Balancing My Keg Setup - Questions

I have a chest freezer setup with 3 ball lock kegs and a 10lb CO2 tank (inside the freezer). It has 1 regulator, so all kegs get the same PSI. I've had the setup going for about 6 months now and everything has been fine until I noticed that the beer was coming out very foamy the past few weeks. After some research on this forum, I learned that the system must be balanced. I did all the calculations:

Beer temperature - 38 degrees
Desired CO2 level - 2.38
Height from mid-keg to taps - 1.5ft.
Length of 3/16 beverage line - 5ft.

This would require 10.25 PSI of CO2.

So, I turned my 3 CO2 shutoffs to the off position and set my regulator to about 10.25 PSI. Then I opened the valves and the regulator shot up to about 12 PSI. (This makes me think the kegs are over-carbed - causing the foam) Since then I have purged the excess CO2 in my kegs a few times, which dropped the regulator to about 8 PSI immediately. But, by the next day it is back up to 12 PSI.

I've read posts that say in time everything will balance out to the set PSI on the regulator. Should I just do nothing and wait? Or continue to purge from the kegs? Do kegs naturally start to over-carb as the liquid level gets lower? (They are all at about 50% full now)

Keg 1 - Apple Cider (No foam issues)
Keg 2 - NB Fixed Gear
Keg 3 - Honey Cream Ale

Thanks for any help!

You will have to vent all the kegs til no gas comes out the vent wait an hour and repeat this 3-4 times. You need to get the CO2 out of the beer to fill head space to reduce carbonation level.

I'm a firm believer in 10' - 3/16" line. I tried the shorter lengths and always foamed at anything above 8psi. That length allows me to pour foam free up to +- 14psi. I'm usually set at 12psi with never a problem..

When I vent them, should the CO2 shut-offs be closed? Also, when I have been venting, sometimes the seal on the lid leaks because I released all the pressure. Then, I have to hit it with 10+ PSI to reseal it. Any suggestions?

No the lid should not leak, need new lid o-ring and leave the gas off. I have found that when I first keg the beer I set the seal with 30psi vent it with the gas still on 1-2 seconds wait a couple more then vent again. I let it sit like that for 24hours in the 39* kezzer then hook up to gas at 10-15psi depending on style (I also run 3/16 Accu-Bev line at 10ft) and leave the keg sit for 2-3 weeks. Is your G-town the one by Menomonee Falls, Hartford, Sussex area?

Ok, sounds like I need to upgrade to 10ft lines to solve my problem. Thanks


Yes, it's the Gtown by Menomonee Falls

Misspent youth in that area Jerry's Old Town had the best perch fish fry.

Yeah, Jerry's was great, but they recently closed down after new ownership wasn't keeping up with the quality.

Pity, went to Fox and Hounds last year when we were visiting in-laws in Colgate had the Walleye and a Waukesha Wheat, don't miss the cold weather though.