Keg Carbonating Questions

[DuatyMcSanchez]

Hi, new to the forum and relatively new to brewing in general. So just a little backdrop first I suppose. I started kegging probably my third batch in. I Love the idea of draft beer and hey you can still bottle any way right so why not? So I built a kegerator out of a recycled dorm fridge I picked up off craigslist. It can hold one corny and a 5 lb C02 tank. It fits my needs, for now anyway.

So My first question is in regards to carbonating. I prefer to use priming sugar so this way I do not have a keg in the fridge for a week that I cannot drink. I like the idea of having one carbonating in the garage so that when the other runs out, I have one ready to go. However my last keg leaked so now my preference is now indifferent. Id just like to hear about your setups for seamless keg consumption and carbonation.

My Second question is about having a sanke setup. I have a store down the street that always has many local sixtels available. So I figured due to not being able to brew as much as I would like, I would be an idiot not to take advantage of this. So I ran my first sixtel through (Berkshire Brewing Co. Traditional Pale Ale). All went well except for every first pour would recieve a hefty amount of foam. I tried different psi settings from like 3 to 10 but none seemed to make big difference. Im wondering if anyone has any ideas why this would happen.

Thanks for the input.

 

[roycroft]

Corny kegs don't seal very well without a little pressure. I'd shoot a little gas into the keg before putting it in your garage - just enough to get a good seal (you can hear it hissing before the lid seals) - then let the yeast and the sugar do the rest.

 

[DuatyMcSanchez]

Yah, I awlays seal with 10 psi and chuck a third of a cup in there. I just like the idea of being able to see the regulator and know that its not leaking. I suppose i just have to pay close attention when it seals to make sure theres no leak.