New to kegging - My questions

[EagleDude]

Answer to #3: 750 psi is about right. the pressure will change as the ambient temp changes with higher psi at higher temps. As long as there is liquid CO2 in cylinder, the psi will remain constant (depending on temp). Once you get to just gas in the cylinder, the psi will start dropping below 600 psi and your cylinder will start dropping pressure quickly.

In short, the psi (above 600) only tells you that there is still liquid CO2 in the cylinder and does not indicate the amount of CO2 remaining.

[keelanfish]

So kegging went pretty well on Monday. It was not as fast as I thought it would be, but that's probably because I was being slow and having to spend time setting everything up for the first time. I'm sure it will go faster next time now that I have tubing cut to the right length for transfers, etc. Did CO2 transfers, completely purged the cornies by filling with starsan and pushing out with CO2 then transfered the beer by pushing with CO2 and venting the kegs with the ring vent thing. The first I filled a little too much and got some beer spray out of the vent, but hopefully that's okay. The second filled to the top (based on the condensation level) and then I started picking up trub so I cut it off. Pretty damn near 10 gallons from an 11 gallon batch. With the dry hopping, I think that's pretty good. Anyways, been in the chest freezer at 42 degrees, carbonating at 10 psi since Monday. I'm going to go by Friday and pour a sample and see how it's progressing and adjust the CO2 if need be.

Thanks for all the input and help. I think the effort was successful.

[snowcapt]

Sounds like a pretty good yield! I get a nice fuzzy feeling everytime I lift a new keg into the kegerator and put the gas on it. Magical.

[scotchpine]

Answer to #3: 750 psi is about right. the pressure will change as the ambient temp changes with higher psi at higher temps. As long as there is liquid CO2 in cylinder, the psi will remain constant (depending on temp). Once you get to just gas in the cylinder, the psi will start dropping below 600 psi and your cylinder will start dropping pressure quickly.

In short, the psi (above 600) only tells you that there is still liquid CO2 in the cylinder and does not indicate the amount of CO2 remaining.

Are these the room temp levels you're talking about. I'm new to this too. My new filled 5lb tank went from 900 psi at 80 degrees ambient to 500 psi at 50 degrees in a few days with regulator output turned off. Does that sound right. I put tank in keezer and left for a short vacation. While away, I saw on the news where some people died at a McDonalds due to a leak in the C02 dispensing lines . I never thought of a health concern before bringing this inside my house. I did check the regulator connection with soapy water though and it was ok.

[keelanfish]

I saw the same. At room temp mine read at 750. After a few days in the freezer at 44 degrees mine was reading about 500. I thought I had a leak and spent hours looking for it, only to find none. I guess this is normal.

A related question, why do these gages go up to 3000 psi? Sure would be a lot more useful if they only went up to a thousand so they could be more easily read.

[scotchpine]

Thanks for the piece of mind Keelanfish. I have gotten a lot out of your thread here as I am about a week behind you on this stuff. Wish I had the forthought as you did to get screw connections or QD's with my system to do transfers and such. Will be getting that stuff to make jumpers and the like but my first keg won't get a closed transfer as I don't wanna cut the clamped hoses at the barbs for that. I'm still gonna try to push out of the carboy into a purged keg if I can, even if I'm going through the open lid. I'm tryin to keep the RDWHHB attitude throughout.

[Cody]

I saw the same. At room temp mine read at 750. After a few days in the freezer at 44 degrees mine was reading about 500. I thought I had a leak and spent hours looking for it, only to find none. I guess this is normal.

This is normal. What the gauge is reading is the partial pressure of the CO2 gas in the tank. In a fixed volume tank like this, the pressure is directly related to the temperature of the tank and the mass of the CO2 inside it. This means that the pressure can be lowered by lowering the temperature, or by letting gas out, and can be raised by raising the temperature or putting more gas in.