Regulator PSI question

[timmytes]

I've read here that if you keep your tank and regulator inside your fridge that the high pressure bottle guage will actually read lower than what is in you bottle. So if this is affected by temperature, why is the low pressure guage not affected by the cold temperature also.

thanks

[Scott Zuhse]

The colder temperature does not effect the actual gauge. It does determine what pressure the liquid CO2 in the cylinder exerts. If the cylinder is at ambient outside the refrigerator, the high pressure gauge would read around 825 PSI until all of the liquid is gone, then the pointer begins to drop. Inside the box, around 450 or less depending on the temperature of the box.

The low pressure gauge simply tells you what pressure you have regulated the cylinder pressure down to for use at the kegs.

[beerdrinker13]

I also have a question about CO2 Pressure. I just tapped my 2nd keg today, and I set the CO2 Pressure to the recomended 16 PSI for Coors Light. As soon as I turned my shut off valve on, the pressure gauge rose from 16 to 18 and it has stayed steady at 18. Is this normal? I do keep my CO2 cylinder inside of my kegerator and I wasn't for sure if that was affecting the readout that i'm getting? Could the actual pressure still be at 16 but the readout at 18 due to the cold air? I'm getting a beer temp of 38 degrees on my 2nd pour, but the beer is comming out very fast, and I just switched from a 5 ft beer line to a 7 ft beer line, ID 3/16. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

[Scott Zuhse]

Test your system for any pressure leaks. Leaks will cause your regulator to continually fluctuate how it regulates the pressure.

[beerdrinker13]

Thanks for the reply! I checked for any gas leaks, and didn't find any. I did notice that when I pull my tap handle and pour a beer, the needle on my PSI guage dosen't move, is that normal for it to stay still? Also, I turned my shutoff valve off on my Co2 tank, and I took the needle all the way down to 0, then I brought the needle back up to 15 psi, and then I turned my shut off valve back on, and then needle didn't move up or down, just stayed right at 15. Then I was reading that it's always a good idea to give your pressure release valve a brief pull, to get a more accurate reading on you regulator. I gave it a brief pull, and beer came spraying out of it everywhere! Is that normal? Thanks for the help, just trying to get a good beer that's not all foam!

[Scott Zuhse]

Needle should move when you open the faucet and then it should recover. Pulling the safety release does not accomplish anything unless you are attempting to lower the head pressure in the keg while gas is off. Check the one way valve in the pressure port of the coupler to be certain that it is not stuck closed.

How did you leak test?