my kegerator only flows well at 2 or 3 psi!

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

So I had an old co2 tank and regulator that seemed to shoot out beer at 10 psi and only work well at 2 or 3 psi with sculpin ipa in at at around 37 degrees. So I got tired of messing with them and got a new co2 half off and a 47 dollar kegco kc542 double gauge regulator from beverage factory's warehouse. Now this one says there is a bottle pressure of 500 and the out put pressure is barely at 2 psi and it flows fine, I'm not really having to much foam issues though, if I do my best to tilt my glass like If I wanted zero foam then I get about 1.5 fingers of foam. I do have a duel spout. So I have 1 co2 line from the regulator to the inside of the kegerator, then inside it splits into two and one is tapped to a keg and one is just currently connected to the coupler but the coupler is shut. I do not hear any leaks at all, also I have a ten pound co2 bottle. I don't know of anymore information I should include as I am kind of new to this, but I hate waisting beer to try and get this thing working right!! Any help on why I'm hitting such a low psi? I have heard if it's to Low I'll get flat beer or over carbonated is to high or something like that but I don't think that's true but hey like I said I'm new. Any help works thanks guys cheers!!!

 

[Thesomeguy]

How did you Carbonate your beer?

 

[car421]

3 psi is what I serve at and have no issues with beer going flat.

 

[aryoung1980]

Two things come to mind. First is your beverage line length. I use 6 feet of tubing. The other thing I discovered was using a fan to circulate the cold air. A difference in temperature from the bottom of the keg to the top can cause excessive foaming on your first pour or two.


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[freisste]

The beer will be flat if it never gets above 2-3 psi. If you carb higher (or with sugar) and SERVE at 2-3, you will be alright.

Regarding your system, if it shoots beer at 10 psi and serves well at 2-3, my guess is your lines are the issue. You probably only have about 3-4 feet, which isn't uncommon for the as-received hardware. I would suggest replacing your beer lines (CO2 lines don't matter) with 3/8" by about 10-12 feet. You'll be amazed. Then you can carb and serve at 10-12 psi.


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[max384]

The beer will be flat if it never gets above 2-3 psi. If you carb higher (or with sugar) and SERVE at 2-3, you will be alright.

Regarding your system, if it shoots beer at 10 psi and serves well at 2-3, my guess is your lines are the issue. You probably only have about 3-4 feet, which isn't uncommon for the as-received hardware. I would suggest replacing your beer lines (CO2 lines don't matter) with 3/8" by about 10-12 feet. You'll be amazed. Then you can carb and serve at 10-12 psi.


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To avoid any confusion, did you mean 3/16" drink lines?

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

Well right now I just have a local brewery's ipa in there. And yes my lines seem to be pretty short. Like 4 foot 1/4th inch beer lines and 3 foot co2 lines that are alot bigger. I was just told that I should put 11 psi for this 1/6th barrel keg . But I'm running at like 2 psi tops to make it flow correctly. Anything more it's just coming out really fast and fills a cup up in seconds with alot of foam

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

Alright don't judge my "pouring skills" I understand this is waste of beer please forgive me haha. But to show you how fast it's pouring you can't really tell but that's a pretty thick stream to show that alot is coming out. And that's my lines and regulator

 

[homebrewmike]

+1 for the fan to circulate air inside the kegerator. My first glass is always a little foamy because the line and the tower are warmer than the kegerator. I put a small desk top Vornado fan in there and now it pours just fine.

 

[freisste]

To avoid any confusion, did you mean 3/16" drink lines?

Ummm.... I was pretty sure it was 3/8" diameter. Now that you have asked, I'm not sure. But 3/16" is less than a 1/4", so I still think its 3/8".

Go to the LHBS and ask for beer line. They'll know what to do it at least explain the options.


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[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

I actually did go to my home brew mart and that's the line they said they prefer so I'm not sure what I should do now

Ummm.... I was pretty sure it was 3/8" diameter. Now that you have asked, I'm not sure. But 3/16" is less than a 1/4", so I still think its 3/8".

