Major Foaming Issues...and have no solutions??? HELP!

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j1laskey

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I have read all the stickys and looked at many post.... but nothing works....am I missing something ??? I have had MAJOR foaming issues with a double IPA that I kegged approx. 3.5 weeks ago. This is my first endevor into kegging. Here are the facts. The interior fridge temp is around 37 degrees. I took the "set it and forget it" method (11 p.s.i.) to carbonate the beer and let it sit for a week before the first pour. Serving at the same p.s.i. the beer was all foam. After the foam settled I was able to try the beer, and it tasted delicous, I found the carbonation level was where it should be (taste wise). The conversion kit I bought came with 5' long, 1/4 ID beer line. I quickly switch that to 10' of 3/16 ID line. Even with that switch I am still geeting 3/4 cup of foam. I have bled the pressure off of the keg multiple times (10-20) and let it sit over night in the fridge, then hooked it back up to the gas at 7 p.s.i. and let that sit overnight. Poured a pint the next day and....still foamy. The beer lines have huge gaps of air in between the beer, theres more air in the lines than beer. What is so frustrating is that my second keg, that I added about 2 weeks ago is pouring fine. How can this be fixed....I just want to drink the beer like a normal human being and not have to wait for the foam to settle....P.S. ...there are no leaks detected....
 
I'm not sure what is causing your issue, but I'm having great success with the following:

40F, 13PSI, 5' of 3/16, black plastic picnic faucets.

I've kegged twice so far, and I haven't had any issues yet. :)
 
I have read all the stickys and looked at many post.... but nothing works....am I missing something ??? I have had MAJOR foaming issues with a double IPA that I kegged approx. 3.5 weeks ago. This is my first endevor into kegging. Here are the facts. The interior fridge temp is around 37 degrees. I took the "set it and forget it" method (11 p.s.i.) to carbonate the beer and let it sit for a week before the first pour. Serving at the same p.s.i. the beer was all foam. After the foam settled I was able to try the beer, and it tasted delicous, I found the carbonation level was where it should be (taste wise). The conversion kit I bought came with 5' long, 1/4 ID beer line. I quickly switch that to 10' of 3/16 ID line. Even with that switch I am still geeting 3/4 cup of foam. I have bled the pressure off of the keg multiple times (10-20) and let it sit over night in the fridge, then hooked it back up to the gas at 7 p.s.i. and let that sit overnight. Poured a pint the next day and....still foamy. The beer lines have huge gaps of air in between the beer, theres more air in the lines than beer. What is so frustrating is that my second keg, that I added about 2 weeks ago is pouring fine. How can this be fixed....I just want to drink the beer like a normal human being and not have to wait for the foam to settle....P.S. ...there are no leaks detected....

After a week at serving pressure, it won't be fully carbed yet - That could have something to do with it. It's not air in your lines, it's CO2 coming out of solution - This is caused either because the pressure on the keg and the carbonation level of the beer are different, or there is a temperature difference between the beer and the lines before the tap.
The other keg working fine is a little odd though - It could be that you have something in the dip tube or post that's disturbing the beer as it flows by, knocking the CO2 out of solution.
First, try swapping the lines on your kegs. If the good keg foams, it's something to do with the QD, line, or faucet. If the foam stays with the IPA it's in the dip tube, post, or corbonation. If that's the case you could let the pressure out of the keg and pull the out post and dip tube - Clean, inspect, sanitize, and try it again.
 
First fix your lines. When you switched from 5' of 1/4" to 10' of 3/16" you went from not enough restriction to way too much restriction. Cut that 3/16" line down to 5'. That will be good for pouring anywhere from ~8-12psi.

Also, I agree, 1 week at 11psi, it's probably not done carbonating. Even though you're seeing a lot of foam in the glass. It will be at least another week before things really equalize in the keg.
 
I use 10'-12' of 3/16" line on all of my taps and it's perfect for me. I wouldn't cut them back that much until after you've served from it for a while. You can always trim a little away but if you cut it too short you're screwed. IME/IMO, too much resriction (to a point) isn't really a problem, it just pours a little slower.

Somebody recently had a similar problem and it was the QD, the port wasn't fully punched-out or something.

If you're seeing a ton of air/foam in the line as soon as it comes out of the keg then it's likely a restriction in the keg or QD.
 
A jicky o-ring on a post or a bad poppet can also cause foaming, as stated above look at the lines while pouring and see if it is foaming going up the line or only after the faucet.
 
I use 10'-12' of 3/16" line on all of my taps and it's perfect for me. I wouldn't cut them back that much until after you've served from it for a while. You can always trim a little away but if you cut it too short you're screwed. IME/IMO, too much resriction (to a point) isn't really a problem, it just pours a little slower.

Somebody recently had a similar problem and it was the QD, the port wasn't fully punched-out or something.

If you're seeing a ton of air/foam in the line as soon as it comes out of the keg then it's likely a restriction in the keg or QD.

Here's that thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/air-getting-into-beer-line-video-179013/

Do what SweetSounds said (swap lines, etc) and see if you can narrow it down.
 
