[rbowers]

Been having difficulty getting multiple kegs to hold pressure (or at least I think that is the case).  Seemingly never had trouble before.  I have 3 or 4 previously reliable kegs filled with beer.  These kegs seemingly held pressure fine when empty.  After filled with beer, purged the keg lid several times, let it pressurize and then disconnected the gas in line.  I return usually 10-12hrs later to test the pressure and pull on the pressure relief valve to find almost no pressure remaining in the keg.  Since then I have replaced pretty much every O-ring, lubed them up with keg lubricant, and tried to pressurize again but same problem.

I even have a brand new torpedo keg doing the same thing.  My question is:
a) Is this really a leak or is the small pressurized head space (perhaps 1 inch) inside the keg equilibrating (CO2 solubilizing into beer) with the beer as I let it sit and thus there is no actual leak.  If that is the case I assume I just need to stop worrying and carb them up.  I have tried locating the leak with star san and looking for bubbles but I see no signs of a significant leak.

Any thoughts?

[klickitat jim]

The procedure you are describing sounds like the beer is absorbing the CO2. So, you are filling with flat beer, burping the PRV, applying some pressure, then disconnecting? If so, that's the culprit. At 38F I give my kegs 10 days on pressure.

[James K]

You could try your current method and then warm your kegs up a bit to see if any co2 comes out of solution, I think.
I feel like if you are carbing your beers and then purging the keg the co2 is remaining in solution so there is nothing to purge. Have you tested to see if the beers pour carbed or not?
I have a keg right now that I found to be leaking, but it only leaks at high psi, so it’s carbed, but if I try to force carb above 15 psi I just waste gas.

[klickitat jim]

Here's what I do, if you're interested. I used to dump my sanitizer and purge with a wand (think big beergun) but finally gave in and tried what I call the "Drew Method". Fill clean keg with sanitizer to the brim. Close lid. Push all the sanitizer out with CO2 then flip keg upside down and pull the PRV to get remaining sanitizer out. Then I fill the keg through the out post while pulling the PRV to vent CO2. Then I put the keg in my lagering cooler and apply the required pressure of CO2 for the desired volume of carbonation. I let it sit like that for about 10 days. Done

[rbowers]

That my usual procedure: Flat beer into keg, purge the headspace with CO2 several times, then pressurize to 15-20psi, disconnect CO2 tank from keg and return 12-24hrs later to ensure its holding pressure.  When I return all the headspace pressure seems to be gone.  I have lost a few CO2 tanks due to slow leaks so I am pretty OCD with ruling out leaks but if the headspace is simply equilibrating with the beer during that 12-24hrs and CO2 is dissolving into solution then that maybe answers my question. 

[brewinhard]

That my usual procedure: Flat beer into keg, purge the headspace with CO2 several times, then pressurize to 15-20psi, disconnect CO2 tank from keg and return 12-24hrs later to ensure its holding pressure.  When I return all the headspace pressure seems to be gone.  I have lost a few CO2 tanks due to slow leaks so I am pretty OCD with ruling out leaks but if the headspace is simply equilibrating with the beer during that 12-24hrs and CO2 is dissolving into solution then that maybe answers my question.

At what psi are you sealing the lid with?

[joelv]

That my usual procedure: Flat beer into keg, purge the headspace with CO2 several times, then pressurize to 15-20psi, disconnect CO2 tank from keg and return 12-24hrs later to ensure its holding pressure.  When I return all the headspace pressure seems to be gone.  I have lost a few CO2 tanks due to slow leaks so I am pretty OCD with ruling out leaks but if the headspace is simply equilibrating with the beer during that 12-24hrs and CO2 is dissolving into solution then that maybe answers my question.

15 - 20 psi in the headspace is a very small amount of co2. It seems really likely that the gas is moving towards equilibrium.

I’ve had plenty of leaks that affect the gas side only (and some liquid side leaks too - thankfully slow though). Mine gas side leaks are almost always 2 culprits. The lid seal isn’t tight, or the gas side poppet doesn’t seal. In both cases, it’s usually something I can hear.

My point is that leaks are usually something you can see or hear (or find with some starsan and a spray bottle). It seems more likely that the CO2 Is finding equilibrium and that leaves a minute amount in the headspace.


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[soymateofeo]

I just had this hellacious problem.  If your kegs are holding pressure with no liquid, then I would imagine that the kegs are fine.  Put some keg lube on those gaskets, get the beer in there and pressure it up.  It sounded like you were not leaving the beer under pressure. If you pull the co2 off, the beer will absorb the co2 and then the headspace will not be able to maintain enough pressure for a good seal.  Also, get some dishsoap/water in a spray bottle and use it to check for leaks. 

NOW, make sure you check every part of that tank, regulator, hose connection, the top, the bottom, the back side, the  underside, over here, over there and everywhere.  I ended up finding out my post had a pinhole leak in the side.  I didn't even know that was possible. apparently ... it is.

[ynotbrusum]

The post o-rings can get roughed up and wear over time as well as the poppet o-ring.  I had a poppet o-ring blow out as I hooked up a QDC to the keg post.  Damnedest thing, as everything else checked out and I couldn’t figure it out until I broke down the post and discovered the poppet had no “black” on it where the poppet seats into the post.  I got a universal poppet from the LHBS and all went well with the replacement.  Since then I keep a few of those on hand for this very issue.

[Robert]

Talk about the damndest thing.  Lately I've had a couple of instances of the o-ring on the PRV going missing.   Need to keep a couple of spares of those on hand too.  (This has happened only on "new" keg lids, not my old survivors, whether that makes a difference.)

[hopfenundmalz]

Keg maintenance can suck up a lot of time and effort.

[kgs]

Keg maintenance can suck up a lot of time and effort.

For homebrewers who brew only a few times a year, if completely added up, it's possible that the time spent kegging would equal the time spent bottling. But it's a different quality of time.

To me, bottling feels like a chore and it was a hurdle of chore-dom into an otherwise fun hobby. Kegging seems easier in the drudgework department, but its entry point requires more effort and investment and its problems are more intellectually challenging (leaks, line balancing, avoiding oxygen ingress, faucets, etc.). It can be frustrating to wake up to find that you skipped a step and overnight all the CO2 in your tank went flying out two loose QDs (as happened to me last week), but it's not laborious and messy the way filling dozens of bottles is.

For a hobby, it boils down to what you find satisfying and pleasurable to do. Few of us are brewing because we don't have access to beer.