Over carbed but no pour pressure?

[cheyneco]

Having trouble with my ciders having too much carbonation... So I lower the PSI on the co2 regulator but then when I pour it is extremely slow. I like it at 5psi at 35 degrees. How can I keep the temp, keep the carbonation level, but get more flow out of the tap? I'm running about 5 feet of 3/16" line from the keg to the tap.

Should I raise the temp and psi, or shorten the line? Both? I want a normal pour flow like you would see at a bar with a lightly carbonated Cider.

 

[zachattack]

A nice slow pour at the desired carb level is usually something that most of us strive for! Personally I'd leave it as is. Shortening the line a bit will speed it up in this case.

 

[porterpounder]

Shortening the line or using larger diameter line (1/4") will be the best way to balance that system if you want to keep it at that low carb level and maintain a good pour.

 

[laredo7mm]

A nice slow pour at the desired carb level is usually something that most of us strive for! Personally I'd leave it as is. Shortening the line a bit will speed it up in this case.

What is the recommended time it should take to pour a pint? I'm sure it is posted somewhere, but I haven't searched for it yet. It takes me about 10 seconds to draw a pint on my system.

 

[skraeling]

What is the recommended time it should take to pour a pint?

however long you are willing to wait

 

[chickypad]

Having trouble with my ciders having too much carbonation... So I lower the PSI on the co2 regulator but then when I pour it is extremely slow. I like it at 5psi at 35 degrees. How can I keep the temp, keep the carbonation level, but get more flow out of the tap? I'm running about 5 feet of 3/16" line from the keg to the tap.

Should I raise the temp and psi, or shorten the line? Both? I want a normal pour flow like you would see at a bar with a lightly carbonated Cider.

Sounds like you need to take the time to balance your system. You shouldn't have to be tinkering with serving pressure to get a correct pour, the pressure should be set to whatever carb level you want to maintain.

If your ciders are too carbonated then fix that first - how are you carbing? For the currently overcarbed keg unhook it and degas it for a while. Once you dial in the carb levels you want to run then cut you lines long enough that you can get a nice pour without foam. 10 sec doesn't sound to bad for a home system, it's not like you have 10 customers lined up behind you waiting, right? I prefer to go a little longer with a slightly slow pour than risking foaming.

Edit: rereading you post are you sure you cider is overcarbed? Or do you mean it is pouring foamy? Because 35* ad 5 psi is only about 2.0 vols of CO2, much less then I would expect with a commercial cider. I like my ciders up around 2.7.
Use the carb chart to find your correct pressure, then use this line balancing calculator to determine what length hose you need.

 

[cheyneco]

Thank you for the replies.

I should clarify... My Cider isn't currently over carbed, it's at 5psi but the pour is incredibly slow. It probably takes 45-60 seconds to fill a glass. If I'm filling a growler it takes several minutes.

I tried turning it up to increase pour speed, which resulted in over carbing.

I have been kinda playing this game lately of opening the cooler, turning up the pressure, and pouring glasses. When I'm finished for the night I degas the keg and turn it back to 5psi.

I will try shortening the line first, and if that doesn't work I'll try a larger diameter line. Thank you!

 

[chickypad]

I tried turning it up to increase pour speed, which resulted in over carbing.

I think you are confusing an unbalanced system with overcarbing. A perfectly carbed beer will foam if poured on an unbalanced system - it's not overcarbonated, the lines are too short. 5 ft is almost always too short for the average home system. For example, I run most of my kegs at 14 psi, 40-41*F keezer, giving about 2.6-2.65 vols, and I use 11-12 ft lines. DO NOT get the larger diameter lines, this will be even worse (you would need like 40 ft lines to balance). Do yourself a favor and use the calculator that I linked. If you get it balanced correctly you should never have to play with adjusting serving pressures.