Having some kegging problems

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D_Struct

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I've got a keg of Belgian Wit in a pin lock keg that I just can't get to carb correctly. I am constantly getting bubbles in the beer line, and it sputters after about 1 second of pouring. From that point on, it's nothing but foam.

I've tried venting it out over the course of a day (+) at room temperature, checking the lines for leaks, removing the disconnects and cleaning them out, etc.

I used the set and forget method on this one at 15 psi at around 38F to start. After taking it out and venting it, I put it back in and turned the psi to around 10, and still got the sputter and foam. I'm at a loss, now. The beer tastes great, but it's just not wanting to cooperate. Any ideas?

I'm running my fridge at 38F, with 10ft of 3/16th line. The faucets are about 16 inches above the center of the keg, as it is a 4-tap kegerator with the faucet mounts on the front of the fridge door.

Any advice here would be great.
 
10 feet sounds too long. At a psi loss of 2.7 psi per foot for 3/16 line you would have to set your keg way high to achieve 2psi at the tap. My guess is that your losing so much pressure in the line when the tap is running that its releasing all the co2 in the beer line . Had similar problem. Calculate to achieve between two to 3 psi at the tap with this calc assuming you are using 3/16 inch line.

10 psi (keg set pressure) = (required hose length*2.7) + (height*.5)

Ten psi is your dispensing pressure bases on desired volumes co2. And use 1 foot for height. Solve for the desired hose length to see how short to cut that hose line.

That solved it for me but get a second opinion before you cut that line.
 
10 feet sounds too long. At a psi loss of 2.7 psi per foot for 3/16 line you would have to set your keg way high to achieve 2psi at the tap. My guess is that your losing so much pressure in the line when the tap is running that its releasing all the co2 in the beer line . Had similar problem. Calculate to achieve between two to 3 psi at the tap with this calc assuming you are using 3/16 inch line.

10 psi (keg set pressure) = (required hose length*2.7) + (height*.5)

Ten psi is your dispensing pressure bases on desired volumes co2. And use 1 foot for height. Solve for the desired hose length to see how short to cut that hose line.

That solved it for me but get a second opinion before you cut that line.
 
Thanks, Dustin.

I'll try cutting the line down 2ft to 8ft and see what happens.

My problem is that I was running a hefeweizen at the same settings, with the same length line, and it was perfect. I know every beer has different qualities, but I wasn't expecting such a dramatic difference.
 
Cut down the line to 6ft, and I'm still having the same foaming issues as before.

Going to vent the keg down a couple of days at room temperature, and then I'm going to set it for around 12psi and see what happens.
 
10 psi (keg set pressure) = (required hose length*2.7) + (height*.5)

According to this equation, to get 2.5 PSI, you're looking at 2.7ft of beer line at 10 PSI.

If I put 2.7ft of beer line on a 10PSI keg, I'd get a beer sprinkler.


Are you sure this isn't meters or something?
 
Is the beer pure foam already as it leaves the keg and enters the line? I had that problem, and it took a while to track down...was a faulty QD. Just a thought...Check this thread if so. Thread
 
Is the beer pure foam already as it leaves the keg and enters the line? I had that problem, and it took a while to track down...was a faulty QD. Just a thought...Check this thread if so. Thread

I thought about that, because I read the thread you linked to. I have changed the QD three different times, to three different brand QDs, just to be sure, and I'm still having issues. It is ALMOST pure foam as it leaves the keg, but not completely.

I'm going to vent it out, start with a clean slate, and try again, with the adjusted beer line length, and a lower psi.

I'm hoping that will solve the problem. If I can't figure it out, I'll just have to live with it until the rest of this brew is gone. I'll be kegging a Texas Kolsch this weekend, and I'll be putting them on the gas together. That'll give the Wit keg 48-72 hours to vent and equalize.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!
 
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