C02 in Beer line issue

I have my first keg of beer (Kolsch) in my newly made kegerator and I am seeing what I think is a problem. When I pour a beer, close the tap, and then look at the beer line C02 bubbles are forming on either end of the hose, by this I mean bubbles towards the keg end and bubbles towards the tap end. There is a low drooping "U" in the line between the keg and the tap when the door is closed which allows for the bubbles to work their way up either end. This is becoming a big problem because now when I want to draw just a glass or too it’s half head foam. If you pour a few consecutive glasses it clears out by the last one but then after sitting the bubbles form again. The Setup is from Keg Connection and it is a ball-lock 5 gal Cornelius keg running off of a brand new 5# C02 tank to a wall-mount tap setup through a Sanyo mini-fridge running at about 40 F - 43 F. I did notice today that I could hear a slow leak coming from the gas connection on the keg and it appears this was resolved when I replaced the o-ring on the gas post. I am wondering if that would have been the cause of the bubbles building in the line or if there may be another issue? Has anyone else had this problem or is this just common? An additional question would be if you are supposed to just leave full pressure (about 5 psi) in the rig the whole time? By this I mean tank “open” to regulator, regulator on 5 psi, regulator open to keg, keg connected to tap, tap closed (obviously) or should I turn off the tank, turn off regulator, and release pressure from the regulator when not in use? If you have managed to read my whole blabbering post, thank you and any suggestions are much appreciated!

Thanks,

Dan

This is something you probably won't fix. It might be that your lines aren't tight enough. More likely, it's just the co2 coming out of solution and having nowhere to go but up the line. Not a big deal. Your foam issues are probably coming from short lines. Try running an 7-8' line.

As for turning the CO2 off...no. You should actually always have your co2 set at about 12psi (depends on fridge temp and desired carbonation level). You can find charts online to help with this. 5 psi will just push the beer out, it won't keep it carbonated. You'll have a flat keg in a few days. If you've had the keg hooked up for a month or more without tapping it, you can turn the co2 off, but I usually just leave mine carbonated. It will help your system stay balanced.

very well stated. +1 on longer lines, I went from 5' to 9' of 3/16" and it pours way better

1) Always have your gas on.

2) Always have your gas at carbonation pressure. For most styles, this is 10-12 PSI.

3) If you have bubbles in your line, it is ONLY because you overcarbonated, OR because your carbonation level is higher than your serving pressure. See #2. How did you carb your beer? If you shook it, you overcarbed, and you need to vent pressure with the gas off. If you primed it or "set and forget it", then turn the reg up to 10-12 PSI. If it still foams, it's overcarbed. Vent.

4) At 10-12 PSI, you want 8-10' of 3/16" BEVERAGE line, (which has smoother inner walls, and thicker walls. Smoother = less foam, thicker = linear pressure drop = less foam).

shortyjacobs said:

3) If you have bubbles in your line, it is ONLY because you overcarbonated, OR because your carbonation level is higher than your serving pressure. See #2. How did you carb your beer?

Click to expand...

I have a keg that's been tapped since before Christmas that does this. I'm absolutely certain it's not over carbonated or that the serving pressure is too low, but I have the same problem.

Somebody in another thread suggested that the lines may be a few degrees warmer than the kegs, causing the CO2 to come out of solution. I've taken steps to alleviate this, but haven't had much success.

It's the beer lines being warmer than the bulk keg, which is causing the CO2 to come out of solution. Buy a few of the foam insulation tubes from the local hardware store and use them to insulate the length of the beer line. Also, if the lines hang too close to the walls of the kegerator, they may partially freeze, which will cause the same problem.

+1 on over carbed. I've had the CO2 in the lines problem when carbing quickly i.e. 30 psi for the first 2-3 day then turning the pressure back to serving temp. When I have "set it and forget it" at 10-11 psi, not CO2 in the lines.

BrewDrinkBrew said:

An additional question would be if you are supposed to just leave full pressure (about 5 psi) in the rig the whole time?

Click to expand...

This is your problem. 5 PSI is not anywhere near full pressure for most beers (milds and the like would be the exceptions). If the beer is carbonated above the pressure you're giving it, there's not enough pressure to keep the CO2 in solution and you get exactly what you're seeing. Eventually you'll have mostly flat beer. You need to pick a pressure based on the carbonation level and leave it through the entire keg.

Scimmia said:

This is your problem. 5 PSI is not anywhere near full pressure for most beers (milds and the like would be the exceptions). If the beer is carbonated above the pressure you're giving it, there's not enough pressure to keep the CO2 in solution and you get exactly what you're seeing. Eventually you'll have mostly flat beer. You need to pick a pressure based on the carbonation level and leave it through the entire keg.

Click to expand...

exactly

Yep, totally missed that detail. Your serving pressure needs to be high enough to keep the CO2 dissolved at your target carbonation level. As Scimmia said, even the beer in the keg is losing carbonation, you're just seeing easier in the clear lines.

Once fully carbonated, you *could* turn off the gas between pours, but since all of your lines and fittings should be leak-free..there's really no benefit. Leave the regulator set to 13-15PSI, and keep the gas on all the time.

Since you've been running the system at such a low pressure, you'll probably want to leave the beer sit for a week while on the higher (read:correct) dispensing pressure. If you don't, it's guaranteed foam city.

Well, this has certainly been a great crash course in kegging. (And I thought this was supposed to be easier than bottling? ) I did force carb at about 20-25psi for 3 days because I was impatient to try out the new system. So far the beer is still carbed pretty well and the foaming is only an issue for the first glass, but today being St. Patty’s I don’t think I will have to worry about the outcome of this keg much longer! I will make sure to re-read this thread when kegging my next batch. Thanks everyone for the great info! Cheers!

The only reason most people concider kegging easier than bottling it because you don't have to transfer into a bottling bucket. You don't have to sanitize 50+ bottles. You don't have to fill said bottles, etc.