Adding CO2 to King Kegs

[Chunk1234]

Complete KK newb here. I half filled a KK about a week or so ago. It seemed to be nicely pressurised as beer came out at a fair speen and was gassy enough.

Anyway, I need to transport the KK, so I came up with the following plan.
1. Add C02 so that any oxygen in the head space is vented out.
2. Take out a pint to lower the pressure slightly
3. Transport.

This was based around the understanding that when you add CO2 and the pressure is too great, the keg automatically vents the excess gass through the rubber band on the top. When I tried it last night though, this wasn't the case. All of the CO2 bulb went in and no gass vented out. I added another bulb ... still nothing. When I went to then take a pint out, the pressure was immense. Beer also started to drip from the tap seal because the pressure was forcing it out. So, my (long winded) question is:

1. Do KKs automatically vent any excess gass if the pressure inside is too great?
2. If you think your KK is too pressured (and the question above isn't true) ... whats a good way to vent excess gass.

To fix the prob last night, I tipped the KK back so there was no liquid in the tap and then opened the tap to vent off some gass. This appears to have fixed the leak around the tap seal.

[Lillywhite]

1. Do KKs automatically vent any excess gass if the pressure inside is too great?
2. If you think your KK is too pressured (and the question above isn't true) ... whats a good way to vent excess gass.

Make sure the rubber band on the brass valve isn't stuck. Ease round, carefully, with a small flat bladed screwdriver.

The rubber band is the best place to vent excess gas.

You already had sufficient natural gas in the keg so you didn't need to have added 16 grams of CO2 in two bulbs just because you were planning to transport your keg.

[escapizm]

I use a hambleton bard cylinder and use the 2 second squirt technique, i wouldnt rely on the band myself. I intend to fit a pressure gauge to keep an eye on the pressure.

Does anyone know what it should be at?

[Lillywhite]

Does anyone know what it should be at?

Designed to vent excess CO2 above 9/10 psi.

[Dr. Dextrin]

Rumour has it that the pressure relief valves are supposed to vent at around 9-10 psi, but my faith in them is minimal. I reckon that if your keg doesn't explode they've done all they were really intended for.

I have a pressure gauge on my keg and I dispense at around 2.5 to 3 psi. It's a bit of a compromise. You can get a bit more carbonation (which I tend to prefer) by going to a slightly higher pressure, but then the beer goes everywhere when you open the tap. I get the best beer (for my taste) if I leave it at about 4 psi for a few days, then reduce to 2.5 psi for dispensing, but that's such a hassle. The temperature matters as well, of course.