Stuck or no keg carbonation

[Jughead]

Every so often, after racking from the secondary to a corny keg, and adding a half cup of sugar, the beer in my keg decides not to carbonate.

I always hit it with about 30 lbs to seat the lid, then bleed it off to about 4-5 lbs and let it sit. Usually the beer comes up to around 15 lbs on its own, but every so often one just sits at 5 and slowly drops. I'm pretty sure the kegs are not leaking. In the past I've hit them with the heat belt for a short period and then they usually take off and hold pressure just fine.

Am I being too impatient? The current one has been sitting for 4 days and nothing yet. Maybe not enough sugar? Or is this normal?

I know, I should relax and have a beer, or even force carbonate when there's a problem. I'm just wondering if this happens to other people too.

Thanks

Jughead

[Tweek]

4 days is a bit soon for natural carbonation. however if your vessel is losing pressure than it has to have a leak. if not it would stay under the pressure that you set it at.

[Jughead]

Thanks Tweek

I was thinking the drop in pressure was due to the beer absorbing the co2.

How long does it usually take for natural carbonation to kick off in a keg? I suppose this depends on lots of factors, but I'm wondering what the norm is.

Thanks

Jughead

[Tweek]

to kick off? not sure but you can usually expect it to be finished in 2 to three weeks depending on conditions.

[danno]

what temp is it at? that's probably the most important factor. if it's too cool, it will take longer, much longer possibly....

yeah, the drop in pressure is because of your sealing co2 being absorbed into the beer...

[Jughead]

Usually the kegs sit at about 75 F until the pressure comes up, then I move them to a cooler spot.

If the sealing co2 is being absorbed, and the pressure drops to near zero, do I have to worry about the keg loosing its seal?