Go to the LHBS and ask for beer line. They'll know what to do it at least explain the options.


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[sandyeggoxj]

Generally with large internal diameter beer line the beer flow faster and the increased velocity brings out more foam. Smaller like flows slower and requires a higher pressure so it is easier to maintain proper keg carb levels and pour a smooth pint without excessive foam. 3/16 is often preferred unless you are pulling a beer line from far away, then you will start getting into larger ID tubing.

 

[max384]

Ummm.... I was pretty sure it was 3/8" diameter. Now that you have asked, I'm not sure. But 3/16" is less than a 1/4", so I still think its 3/8".

Go to the LHBS and ask for beer line. They'll know what to do it at least explain the options.


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I'm pretty new to kegging, but from the reading I did, it seems that 3/16" is the standard drink line inner diameter, unless you're running a really long drink line, like at a commercial bar or something.

The problem with larger inner diameters (like 1/4" or 3/8") is they don't provide enough line resistance to balance the system. You want to roughly balance the line resistance with the pressure in your keg. Otherwise, if you don't have enough line resistance, the beer will come out too fast.

Here are a few good articles I found on balancing a kegging system:

http://byo.com/stories/item/164-balancing-your-draft-system-advanced-brewing
http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

With 3/8" tubing (assuming vinyl), you'd need 50 feet to balance out 10 psi (0.2 psi/ft).

OP, I wonder if your system just isn't balanced?

 

[freisste]

I apologize. I DO have 3/16" line. Thanks for the catch.


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[sandyeggoxj]

OP-

Go to homebrew mart, fill a growler of some great ballast point beer and then get yourself a bunch of 3/16 beer line. Start long, say 10', and then give it a try. If it works, great, otherwise keep trimming a foot or so off it until you get a great pour. Keep the co2 pressure around 10psi for this. Once you are close adjust co2 to fine tune.

 

[car421]

Maybe I'm missing something but what is the problem using 3 psi if it gives you the pour you want? I force carb over the course of 3 days, drop my pressure to 3 psi and drink. Keg does not go flat, I have a double IPA that has been in the keg for a month and is just as carved now as it was when I poured my first pint. 5 foot lines.

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

OP-

Go to homebrew mart, fill a growler of some great ballast point beer and then gelurself a bunch of 3/16 beer line. Start long, say 10', and then give it a try. If it works, great, otherwise keep trimming a foot or so off it until you get a great pour. Keep the co2 pressure around 10psi for this. Once you are close adjust co2 to fine tune.

Sounds like a good idea I'll do thst and hope for the best, O Ky thing that could go wrong is if it shoots out at 10 psi still with ten foot drinking lines, that's alot of line hopefully it works this time. When I get home I'm double checking the line for the size my wife right now is saying it's 1/4th but I remember 1/8th so I'll update when I'm out of work, happy Super bowl!

 

[BigFloyd]

For my 3 keezer taps, I run 12ft of 3/16" beer line, 12psi and 38*F. It pours very nicely and I can adjust the amount of head by the tilt of the glass. I noticed a significant improvement when I upgraded from the original 5ft lines that came with the hardware.

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

For my 3 keezer taps, I run 12ft of 3/16" beer line, 12psi and 38*F. It pours very nicely and I can adjust the amount of head by the tilt of the glass. I noticed a significant improvement when I upgraded from the original 5ft lines that came with the hardware.

So is that 12 foot each line? Or 3 4 foot lines to each tap? I have two taps and about 4 feet to each but one of the taps does not have a keg on it, the coupler is closed obviously, its all hooked up and ready for a kegso would that make a diffirence? Also how about the co2 line should that be set up a certain way ? I have about a foot of 1/2 from a single reg, Then it goes in and splits off into 2 2 foot 1/2 lines to there couplers

 

[BigFloyd]

So is that 12 foot each line? Or 3 4 foot lines to each tap? I have two taps and about 4 feet to each but one of the taps does not have a keg on it, the coupler is closed obviously, its all hooked up and ready for a kegso would that make a diffirence? Also how about the co2 line should that be set up a certain way ? I have about a foot of 1/2 from a single reg, Then it goes in and splits off into 2 2 foot 1/2 lines to there couplers

That's 12ft each line from keg to faucet. You'll want to buy 24ft of 3/16" beer line (thick wall). You can always trim back a bit if the pour is too slow for your liking.

