Corny keg help

[johndavies]

I've just got a new corny, before pressurising it with beer I have pressure tested it with 5 psi of gas empty before adding beer.

I have put some vaseline on the o ring but i've lost 1 psi in 15 mins.

please help don't want to wreck my beer

[boingy]

Forget the vaseline and hit it with 30 PSI. They need a decent pressure to make the seal. Once it is made the pressure can be lowered.

If it still seems to be leaking then smear washing up liquid over all the possible places (lid, PRV, in/out posts) and see where it bubbles.
Favourite places for leaks are the post poppets. They can sometimes be seated by a quick prod.

Wash the soap off really well afterwards!

[Horatio]

You may have already done all of this so forgive me:

De-pressurise then remove the lid and try to seal it again; sometimes they can be a bit fiddly.

Check all pipes, connections etc for leaks.

Check that the poppet valves are reseating in the posts.

Check that the posts are seated okay.

Check that the pressure release valve (if fitted) is fully screwed in to the cap.

Hope one of these helps, if not other advice will come along I'm sure.

Good luck.


Edit: Beaten to it!

[boingy]

Two more questions:

1. Are you leaving disconnects connected during your test? They could also be a source of leaks.

2. How are you measuring the pressure? Most pressure gauges will struggle to resolve 1 PSI so I'd suggest a longer test to see if the pressure really is going down. Pump the pressure up higher and look for a bigger drop.

[johndavies]

beer in, do i leave the disconnects in ???

[The_blue]

30psi sounds right. A good blast in mine and i can hear the lid groan into place sometimes.

Fill it with water. Makes a good substitute for beer (ask the larger drinkers ). Pressurise it and flip it upside down and see if you get a wet patch

If you can't locate it, dust the whole top in talc. That will show the wet patch easily.

[nigelsch]

Think the guys have given you the key info. Just for help:
- i wet the lid/rubber seal to start
- if i can here a lid leak i undo the lid strap & wriggle the lid a bit with co2 pressure on (this sometimes seals)
- if no luck turn the lid 180o around and try again

you will get the hang of it, but listening for leak especially if you have wetted the lid is easy. The key though
is good initial pressure.

After this one poppet leak is the one that can cause pressure drop over time. These can be very slow and if
you put a little water over each poppet you will see any. If so just give the buggers a quick push down and release,
with a cloth over the beer outlet

Good luck cornie are great.