CO2 Regulator Question

[TheTodd]

I started homebrewing this past April and am now switching over to kegging. I have a kegerator that I got a few years ago to save money on cases of beer and noticed last year that my regulator gauge was stuck/broken. It didn't really matter for store-bought kegs because I'd just dial in the set screw to wherever I got a decent pour. But now that I'm kegging, I obviously need to know what pressure I'm at. Am I correct in thinking that I can just buy a new gauge without buying a whole new regulator. And if so, is there any trick to it. I tried (without forcing it) to remove the broken gauge and it didn't seem to budge.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers

[DannyW]

Eyeball the threads and see if it is left-hand. You might have to turn the other way.

[bcmaui]

On my regulators the high pressure gauge (side) is a left hand thread and the low pressure gauge (on top) is right hand thread.

[rlsmith621]

It really depends on your brand of regulator. If you look closely where the gauge screws into the regulator body you should see either pipe dope or teflon tape; that seals the threads. If you see pipe dope (that sticky, white paste) you might have to put the regulator in a vise and secure it tightly, in order to put enough pressure on the gauge base to break the seal. Some take quite a bit of elbow grease to break it loose. Once done, carefully clean out the old sealing material, making sure you don't have bits of it fall into the gauge body.

You can buy low-pressure gauges almost anywhere. The all have at 1/4" MPT male thread. Failing to find one at Home Depot or Lowes, try your friendly welding supply store. Expect to pay up to $10.00 for a good quality gauge. I like the 0 - 30 psi range for my CO2 regulators.

Good Luck

[bcmaui]

If the welding shop does not work, my local HVAC supply shop and Irrigation supply house also stocks pressure gauges. I too like the 30psi guages for the kegs.