What do you mean by reads at 20psi? The low pressure gauge (output) will depend on what you set it to. The high pressure gauge is only semi-useful. CO2 is in the tank as a liquid. The high pressure gauge will read roughly the same until all of the liquid turns to gas. Once that happens it will go quick. This is generally indicated by a red section on the gauge. Once the needle is at the solid red, your basically out. Storing the tank in the keezer will make the gauge even less useful.
Purge the keg in some fashion. Either release the PRV and refill with gas a couple times after filling or better yet purge the keg before filling. You can do a closed transfer with the right system. For a first time kegger, I’d purge with the PRV though and work your way up to closed transfer.
For a first time use, I would break the keg down as you describe. Future uses maybe, maybe not. Often a good rinse, soak, and sanitize is all you need but be sure to rinse out the dip tube.
When you say purge kegs, do you mine transfer my brew in fill will C02 then let the C02 out through the PRV and refill with C02 again? Just trying to understand when I should be purging.
Currently the C02 tank has been sitting in my garage, around 75-80 degrees F, and the tank is reading 25 PSI. (I could be reading it wrong since again this very new to me.
That gauge tells you the pressure of the gaseous co2 in your co2 bottle. It will read a constant value until right before the bottle is empty. At which point it will take a nose dive into the red zone. That’s when it’s time to think about getting a refill.
The pressure will be quite a bit higher when the bottle sits outside the fridge versus when the bottle is inside the fridge. That is normal.
PS. If the high pressure gauge reads 25PSI the bottle is empty. You may have a leak. It should read 600-800 PSI when full depending on temperature.
Before filling the keg you may fill the keg with Starsan (all the way to the tippy top) and then pump all Starsan, via co2 and a cobra tap, out leaving only co2 in the keg. That keg is now completely purged of oxygen and ready to fill via closed transfer. Not everyone does this, but it is a best practice to avoid oxidation.
After you have filled the keg with beer close the keg lid and connect co2 at 12PSI (or your preferred value). Pull the release valve 5-10 times at 2-3 second intervals. This purging rids the keg head space of oxygen. This is a normal practice and should always be done.
Top gauge is output pressure, left gauge is tank pressure. You will want to adjust the screw to the left until the top gauge reads your desired pressure.
Thank you all so much for the information. I will probably give the kegging a go this weekend, need to hit up the homebrew store for a few more things.
Yes. That is the simplest way to do it. I would start this way and make sure you’ve got a handle on kegging and then move on to more advanced methods, such as doing a closed transfer.
Alrighty, so today was the big day of popping my kegging cherry.
I think everything went well. I followed the steps I listed above and everything seems to be good. I have my brew on 10 PSI per the chart I got and so in 2 weeks I should be good. (Please alert me if I fudged up there.)
One issue I did find was one of keg has some leaks. Not around the lid but around where the metal meets the plastic handles on top of the keg. The leaks are not terrible but noticeable.
No leaks can be tolerated. Sometimes they seem to be coming somewhere their not. Ate you certain they are not from the lid?it’s way more common and obviously easier to be fixed. Did you put soapy water all over the top to see exactly where it’s coming from?
You can spray starsan (mixed with water) on the keg and look for bubbles. Your co2 will be gone by tomorrow if you don’t fix the leak. Use keg lube or Vaseline on rubber o-rings to get a better seal.
There is a big o-ring under the lid. That can be lubed and/or replaced. You can also hold the keg up (lift the keg off the ground from that lever) by the kid lever when first connecting the QD with pressure already at 10+ PSI to encourage a good seal.
But, your picture seems to be pointing at the interface of metal and plastic away from the lid itself. If that is the true source of the leak it probably can’t be fixed. The plastic is just an outer shell around a stainless steel cylinder. If gas is escaping at the plastic stainless junction there may be a hole in the stainless or a weld under the plastic. I have never heard of that though so hopefully it’s not your problem.
Sorry if this is a double post, internet is being weird.
So I said the hell with it and switch my brew into another keg and no more leaks.
I was wondering if there is any way to fix the leak I spoke about earlier? I tested with some starsan water and the bubbles were coming from the edge that I noted in the picture. Or will I just have to eat the cost of the keg and get a new one?
Now that it’s empty you could pressurize and submerge in bathtub to explore the exact location of the leak. Maybe with more information someone else can help. I am not sure how to help.
