Will it go flat without CO2 line?

[opalko]

I'm new to kegging and trying to figure out the best way for me to go about it.

One question I can't seem to get my mind around is what happens to the beer, once carbonated, when the CO2 line is disconnected? I understand that eventually there will not be enough pressure to push the beer out the tap line, but, will the beer necessarily go flat eventually also?

In other words, do I have to have the CO2 line attached to the keg at all times the beer is in the keg?

Cheers!

 

[KCBrewer]

Once the beer is carbed, it is just like being in a big bottle. It will stay carbonated as long as your keg has a good seal. After the beer has absorbed enough co2 to equalize with the pressure you have it set at, the co2 line is only being used for dispensing.

 

[pcollins]

+1 Well said, KCBrewer.

 

[opalko]

So hypothetically, if I am able to get the beer out without the CO2 line - let us say the tap line is at a height below the keg, then the beer dispensed, even many weeks later, will still be carbonated?

 

[OEHokie]

What they said. Should stay carbonated. I'll add though... why disconnect the line? I've had mine connected for a month or two and haven't noticed a drop in the CO2 tank.

If you're worried about it you could always disconnect it, come back a day later and hook it back up. If you hear gas going into it, it either wasn't fully carbonated or you've got a leak. If you don't hear gas, wait a few more days and try again.

 

[Scimmia]

If you're disconnecting the line and serving, yes, it will go flat. You need a certain amount of CO2 pressure to keep the CO2 in suspension. As you remove beer, you're increasing the headspace, which will lower that pressure. The CO2 will start coming out of suspension and into the headspace.

 

[Yooper]

So hypothetically, if I am able to get the beer out without the CO2 line - let us say the tap line is at a height below the keg, then the beer dispensed, even many weeks later, will still be carbonated?

If you're disconnecting the line and serving, yes, it will go flat. You need a certain amount of CO2 pressure to keep the CO2 in suspension. As you remove beer, you're increasing the headspace, which will lower that pressure. The CO2 will start coming out of suspension and into the headspace.

Right! It'll stay carbonated, as long as you don't tap it. Just like a big bottle of beer. It'll stay carbonated as long as the top is not opened. Once you open it (tap it), then the co2 will begin to equalize, and it'll go flat. If you only take one sample, it won't go as flat as if you dispensed half the beer (smaller headspace) but once you do start pouring from it, you'll need to hook the co2 up.

If you just carb it up, and then take it off of the co2 and store it someplace unopened, it will stay carbed up. (Unless you have a leak somewhere in the lid or posts). If you serve any, by gravity or any other means, it will start to go flat.

 

[TXCrash]

My system leaks CO2. I also only have 1 gas disconnect, 3 kegs are "online" at a time.

I carb by topping up the beer every day for a week or so in the fridge. Once carbed, I top off the kegs with co2 every couple beers. Kind of a pain in the butt, but until I fix my leaky system and buy more disconnects, it's the best system for now.

 

[Pete08]

I don't know why yours has leaks, but here is what I experienced.

I bought a valve/backflow from an online vender (cheap chinese crap!). Didn't have a problem with it being off or on, but noticed, several months down the road, that if I didn't have it "full on" or "full off", it hissed. I then made sure it was full on. Recently, while removing a keg, I must have bumped it, and it went unnoticed until my tank was empty.

I decided to get rid of the ridiculus thing. I replaced it with a nylon TEE. Even though I had the hose clamps as tight as I could get them, it still leaked. So after some thinking and studying, I noticed the hose clamps had gotten distorted from being tightened over the small hose. Off they came and I wrapped silicon tape around the barbed ends of the TEE and really built them up. This allowed the hose clamp to really seal without distorting (which then caused a leak!). To be doubly sure, I wrapped tape around the barbed ends of all the disconnects as well. Two weeks late, still no leaks.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Bobby_M]

Fix the leak and get a manifold with two additional disconnects. Problem solved.