Making sure there are no leaks from gas lines

The part that has me stumped is the increase to 20psi and then a drop to zero. This happening after holding pressure for several hours just doesn't make sense. I can see a gunked up regulator causing a pressure increase, but not with the cylinder valve closed. I also doubt that temperature changes in the fridge, even without an external controller, would account for a 7 degree change in pressure unless it was unplugged or left open for longer than a few minutes.

I think at this point we're just wasting time. If you have an empty keg, I'd put it in the kegerator and hit it with about 12 psi. Spray some Starsan or soapy water around the lid to be sure it's sealed, shut the cylinder valve and leave It for a couple of days . If it holds pressure within a pound or 2, call it good. Hopefully, the weird things you observed were just a fluke.
What's the point of using the keg? What more information can it offer me?

And I also hope it was all just a fluke, but the fact that it happened twice makes me think it's not very likely that it was.
 
Using a keg would give you a volume large enough that the temperature changes wouldn't have much effect on pressure. If you used a keg with beer in it, the pressure would drop as CO2 went into solution if you didn't have the cylinder valve on.
You do have other choices. Replace the regulator or try running with what you've got.
 
1. No
2. Yes (maybe opened it once or twice for a couple of seconds, because it's also a fridge, but definitely not longer than a minute, in total. Probably far, far less)
3. Yes
4. No
5 The highest I saw was 20 PSI. It started dropping soon after, so even if it did go above that - it couldn't have gove far above it


And beer in your regulator actually caused the pressure to go up, with the main valve off?
.
No it didn't it was similar where regulator was set at let's say 10psi and I'd come back next time I was getting a drink and the needle would be at 14 or more. A sign regulator is stuffed and need a new digaphram or get a new regulator.
 
one thing that causes a clime, the keg is over carbed and has more pressure than the tank, always bleed the tank and unhook it when adjusting your regulator down. you can shoot beer back into the regulator if you haven't done this and cause all kinds of strange readings
 
one thing that causes a clime, the keg is over carbed and has more pressure than the tank, always bleed the keg and unhook it when adjusting your regulator down. you can shoot beer back into the regulator if you haven't done this and cause all kinds of strange readings
But the case we're talking about here is with kegs disconnected, so...
 
I tried it again, this time starting at 10PSI - same thing, but a bit slower. It held on to the original pressure for a few hours more, but then started rising, and eventually dropped again, all the way to zero.
 
But the case we're talking about here is with kegs disconnected, so...
if your reading the pressure from just your C02 bottle and it changes for no reason, you have a sticky regulator giving you false readings
 
do you have a relief valve on your regulator?, if so shut the gas off pull the valve then turn the gas back on, if not it's just gas trapped inside the regulator

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if your reading the pressure from just your C02 bottle and it changes for no reason, you have a sticky regulator giving you false readings
So the problem is the gauge? or the regulator? (i.e. if I add another gauge downstream from the regulator, it should be constant?)
 
I can't see your set up and only guessing but it sounds like you have a gunky regulator and a leak at the same time, yes it could be the gauge, gauges are cheap and regulators are easy to take apart, I would buy a new gauge first and use Teflon tape
 
Well do the old tap the finger on the low pressure guage trick if the needles sticking. Like I said previously sounds like you "may" be up for a new regulator.

Does it do this also when hooked up to the keg?

See what happens when you start looking for a problem:p!
 
With the available information I'm about convinced the problem is your regulator. Could very well be that the leak is internal to the regulator too. I would perform the same preliminary leak test after replacing the regulator just to be sure.
 

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