Can a regulator/guage freeze causing it to read low/none? Or am I really out of gas..

[RoaringBrewer]

So, I just put two kegs on tap - one commercial with a sankey (sixtel) and one homebrew if it matters - two evenings ago. This is the first time I am using the kegerator in 9-12 months, but I do remember getting a new tank of gas right near the end of its prior usage. Also when I first hooked it up it read the normal 600-650PSI range for pressure.

I went to check on it this AM b/c I am carbing the keg of homebrew and the tank is already reading in the red - i.e. near empty? I am wondering if i have a leak - I didn't hear any or see any when the connections were sprayed with starsan solution or, the other contributing factor could be as follows.

I had the 4912 set at 4 and it was only holding around 50 degrees, I like mine around 42-45, so I turned it up to 5-5.5 / 6. This morning the thermometer in there read right near 32!! Yikes! I tapped some to ensure the beer didn't freeze, but I am wondering if the tank sitting right against the kegerators chill plate, and those guages getting that cold, might be reading incorrectly? Is there anything in a pressure guage that can "freeze"? I also noticed the two pressure regulators to each keg are sporadic and I set them at 10, then the next morning they read 15 or whatever...

 

[Dwain]

Well, first, does your tank "feel" empty? Secondly, are you sure the tank was full right before you quit using it last time? I have CRS and unless I wrote it down, I wouldn't be sure. Normally there shouldn't be anything in the regulator to freeze and the CO2 should help dry the lines out. However, some moisture might have gotten in the lines or guages. Let the tank/gauge get to ambient and here's what I would do:
1) check to see if the tank feels empty. If not, proceed.
2) disconnect it and get it where you can work with it.
3) hook up the corny keg connection and set your pressure at 10 psi or so and see if it will work. Try letting the pressure off several times and see if it will repeat.
If all of these check out OK, you should be able to hook it back uo and check for leaks. One more thing, I had something similar going on, but I had a bad regulator, that's why I suggest the bench test. Let us know - Dwain

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Dwain - I am certain I had it filled when I stopped using it. That is why I stopped, LOL. Then I stopped brewing and pipeline was pretty low/dry, so I just never hooked it back up, but since i intended to, I know I had it filled.

As far as it having gas, I know it has some. I pulled the pressure relief valve on the one reg this morning and there was still gas shooting out, so its not completely dried up. But I did not remove and lift it. Will do so this weekend and try your bench test and check for leaks.

Maybe I do have a bad reg... who knows. They are relatively new and have only a few kegs run through them though so I am hoping not!

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Ok so this is odd. Turned the temp down a bit before work today. Get home, its up from 32 -> 40F in the fridge. Now the pressure guage (tank pressure) reads above the red, near 600 (a little below though and the bottle does feel lighter than full but who knows). But it was clearly in the red down near 400 or something this morning.

Kind of seems the guages read differently dependent upon temp. This is so weird.

Ah well, I will pull it all out tomorrow and 'bench test' it...

 

[Yooper]

Those gauges are useless! They read full, until you get them cold, and then they stay at 500 psi until the tank is completely empty! And, they are definitely temperature dependent. A full tank, at fridge temperature, will read in the red zone.

I think the reason is simple, really. The co2 is a liquid, but it comes out and carbs your beer as a gas. It's "reading" the liquid at the bottom, until it's completely empty. One of mine will go from 400 psi (where is always is, when it's in the fridge) to 0 when the tank is empty. Not gradually. From 400 psi today to 0 tonight, if the tank is indeed emptying. The other reads 800 or so at full, and now that it's completely empty, it reads 400 psi. That one might be a stuck needle, but I'm not too concerned. The point I'm trying to make (and I do have one!) is that those high pressure gauges are useless!

The only way to know how much gas you have is to weigh the tank empty (or use the tare weight stamped on the tank). Weigh it. If it's heavier than the tare weight, you have that much co2 left. I don't bother, I just know that when my beer starts coming out slowly to check the tank. When I can't "turn up" the co2 to get it flowing, that's because it's empty. Not very scientific, but it works.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Those gauges are useless! They read full, until you get them cold, and then they stay at 500 psi until the tank is completely empty! And, they are definitely temperature dependent. A full tank, at fridge temperature, will read in the red zone.

I think the reason is simple, really. The co2 is a liquid, but it comes out and carbs your beer as a gas. It's "reading" the liquid at the bottom, until it's completely empty. One of mine will go from 400 psi (where is always is, when it's in the fridge) to 0 when the tank is empty. Not gradually. From 400 psi today to 0 tonight, if the tank is indeed emptying. The other reads 800 or so at full, and now that it's completely empty, it reads 400 psi. That one might be a stuck needle, but I'm not too concerned. The point I'm trying to make (and I do have one!) is that those high pressure gauges are useless!

The only way to know how much gas you have is to weigh the tank empty (or use the tare weight stamped on the tank). Weigh it. If it's heavier than the tare weight, you have that much co2 left. I don't bother, I just know that when my beer starts coming out slowly to check the tank. When I can't "turn up" the co2 to get it flowing, that's because it's empty. Not very scientific, but it works.

Yooper-

Thanks for the response! Glad to see I am not the only one recognizing this. It's sitting at 550, just out of the redzone. Definitely still gas in there, both kegs set at 12psi, just tapped one now and its carbed and good...

I guess I will worry about it when it hits 0 psi LOL

I will have to try the weight thing sometime...

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Trying to dial in setting on fridge to get desired temp. Found my beer around 32F again today - and of course - this guage read in the red again. LOL. So, it is temp dependent...

Anyway, trying to use a temp controller to maybe dial it in and hold it steady - if you can help with that (JC A419 controller) - see this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/use-johnson-controls-a419-4912-kegerator-177191/