CO2 pressure for picnic taps

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nyer

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Until I order faucets for my new beer fridge I'm stuck with picnic taps. I have three right now and I get a half a glass of foam when I pour. I had great luck with 12 pounds with the faucet on my old fridge. I have been turning the pressure up and down and I'm tired of guessing. What pressure do you guys have your CO2 set at for picnic taps?
 
It depends on the length of your lines. Mine are 8ft and I have it set at 12psi. Check the
"Carbonating/line pressure/line balancing" section of the kegging sticky for a lot of info on this.
 
It isn't just serving pressure, but the amount of CO2 in the beer, that determines foaming. So making a change in serving pressure won't make an immediate difference. I replaced all of my tap lines with 8' of 3/16ths
 
BigKahuna said:
I have a picnic tap on 4 foot of 1/4 hose, and at 34 degrees, I need to keep that keg at about 7 or 8 to prevent foam.
Click to expand...

34 degrees?! :eek:

I hope you are pouring that into mugs with handles to prevent frostbite :D. Beer is at its best at 43F or higher if you ask me.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
34 degrees?! :eek:

I hope you are pouring that into mugs with handles to prevent frostbite :D. Beer is at its best at 43F or higher if you ask me.
Click to expand...

34 is where I use the Picnic Tap. (It's the keg with SWMBOS Coke)
I do tend to keep most of my beer in the mid 30's though, as I do like a bit more carb (with lower PSI), and It warms up nicely in the very thin Pills glasses I normally drink from. By drink 2 or 3, I'ts right on the money in the 40's
 
Mine are just the standard lengths from the store. I think they are about 18 inches.
I had about 6 feet of 3/16's on the faucet in the old fridge and it poured great. I really need to just order the faucets and shanks soon.

What do you use to drill the hole in the fridge? I'm thinking a hole saw would be the best bet.
 
One thing that I think is worth mentioning is to make sure you are depressing the tap all of the way. Sometimes people think that the flow is going too fast and therefore they will reduce the flow by only opening it halfway. This will actually cause more foaming. Not sure if this is part of your problem or not, but if it is, go ahead and push that tap down all the way. Your beer will thank you.
 

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