And just to make sure, you're not using hardware store vinyl tubing on your serving lines are you? That can do it too, as they will swell under pressure, and are generally too big.

3/16" Beer line is worth the $$
 
First fix your lines. When you switched from 5' of 1/4" to 10' of 3/16" you went from not enough restriction to way too much restriction. Cut that 3/16" line down to 5'. That will be good for pouring anywhere from ~8-12psi.

Also, I agree, 1 week at 11psi, it's probably not done carbonating. Even though you're seeing a lot of foam in the glass. It will be at least another week before things really equalize in the keg.

I disagree- the only "problem" with longer lines is that it pours more slowly. So, it takes 5 seconds to pour a beer instead of 2. But the carbonation is perfect, so I wouldn't cut the lines.
 
I forgot to add that....I did do a line swap and the IPA keg did foam while hooked up to the second keg's beer line. And yet another observation I should have added prior is that during the multiple decompressions of the keg I did open the keg up and took a peak inside....It was filled with foam!...I will try to take the dip tube and post out to inspect tonight....does anyone think that epoxy mixers might help?
 
I forgot to add that....I did do a line swap and the IPA keg did foam while hooked up to the second keg's beer line. And yet another observation I should have added prior is that during the multiple decompressions of the keg I did open the keg up and took a peak inside....It was filled with foam!...I will try to take the dip tube and post out to inspect tonight....does anyone think that epoxy mixers might help?

Are your lines backwards? The keg should never be filled with foam. The only way I can think that would happen (Assuming the keg isn't shaken up) is if you are pumping CO2 in the "Out" post creating the foam, which is coming out the "In" post. Make sure the black QD is on the "Out" post, and hooked to your faucet, and the gray QD is on your CO2 line and hooked to the "In" post.
On my kegs, the "IN" post either says IN, or is marked by a dot in the rubber.
 
Yeah I got that covered....I use "Grey is Gas" and "Black is Beer" to remember...plus the post are labeld on the keg....i bought the keg used from the LHBS...maybe jut maybe the beer dip tube is on the wrong side of the keg??? Could this be?
 
The reason you'd find foam in the keg is if it was carbed to a certain level and then you dropped the pressure out of frustration (especially when you vent it and pull the lid off).. Co2 is going to come out of solution just like it does when you pour into a glass.
 
Going to check the tube tonight...Lucky enough for me I previously poured some of this tasty IPA into a growler and it is sitting nicely chilled...so at least I can have a beverage while I try to correct this problem...
 
I recently had a similar problem. It's possible that your pressure regulator gauge is not reading correctly. My regulator was old so when i tried carbing it the gauge said 12 PSI but I think i was only getting 7 PSI in the tank. Then i bought a new gauge and put it in-line from the reg to the keg and that one was reading too low. It said 12 PSI but I was actually getting 18. My beer ended up getting way overcarbed and I had to wait 3 or 4 days with no pressure in the keg before it would do anything but foam.
 
The regulator is brand new, I hope that is not the issue. I was able to take look at the dip tube and it is connected to the out line...while having the keg open the beer appeared to be beer and not foam but the when i applied 9 p.s.i. and let the keg charge...and tested another pint it was all foam...i am thinking it must be something with the dip tube. Either it is fautly or the connection to the poppet it bad...
 
That is another option, just decant this IPA into a pitcher and enjoy. Inspect the keg when it's empty. ;)
 
That is another option, just decant this IPA into a pitcher and enjoy. Inspect the keg when it's empty. ;)

+1
I'd rack the beer to another keg at this point - You can do it under pressure.
Purge the air out of an empty sanitized keg, and connect teh full one to the empty one with a "Black to black" jumper hose. IOW connect the out of the full keg, to the out of the empty keg. Apply 2 or 3 PSI to the full keg, and open the relief valve on the empty one. The beer will flow to the good keg and you can figure out what's going on with that other keg after it's empty.
 
+1
I'd rack the beer to another keg at this point - You can do it under pressure.
Purge the air out of an empty sanitized keg, and connect teh full one to the empty one with a "Black to black" jumper hose. IOW connect the out of the full keg, to the out of the empty keg. Apply 2 or 3 PSI to the full keg, and open the relief valve on the empty one. The beer will flow to the good keg and you can figure out what's going on with that other keg after it's empty.
Wouldn't he just get foam in the second keg? I thought the foam was happening pre-3/16" OUT line?
 
Wouldn't he just get foam in the second keg? I thought the foam was happening pre-3/16" OUT line?

I guess it's possible, though I would think transferring at 2 or 3 PSI might be a little better.

The other option is to open the full keg, set it higher than the empty one, and siphon it across.
But that risks aeration
 
AH.....So I have fixed the problem and learned a lesson at the same time. The
"O" ring on the dip tube looked like one of my dog's chew toys. It has been replaced and the pints are flowing. The lesson, even though the LHBS says that the kegs are in perfect working order, I will always check ALL "O" rings before racking.
 
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