CO2 line length doesn't matter. No worries there.

 

[JuanMoore]

Maybe I'm missing something but what is the problem using 3 psi if it gives you the pour you want? I force carb over the course of 3 days, drop my pressure to 3 psi and drink. Keg does not go flat, I have a double IPA that has been in the keg for a month and is just as carved now as it was when I poured my first pint. 5 foot lines.

Many people find that when the serving pressure is lower than the equilibrium pressure of the beer, CO2 comes out of solution forming pockets of gas in the line, which causes a foamy first pour of every drinking session.

Even if you aren't experiencing this, it will most certainly lose carbonation as the keg empties. The loss of carbonation has nothing to do with how long you keep it on the lower pressure, but rather how much of the keg has emptied. By the time you're pouring the last few pints from that keg, it will be carbed to whatever level corresponds to 3 psi at your serving temp. At 40° that's ~1.65 vol of carbonation, which most people would describe as flat.

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

Alright good news!! It's pouring slower now!! To slow haha well i know All I need to do it cut it down some moee. I'm going to take 2 feel off tonight. But the big problem now is nasty tasting beer. Kind of taste like what the mettle smells like when you are cleaning it. So I'm going to take it all apart cut it down clean everything and hope for the best. Any ideas? Is it a pressure thing?

 

[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

Maybe it's the old metal. I'm seeing copper and other metals. What is the number one metal to use when it comes to good tasting beers?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Stainless steel! Copper plus carbonated beer is bad.

 

[BigFloyd]

Alright good news!! It's pouring slower now!! To slow haha well i know All I need to do it cut it down some moee. I'm going to take 2 feel off tonight. But the big problem now is nasty tasting beer. Kind of taste like what the mettle smells like when you are cleaning it. So I'm going to take it all apart cut it down clean everything and hope for the best. Any ideas? Is it a pressure thing?

Where are you seeing copper?

The metallic taste may very well be carbonic acid. It sometimes happens when you burst carb a beer. If it's that, it'll fade away in a week or two.

 

[freisste]

Alright good news!! It's pouring slower now!! To slow haha well i know All I need to do it cut it down some moee. I'm going to take 2 feel off tonight. But the big problem now is nasty tasting beer. Kind of taste like what the mettle smells like when you are cleaning it. So I'm going to take it all apart cut it down clean everything and hope for the best. Any ideas? Is it a pressure thing?

What pressure is it at now? Use a keg carbing guide to determine how much pressure you want for your serving temperature. Then make sure it flows well at that temp.

I'd hate for you to cut your new lines shorter, only to find that you are serving flat beer, then recarb as find you are getting nothin but foam again . Good luck.





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[freisste]

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php


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[Cummins_BLACKBREW]

Sorry for my horrible spelling earlier. I was at work at the moment and have been working fast pase 13 hour shifts.. so I had taken the thermometer out of the slot in the kegerator and extended it to reach to a cup of water on top of the keg to get the kegerator to go down in temperature more. It stops at about 39 degrees for 10 minutes then kicks back in about 10 minutes later when it around 43 degrees, not because of temperature but because of the defrost cycle, so I like to think my keg stays around 40 degrees. Do you guys agree? So 40 degrees at 12 psi right now and kind of a slow pour with 2 eleven foot hoses to 2 different taps but only one being used at the moment. I'm thinking maybe cut off 1 or two more feet, and we'll I'm doing that I might get a good cleaning in as well. And as for the copper it just kind of looks like copper, It may not be so I'll double check. I believe copper is non magnetic so I'll check that way