My Push-in Regulator Is Leaking... Help!

[jimmychill]

Hooked up my keg setup from keg king, it came with the push-in type connection for the regulator to connect the gas lines .<br>Anyways, I can't fix my air leaks (marked in the picture), I had lost a whole bottle of CO2 before I even knew I had a leak. There are no other leaks, the leak is in the "push in" connection. I tried teflon tape (hope that is OK for home brew) but still had a leak. Please help. When explaining don't assume I know much at all about kegging or gas lines as this is my first setup.<br>

 

[kymba]

did you use a whole roll of thread tape on that?

is the end of your gas line chopped off square? is it pushed in as far as it will go? are there any burrs on the gas line from repeated ins & outs?

it sure does suck losing a tank of gas though...i'm up to number 3 (and counting). faulty poppets are my killer

 

[RdeVjun]

Yeah, as per kymba, are you sure that gas out line from the regulator isn't burred, out of round or square? Cut a few inches off with a very sharp knife and try it again. Also, with those fittings (which are usually very handy bits of kit), push in the line, then pull on it, should ensure the 'mechanism' is seating. It should be able to resist being pulled back out, even with quite a lot of force, while to remove, push the small collar in and then it will release (I think you've got that sussed though).
Failing that, I'd take it up with the supplier, so take it back to them (if you can...) for diagnosis. Good luck with it! :icon_cheers:

 

[Amber Fluid]

This may seem obvious but if it is a new system and you can't contain the leaks then, if it were me, I would give the supplier a call. Teflon tape won't contain the gas and even if it did, you shouldn't need it on a brand new system.

 

[Wimmig]

Hmm it should just push in, then with a slight pull engage itself into what i imagine is some sort of tooth hold system. Make sure it is burr free, square cut and well seated. If it is, and it's faulty send it back / give them a call. I myself don't think i like the idea of a push in connection for a regulator. I'll stick with the barbs.

 

[Maheel]

also check the actual valve ball engaging pin that goes from the vale handle to inside the valve is not leaking.
try using some soapy water and look for bubbles...

i had one of those valves leak through the handle as they are POS Chinese bottom of the slag bucket cheese steel and a council bus could have drove through the gap in the machining....

worth checking

 

[Jace89]

I had one of these on my taps, I found they would leak if they were bend around to far....if that makes sense. I had to replace them all coz my new kegerator has a freezer.

 

[jimmychill]

Thanks guys, I need to buy new gas to check the seals again, I did find that the leak was more when the tube was bent more, hard to explian. In other words I agree with Jace, hopefully this is the problem and it will work out, if I find I can't fix the leak I will def call the seller. Damn annoying all that wasted money on CO2 gas. Also the gas line wasn't chopped off completely square and it had "torn" a little from a few ins and outs, if that makes sense. Not sure I like this push in system myself either, if I can't fix this problem with little effort I wil just switch over to the other system.

 

[kymba]

yeah it'll look a bit 'chewed' from the locking teeth but it is fine as the o-ring seals closer to the end of the tubing

i use a pencil sharpener to taper the ends of my lines to stop them getting all fkd up from all the ins-n-outs that my beer line goes through

anyway, you might want to look into a john guest elbow or something so you don't put so much lateral force on your fittings as this will let the gas out

 

[hoohaaman]

also check the actual valve ball engaging pin that goes from the vale handle to inside the valve is not leaking.
try using some soapy water and look for bubbles...

i had one of those valves leak through the handle as they are POS Chinese bottom of the slag bucket cheese steel and a council bus could have drove through the gap in the machining....

worth checking

Keg King Reg?very cheap POS.Try some keg lube around all orifices.Have seen these regs leak constantly.

 

[Maheel]

Keg King Reg?very cheap POS.Try some keg lube around all orifices.Have seen these regs leak constantly.

yeah maybe just turn the gas on and off when needed.

give it quick hit prior to pouring or when needed

thats what i do so no worries about the leaks

 

[afromaiko]

Are you 100% certain the hose is inserted all the way? I helped a new brewer with something similar to this just the other day, their hose wasn't fully pushed through the o-ring in the fitting. There will be two points of resistance, one where it passes the locking teeth, then again when it hits the o-ring seal.

Have a look at this cutaway diagram on the Craftbrewer site to see how the JG style fittings work.

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=741

There shouldn't be any side to side wiggle when it's pushed in properly. This is probably when you are finding the gas escapes?

Also, you could remove the hose and look up inside the fitting and make sure that there actually is an o-ring in there!

 

[seemax]

Take it back to KK and get them to help find the leak, they can try a connector valve and connector etc to isolate the leak. Get a barbed valve?

I lost a full bottle once to a leak, now I just turn it on when taps starts pouring slow, quick hit back to serving pressure and it's all good.