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Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:42:00
From: Adam Preble
Subject: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I
had carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated.
Other than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very
small leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I
got on all connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get
much more life out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be
convenient otherwise.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 09:26:11
From: alebrewer
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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Adam Preble wrote:
> Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
> dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I
> had carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated.
> Other than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
>
> I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very
> small leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I
> got on all connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get
> much more life out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be
> convenient otherwise.
Are you sure you started with a full tank? As others have posted, it
sounds like a leak (and a big one), but if your tank wasn't full to
start with, it could explain it. With a 5 LB tank, it's easy to weigh.
The tare weight (empty weight) should be marked on the tank. If not,
weight it now for future reference and you can weight it to see how
much you have left.
To help plan out how much CO2 you will use, just figure it will take a
little less than half a pound of CO2 to force carbonate (at 2.5
volumes) and push a 5 gallon Corny (at 15 SPI). So, you should have
gotten 10 kegs (with some left over) if you had a full 5 pounds to
start with. It has to have gone somewhere.
rp
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:46:02
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:42:00 GMT, <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote:
> Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
> dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I
> had carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated.
> Other than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
>
> I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very
> small leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I
> got on all connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get
> much more life out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be
> convenient otherwise.
Yeah, sounds like a leak. CO2 usage will depend on a bunch of stuff, so not
everyone can dispense the same number of kegs from a full tank, but you
should be getting at least several kegs per tank (something like 5-10 kegs).
How many kegs did you serve during the party?
John.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 15:31:13
From: Adam Preble
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> How many kegs did you serve during the party?
Half of a corney keg. :(
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 10:41:34
From: The Artist Formerly Known as Kap'n Salty
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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Adam Preble wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>
>> How many kegs did you serve during the party?
>
>
> Half of a corney keg. :(
Definitely a leak (and a big one). Sealing stuff is a good idea, but I'd
try to locate the leak (use a little dishwater soap/water in a spray
bottle).
--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)
Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html
Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 15:34:07
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 15:31:13 GMT, <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>
>> How many kegs did you serve during the party?
>
> Half of a corney keg. :(
Definitely a problem somewhere. If it went that fast I'm surprised you
aren't able to hear a hissing from wherever the leak is.
John.
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 08:57:10
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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Adam Preble wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>
>> How many kegs did you serve during the party?
>
>
> Half of a corney keg. :(
Ouch! Yeah, that's not right. I think I carbonated
and served 6 kegs before I needed a fill. I bought a
second 20# tank for carbonating.. I could use it to
serve in a pinch. You might want to consider a second..
--
Dan
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 17:48:58
From: Tom Biasi
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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"Adam Preble" <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:YmYIg.2843$o42.2439@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
> dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I had
> carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated. Other
> than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
>
> I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very small
> leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I got on all
> connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get much more life
> out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be convenient otherwise.
Find the leak.
Don't start smearing sealant all over the place. The system is designed to
work without you doing that.
You have a problem, find the cause and fix it.
Cheers,
Tom
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 12:31:25
From: Bob
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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"Adam Preble" <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:YmYIg.2843$o42.2439@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
> dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I
> had carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated.
> Other than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
>
> I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very
> small leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I
> got on all connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get
> much more life out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be
> convenient otherwise.
Find the leak, with soapy water, before you start smearing sealant
everywhere. You probaby just need to replace a seal or tighten
a fitting somewhere.
Bob
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 20:28:01
From: Bob
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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"Bob" <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:cPmdneNqXMuMC2nZnZ2dnUVZ_umdnZ2d@comcast.com...
>
> "Adam Preble" <rockobonaparte@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:YmYIg.2843$o42.2439@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> > Halfway through a little party here, my CO2 tank ran out. The pressure
> > dropped below 10psi, and I eventually couldn't get it to push beer. I
> > had carbonated a corney keg with this tank--it seemed undercarbonated.
> > Other than that, that's all I did with the fresh tank of CO2.
> >
> > I assume the tank should have lasted long, and I probably have very
> > small leaks somewhere. I'm planning to put some food-grade sealant I
> > got on all connections, but I wonder if it'll help. Shouldn't I get
> > much more life out of a CO2 tank? I can't see how kegging would be
> > convenient otherwise.
>
> Find the leak, with soapy water, before you start smearing sealant
> everywhere. You probaby just need to replace a seal or tighten
> a fitting somewhere.
>
Another possible leak could be from the valve of the CO2 tank.
They can leak when turned on unless you make sure they are turned
on all the way.
Bob
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 09:29:50
From: Mark R
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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"Bob" <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote in message
>
> Another possible leak could be from the valve of the CO2 tank.
> They can leak when turned on unless you make sure they are turned
> on all the way.
As Bob said, make sure you "back seat" the tank valve. Also I believe some
tanks require a gasket between the regulator and tank, so check that out
too.
Mark R
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 12:52:12
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: How long should a 5lb CO2 tank last?
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Mark R wrote:
> "Bob" <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
>>Another possible leak could be from the valve of the CO2 tank.
>>They can leak when turned on unless you make sure they are turned
>>on all the way.
>
>
> As Bob said, make sure you "back seat" the tank valve. Also I believe some
> tanks require a gasket between the regulator and tank, so check that out
> too.
Not using the tank gasket would explain the sudden loss of gas.
--
Dan
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