So, I’m wondering what is wrong with my regulator. My serving fridge is ALWAYS set to 10 psi. The other day I went to get a beer, it was at 15 psi. We haven’t had any major temp. shifts, and now when I vent all the kegs to relieve the pressure, then re-pressurize, it slowly creeps back up to around 10. Then the next day without fail its at 15 to 15+! What the what!! I did notice that the pressure dial seems like I have to really turn it up before it will even start registering, like it’s loose or something ???. But it’s not leaking, go figure… >:(
disconnect the QDs from the keg, depress the post inside of the QDs (with the tank valve and check valves open) - does the needle drop and then settle at 10 PSI?
I guess I was thinking from the opposite standpoint, i.e. that pressure was dropping - the method I mentioned would help identify if there was a leak in the keg versus at the regulator.
Maybe not, I think I’m wrong :) If you want to know if the extra pressure is coming from the beer or the tank, you have to disconnect the gas from the keg. If it’s not connected and the pressure goes up after setting it to 10 psi then clearly it is coming from the tank.
If you have an extra pressure gage, try installing the gage to the outlet side of the keg and verifying that pressure increase. If you can realize the increase, then it’s likely you have a defective regulator. If not, then you have a defective pressure gage on your regulator or your beer is continually pressurized above your regulator setpoint.
It’s certainly possible to overcarbonate the beer. The regulator should regulate the pressure by bleeding off any residual keg pressure exceeding setpoint pressure. This is assuming the regulator is in good working order.
Depending on where he got the system though, there should be a check valve at the regulator so it will not read the keg pressure or bleed off any excess keg pressure.
I don’t know why they don’t work if they are there. And for what it’s worth, the one you linked to doesn’t seem to have a check valve, just a shutoff valve on the outlet.
FWIW
When my gas bottle is near empty the regulator acts up. Sometimes it over-pressurizes my kegs.
I avoid this by changing out the bottles before they go too low (I have a #5 and 2 - #20).