The right PSI for set it and forget it??? (belgian wit)

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spaceyaquarius

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I am doing the set it and forget it method for a 5 gallon Corny keg. Belgian Wit beer. Last time it seems like 10-12 PSI was not enough carbonation, but I'm not really sure bc I haven't been happy with any of my kegging experiences.

I have it at 15 PSI right now, and it's been 4 days. That's not gonna over-carb this batch will it?
 
Oops, forgot the temp. Mini-fridge at around 37- 39F (it varies). I've seen the charts, but I don't really trust them. Is 10 PSI better, or 15 PSI?
 
It doesn't really matter if you are higher or lower than you want. That's the cool thing about kegging. You can raise it or lower it as you please. It will reach its new equilibrium and be good to go.
 
Oops, forgot the temp. Mini-fridge at around 37- 39F (it varies). I've seen the charts, but I don't really trust them. Is 10 PSI better, or 15 PSI?

Those charts are extremely reliable. My Zahm & Nagel gauge uses a nearly identical one for professional brewery carb testing.

At that temp, for that style, I'd put it at 13psi and leave it.
 
Hmmm. I set it at 13 PSI and waited for a total of 3 weeks on the CO2 tank and it was overcarbed.

Either the gauge is reading wrong, or 13 PSI is just too high for this beer. Next time I'm trying 8 PSI and will see what happens.
 
Why "next time"? Why not purge the co2 now and then lower the psi? It should off gas and equalize at the lower psi settling.
 
Hmmm. I set it at 13 PSI and waited for a total of 3 weeks on the CO2 tank and it was overcarbed.

Either the gauge is reading wrong, or 13 PSI is just too high for this beer. Next time I'm trying 8 PSI and will see what happens.

Was it overcarb'd, or do you have a pouring problem? How long (and what internal diameter) is your beer line in the kegerator?

IMHO there should be no way, at that pressure and temp, for you to be overcarb'd.
 
In my experience, unless you have really long lines, 13 is about twice what you need.


IMHO there should be no way, at that pressure and temp, for you to be overcarb'd.



I have 10 foot long, 3/16" inner diameter lines.

I don't see how overcarbing could happen either, unless the gauge is reading lower than the actual PSI.
 
spaceyaquarius said:
I have 10 foot long, 3/16" inner diameter lines.

I don't see how overcarbing could happen either, unless the gauge is reading lower than the actual PSI.

You may be pretty close then. I have 5 or 6 foot 3/16 lines, and 7-8 is all I need. Much more and it's all foam. May be a faulty gauge.
 
What sort of kegerator setup are you running? Is it just the first pour that is foamy, or is it all subsequent pours? Is this a new kegerator build (i.e. your first keg, so you don't perhaps know if your regulator gauge is reliable)?

I used to have horrible problems with my first pour being foamy in my old tower setup (5' lines), and then was very concerned when I built my keezer with 10' lines and got the same... The fix was to rig up a couple PC fans in the keezer to circulate air, ensuring my lines were the same temperature as the rest of the keezer. It causes a major problem when the lines are allowed to warm up (and temp stratification inside a fridge with no circulation is significant), as the CO2 in the beer comes out of solution and forms bubbles in the lines.

If you look at the beer line, do you see bubbles in the lines?

All that said, I regularly keep my fridge about 41 degrees and have been able to serve at 14-15 psi with no overcarbonation problems through 10' lines.
 
Yes, fairly new keg setup so I don't know if the gauge is reliable.

What happens is the keg is carbonating, I don't touch it for 2 weeks (12 PSI) at around 38 F. Test it every couple of days, then drink it, and it is already overcarbed. Then as time goes on it gets worse (same PSI). Foam occurs sometimes, but not every time, it is an acidic/metallic aftertaste from every single glass.

I don't have a tower installed, just a 5 gallon Corny keg in a mini-fridge so warm beer lines are not an issue. There is bubbles in the line though.
 
If there are bubbles in the line, it might be a temp differential. After putting two beers in rapid succession, those bubbles should go away, and take minutes/hours to return. If it's temp, that's the expectation. This can be fixed by adding a circulation fan inside.

If the bubbles immediately return, it's possible you have an issue with the seal if the dip tube and liquid out post. If you're letting CO2 into the beer line from that location, the bubbles will always be there immediately after each pour. And it could explain the sharp flavor, which could be carbonic acid. This is, off course, an easy fix (remove CO2, vent keg, remove liquid post, replace o-rings and re-seal).

Of course, it could be the regulator. Inconsistent pressure could explain both overcarbonating and bubbles in the line.
 
Good info. Shouldn't be a temperature gradient as it keeps happening with 3 to 4 pints.

The liquid out post theory sounds very credible, though I did replace the o-rings months ago and checked by submerging in the bathtub (pressurized).

Still could be that gauge. Still off-gassing the keg and it tastes acidic after 4 days. I suppose if the beer gets undercarbed and that acidic taste is still there, then it has to be a leak at the liquid out post then.
 
The liquid out post theory sounds very credible, though I did replace the o-rings months ago and checked by submerging in the bathtub (pressurized).

Did you replace the liquid side dip tube o-ring in addition to the post o-ring? That requires taking off the post and removing the long liquid dip tube.
 
I had only replaced the "liquid out" side o-rings. Just to be sure I replaced them again.

Then I noticed that the upper "gas in" side o-ring was old and the bottom o-ring on the "gas in" was not even there. Replaced both and put keg lube on all rings.

So could the "gas in" missing o-ring cause the overcarbing?
 
Update if anyone's interested:

Problem solved. As far as I can tell, it was a faulty gauge. Sure, the inner diptube seal was old, but the gauge that came with my homebrew kit was a Tap-Rite fassco single regulator and just doesn't read correctly. To compare gauges, attach one to your CO2 tank, and then check your 2nd gauge (or borrow one from a friend).

Now I have a dual-regulator which is also made by Tap-Rite, but for some reason this one is accurate. Now when attempting to force carb at 8 PSI the keg is undercarbonated, so 10-12 PSI is necessary at 40 degrees F.

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
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