# CO2 Gas Leak



## Bayfield (Mar 14, 2010)

Just got into pressurized CO2 this week and set it up Monday with a #20 tank with a brass perma seal. All was well 850 lbs in tank ,bubble counter, inline reactor, ph drop ok all working well. I checked fittings every day and tank pressure stayed at 850. Today while doing the water change I noted moisture on the top of the tank and pressure had dropped to 500 lbs. I could feel the leak at the reg to tank so tightened it and it has seemed to have stopped. Is it normal to have to retighten the main fitting after a few days. Will 500 lbs be Ok for a week until I can do an exchange.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

If the regulator is properly tightened, you should not need to re-tighten it.

The first time around, you probably missed the big leak, leading to your tank almost emptying (500 PSI is not a lot of gas remaining; for some perspective, in 4 days, you managed to run through 20 lbs of CO2).

Retighten all the connections, and make sure that you are using pipe dope or teflon tape (the former is preferred).

Check for any leaks with a solution of soapy water, and do not rely on your sense of touch to tell you whether there is a leak present or not.


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## Bayfield (Mar 14, 2010)

When you tighten properly how much should the big nut take, I was using a 12 inch wrench. I did use soapy water but when the big leak occurred it was big enough to blow the soapy water off so fast there were no bubbles. I'm hoping to get to middle of next week before I need to refill, it's a bit of a drive so I want to plan a few things. It's been 9 hours and the needle is still on 510 - 520. I know I'm low because of the tank weight, seeing all the CO2 liquid is gone. Thanks for the note (DB48). By the way your article on "how to CO2" was excellent. Wish I had it on hand when I has making the move to pressure its been year in the planning.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Bayfield said:


> When you tighten properly how much should the big nut take, I was using a 12 inch wrench.


I assume the 12 inch measurement is the length of the wrench.

Ideally, you should use a fixed end wrench; most CGA320 nuts can be tightened with a 1 1/8 inch wrench.

You want to tighten it to "finger tight" then give it another 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn with the wrench to really tighten it down.



Bayfield said:


> I did use soapy water but when the big leak occurred it was big enough to blow the soapy water off so fast there were no bubbles.


This is quite a big leak. However, keep checking with the soapy water solutions, as you may have micro leaks (as I did), which will cause your CO2 to drain a lot faster than expected.



Bayfield said:


> I'm hoping to get to middle of next week before I need to refill, it's a bit of a drive so I want to plan a few things. It's been 9 hours and the needle is still on 510 - 520. I know I'm low because of the tank weight, seeing all the CO2 liquid is gone.


You won't really know how long your CO2 tank will last. In your situation, some people would be wary, as a low CO2 pressure may foresee an end of tank dump.


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## Bayfield (Mar 14, 2010)

Just an update. I now know when my tank pressure is around 500 lbs. I can easily go two weeks with present rate of consumption. With the new full tank I have been soapy water and torque checking the main tank fitting for four days now. All is well. The failure may have occured as DB48 mentioned, starting out as a micro leak and as the escaping gas has a cooling effect caused the fittings to shrink. This would have also loosened the connection allowing the leak to expand. Another lesson learned.


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