(Keg Pressure) System Problem

I recently set up a keg system in my garage fridge and there is a problem. When I open the picnic tap there is a large burst followed by nothing. The beer will gush forth for about 2 seconds then stop. If I close the tap and wait a minute or so it will do the same thing. A big surge, blasting beer out of the glass, then nothing.

The keg has been under pressure for about a month. First week at 25, varying pressures since. The results are the same at pressures from 5 to 15.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Hmm. Interesting. This might be the dumbest response I've given but is it possible that you don't have the gas cut in to the tank. Maybe it's building up a little pressure in the keg and releasing that pressure as foam when you crack the tap, but there is no gas actually pushing the beer out. I'm leaning toward some sort of problem in the supply portion of the keg.

Another guess, the beer might be partially to mostly frozen?

My guess is, you have a clog in the system (most likely in the keg). It isn't a complete blockage, so closing the tap will let some trickle by. Rapid flow jams the plug, so you get a blast, then nothing.

McKBrew said:

Hmm. Interesting. This might be the dumbest response I've given but is it possible that you don't have the gas cut in to the tank. Maybe it's building up a little pressure in the keg and releasing that pressure as foam when you crack the tap, but there is no gas actually pushing the beer out. I'm leaning toward some sort of problem in the supply portion of the keg.

Another guess, the beer might be partially to mostly frozen?

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I beleive the keg getting plenty of gas. There is always plenty to vent whenever I try it.

david_42 said:

My guess is, you have a clog in the system (most likely in the keg). It isn't a complete blockage, so closing the tap will let some trickle by. Rapid flow jams the plug, so you get a blast, then nothing.

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Intersting. How could this problem be solved? Putting the CO2 line into the beer-out fitting?

arturo7 said:

Intersting. How could this problem be solved? Putting the CO2 line into the beer-out fitting?

Click to expand...

that's one way to do it, but the gas in connector is a little different than the beer out connector.

I'd shut off the gas, vent the keg, and then remove the beer out post, and dip tube. something is either clogging the dip tube, or the poppet in the post.

I was going to also suggest checking to make sure you don't have the co2 hooked up to the liquid out post and the tap hooked to the gas in post.

Chello said:

I was going to also suggest checking to make sure you don't have the co2 hooked up to the liquid out post and the tap hooked to the gas in post.

Click to expand...

That's what it sounds like to me.

Chello said:

I was going to also suggest checking to make sure you don't have the co2 hooked up to the liquid out post and the tap hooked to the gas in post.

Click to expand...

Perhaps this or maybe if you rebuilt this keg you put the diptube down the gas side.

I have a very similar problem - I get nothing out of the "out" post. I'm going to have to take mine apart to see what is going on - In 7 or 8 years of kegging, I've never had a clogged keg, but I guess there is a first time for everything. This IS a heffe, so there could be some sediment, but THAT much sediment? Hmmm...

(Been traveling a lot for work lately, finally had a chance to address the problem again.)

This afternoon I took apart the fittings to assure everything was where it should be. The dip tube was not clogged.

Yet the problem persists, a big blast then nothing. If I crack the picnic tap about 1/3 it will flow for a second or two the stop. I can pull a beer but it takes forever and is about half foam.

Is there a chance I have a problem with the brand-new regulator?