5lb co2 empty after a few weeks?

[krap101]

I filled the tank a few weeks ago, and its already empty... A couple times the airline popped off the regulator, so... how quickly could a 5lb co2 tank empty? It seems too quick since the regulator should only let like 10psi out...

 

[Smitty]

Even with a minor leak you can end up with an empty tank in days let alone weeks. If you had the airline pop off a "couple" of times I'm surprised it lasted that long.

 

[krap101]

Okay thanks for the quick reply. It's been popping off recently so maybe that's why it lasted. So I'm wondering if I'm supposed to put the airline directly onto the regulator?

 

[Smitty]

Without a picture or anything I really don't know what to tell you. Even though I have a reg and needle valve, it is just thrown together with a bunch of odd parts that were laying around, not a specific thing sold.

I have my tubing attached directly to the needle valve output which then goes to the diffuser.

 

[newfound77951]

If it's just the airline popping off, after the needle valve, it shouldn't make a difference. Sounds like you have a leak somewhere. Some soapy water in a squirt bottle is an easy way to check for leaks, squirt some on each joint and the presence or absence of bubbles will tell you where the leak is.

I have a 5 lb cylinder as well and it has gone 2+ months already with no sign of being close to empty.

 

[krap101]

Well, this was my first time filling it up, and normally people say that 700ish psi is the full pressure, but when I put my regulator on, the dial said something between 500-600 psi. Would this mean they didn't fill it up all the way?

 

[Purrbox]

The only way to tell whether or not it was properly filled is to weigh it before and after filling. The difference should be 5lbs.

 

[fort384]

if your high pressure gauge is working properly, and it read that low upon hook up, then most likely the tank wasn't full. The high pressure gauge won't start to drop until about a week before you run out of CO2. This combined with any leaks would present a problem.

I second the soapy water - works like a champ. I just put some soapy water in a cup and "paint" it on with a pastry brush. Leaks stick out like a soar thumb, so I just tighten whatever joint is leaking and it is good to go. My 5lb tank lasted ~3.5 months running on a 29gal and a 5 gal.

 

[krap101]

Thanks for the replies.

One more question, my regulator came with two nylon "washers", and I'm assuming one is a spare. Is this true, because to me, having both washers on at the same time would cause more leaks than they would stop.

 

[fort384]

yeah if you are talking about the part of the regulator that hooks to the co2 tank, you just need 1 washer. Supposedly you are supposed to replace this washer every time you remove/replace the regulator. I reused the 1 I had installed previously, everything is air tight...

 

[krap101]

Oh.. I did not know that, and its hard to get to the filler in time, since I have tennis after school. If that is the leak, I can always head off to the hardware store to find a couple more..

Also do you guys use a wrench to tighten the regulator onto the tank? I'm betting that is my problem.. (was too lazy to get a friggin wrench)

 

[fort384]

I def had to use a wrench on mine to get everything to seal up tight. I would think it would be difficult to get it to be air tight without the extra torque from a wrench. Obviously you dont want to over- tighten, brass is pretty easy to deform, and then you would be SOL.