Keg pressure question

[PaddyX21]

Okay please forgive me if this turns out to be a stupid newb question!
I have the KK bottom tap, with Wherry in it, primed with 80g sugar. Now I know I'm getting in amongst it a bit early, but hey, it's my first brew gimme a break!
I'm finding that there is enough pressure in the keg to dispense ~ 2pints, then it drops off rapidly. I used one of the little CO2 capsules, and still had 'roughly' the same result.

Does this mean I am leaking gas?
It obviously isn't holding that much pressure, but as it's my first brew, first time using a keg, then I don't really know what to expect.
Is this a 'normal' amount of pressure? It's obviously holding some...

The seal has a hint of Vaseline, and the cap is finger tight.

Thanks in advance for any tips!
P

[Deller12]

I would say you have a leak how old is the keg

[PaddyX21]

Brand new.
I'll persist with this brew, and I'll take it to work and pressure test it afterwards.
What kind of pressure is 'normal'? And how many pints should it serve before the pressure depletes?
I'll probably fit a cheap gauge on it at some point

[Deller12]

I moved over to corni kegs some time ago but I'm sure I used to get at least 6 pints before needing more gas.

[PaddyX21]

Thanks Deller

[fego]

I've gone whole brews without needing to re-gas but normally top up two or three times. It depends how hard you hit it.

Sounds like you have a leak and as its not coming from the tap (you'd see beer leaking), it has to be from the cap. Either the valve isn't tight enough or the cap itself isn't tight enough. Or one or both are too tight. Either way, I'd investigate and try to fix it. You're likely to go flat and gulp in some air otherwise and ruin your beer. Either that or use at least 20 gas capsules. You can safely take off the lid, vas it up again, check the valve is really tight then put the lid back on again. The CO2 in the keg will protect the beer whilst you are doing this so don't worry about it suddenly going off.

When you have reseated the lid (tighter than finger tight on KK's), squirt the gas in and then drip some soapy water over the valve to look for signs of a leak. No bubbles is good, unless you still find it has a leak in which case you'll have narrowed it down to the O ring in the cap which probably isn't seating right/needs Vaseline.

My guess is that you haven't tightened the lid enough....

[fego]

Oh, and I've got a pressure gauge on mine. They normally hold about 6 psi before leaking from the safety valve...

[Eric]

This is far from a stupid question and there is no simple answer, but it would seem your keg is leaking.
Of the CO2 produced by fermentation or injection, some will dissolve in the beer, the proportion depending upon volumes, temperature and pressure. Fermentation can continue and produce CO2 for many weeks, the term dependent upon the strain of yeast, type of beer and temperature. All in all, it is often quite hard to predict how soon gas will be needed, but any attempt to quickly draw three or four pints will result in the need for extra gas.
Good advice by Fego, king kegs are not the easiest of containers.

[orlando]

Try thisthread for some more advice about KK's.

[PaddyX21]

Thank you gentlemen, much appreciated