

yes, they are on the no-return valves

 

[NickB]

IMHO go John Guest fittings for all your connections, gas or beer. I originally went barbed QD's and have upgraded. Honestly, save yourself the hassle and the cost, and just do it right from the start. Well worth the slightly higher cost of components.

Cheers

 

[argon]

IMHO go John Guest fittings for all your connections, gas or beer. I originally went barbed QD's and have upgraded. Honestly, save yourself the hassle and the cost, and just do it right from the start. Well worth the slightly higher cost of components.

Cheers

I keep breaking my JG fittings though... <_< love em but anyone have any tips for safely disconnecting them without breaking the components??? or am i just being a bit ham fisted :blink:

 

[vajoiner]

Gabe,

I bet you purchased the cylinder from the same place i did. Somewhere in Laverton (wasn't keg king).

Advertised as full but wasn't full on arrival. Thought the cylinder was a bit light so i opened the valve and there was nothing. Thought there might have been some sort of stop valve so hooked up the regulator still nothing.

Didn't bother contacting them because it was only $150 so still got away with it fairly cheap.

 

[grimpanda]

Actually it was from a very prominent and excellent HBS in the west (most will know which one I mean). I believe it to be no fault of the store or staff as the bottle was purchased in a sealed box and with heat-wrap plastic over the valve.

Either the bottle was shipped to the HBS empty from Keg King, or the valve was leaky (the fact that the cylinder doesn't seem to shut off completely and immediately when the valve is closed adds to this theory) and the contents escaped during transit/storage...

I am new to kegging and CO2 but not with working with pressurised gas - I was mainly trying to establish if it was my regulator or bottle at fault.

Gabe

Gabe,

I bet you purchased the cylinder from the same place i did. Somewhere in Laverton (wasn't keg king).

Advertised as full but wasn't full on arrival. Thought the cylinder was a bit light so i opened the valve and there was nothing. Thought there might have been some sort of stop valve so hooked up the regulator still nothing.

Didn't bother contacting them because it was only $150 so still got away with it fairly cheap.

 

[NickB]

I keep breaking my JG fittings though... <_< love em but anyone have any tips for safely disconnecting them without breaking the components??? or am i just being a bit ham fisted :blink:

I haven't broken one as yet, but do find that I've had a couple leak when the line hasn't 'clicked' into place properly. I assume this is the line not slipping past the collet properly. Diagram below. I reckon THIS may be the easiest way to remove the lines from the fittings if you can't manage it with your fingers.

View attachment 39543
Picture taken from the Craftbrewer website. No affiliation except for an undying urge to give Ross a giant Man Hug when I see him for being 'awesome as'

 

[zabond]

Argon if you push the hose[that you want to remove]further into the JG fitting[you prob wont think its moved] then while holding inward pressue push the locking collar in the tube will slide out easily

 

[argon]

I haven't broken one as yet, but do find that I've had a couple leak when the line hasn't 'clicked' into place properly. I assume this is the line not slipping past the collet properly. Diagram below. I reckon THIS may be the easiest way to remove the lines from the fittings if you can't manage it with your fingers.

Reduced 57%

500 x 550 (85.98K)

Picture taken from the Craftbrewer website. No affiliation except for an undying urge to give Ross a giant Man Hug when I see him for being 'awesome as'

Argon if you push the hose[that you want to remove]further into the JG fitting[you prob wont think its moved] then while holding inward pressue push the locking collar in the tube will slide out easily

Thanks gents... will have to give it a go and be a little bit more delicate with my lobster hands.

Since installing the 5 keg system i've found that my hands have gotten a bit fatter... weird... :unsure: