Help with Becker squeeze valve/beer gun/party faucet

[Wesleyremington]

Hello,

I just started brewing again after a long break. I have my first beer in a keg and am having trouble with foam. At first, I had 3 feet of 1/4 inch hose and a picnic tap, beer is at 38F and at 12 psi, all foam. Then I read about line balance and went up to 12 feet, still foaming. I dropped the psi to 10 and poured one pretty good beer and it was inconsistent at best after that first pour.

I thought a flow control faucet might help and surely would be an upgrade from the picnic tap. This led to the most foam yet and it leaks from the back the whole time it is connected. It is brand new! I took it apart and there is no o ring where the hose barb is. Is that right, am I missing a piece. Could it just be broken?

I think I need to shorten the line or up the psi to fight the foam with the flow control. Is that right? And does anyone have any experience with these faucets, am I missing something or doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Wes

 

[Wesleyremington]

temp is now down to 37F

 

[IslandLizard]

Your line should be kept cold too. Is everything in a refrigerator?
12' of 1/4" line or 3/16" line?

I don't know about those faucets, looks like an expensive plastic gadget causing lots of turbulence, hence foaming.

Is the beer in the keg over-carbonated?
Is the liquid diptube o-ring (the squarish one under the flange) properly sealing. Any gas headspace gas entering the beer line directly could cause uncontrollable foaming. You'd see bubbles in the beer line when pouring.

 

[Wesleyremington]

all line is in the fridge and is 1/4 inch.

I don't think it is over carbonated. Did it at 30 psi for 48 hours, but minimal shaking. It has been at 10-12 psi for a week now.

I disassembled and cleaned the keg before I filled it, all o rings look good. fresh lube too.

I didn't see any bubbles in the line with the picnic tap, but did with the new faucet.

Thanks

 

[IslandLizard]

1/4 inch has (much) less restriction than 3/16". One foot of 3/16" line per psi is the rule of thumb, at around 38F.

With a week at 12 psi your keg carbonation should have stabilized by now. Just for kicks, vent the keg and listen if it hisses like 12 or or more like 20-30 psi.

We do (well, did, until recently) a lot of serving on location using picnic taps on 6' 3/16" lines. The first oz or 2 is always foamy, but it's usually fine after that. That's at 10 psi, keg in a bucket or tub with ice.

Bubbles in the line always leads to foamy pours. But once the line and that faucet chamber have filled up there should be no more bubbles. If the faucet is kept in the fridge too, it should not cause foaming due to warm beer. But turbulence can lead to foaming. Not sure how that restrictor prevents foaming.

BTW, what's that screwed on thing on top of the faucet for?

 

[camonick]

After some research online, it seems those squeeze guns are intended to dispense highly carbonated pre-mixed soda pop. If you want to keep your keg at 12 psi, I would purchase 14-15’ of 3/16” beverage line and re-install your picnic tap.

 

[IslandLizard]

After some research online, it seems those squeeze guns are intended to dispense highly carbonated pre-mixed soda pop. If you want to keep your keg at 12 psi, I would purchase 14-15’ of 3/16” beverage line and re-install your picnic tap.

That may explain some.
Or use 4mm ID EVAbarrier line with push-fit John Guest or Duotight adapters. 10' is probably plenty. Also prevents oxidation.