foamy beer again tried every thing.

hi all this is my fist post so bear with me
i know this is a common problem but i have read and tried every thing.
every time i pore a beer from my keg i get a cup of foam.
I'm using a UK commercial keg its a bit like a us sanke.
i have my regulator set at 10 psi.
I use 8 meters of hose between the keg and my dispensing tap which is and 26 feet i believe. it is a black hose with i think is usually used for the gas line. i ordered clear but the store sent me a black line. did't think it would matter. dose it?
the length between the co2 bottle and the keg is about 1 meter so about 3 feet. don't think that would make a difference.
i have left my keg out side. thought this would be the coolest place for it. its December in the UK so temperature don't go above about 8C or about 48F.
any advice or if you need more info so you can help place get in contact thanks loads. really wanted to get it sorted for new years eve.

 

The inside diameter of your beer line is critical to having a balanced system. What is the inside diameter of the hose? Generally, 3/16" is used for beer line. If the diameter is relatively large, the lack of friction allows CO2 to come out of solution as it is flowing, resulting in foam.

There may be another reason for your foam, but your non-standard beer line sound suspicious.

 

What diameter is the hose? Typically the beer line is 3/16" (about 4.7mm) and the gas line is 5/16" (about 7.9mm). I would try a proper beer hose, the smaller diameter will help, and you may have problems with off flavors if the gas line is not designed for beer delivery. If you use a 3/16" beer lines you should only need about 3 meters in length as well.

 

thanks for the suggestion. i am using 3/8 line. is this the problem?
is there any solution i can use before new years eve because i can't see me getting more line before then.
thanks loads

 

I would definitely replace that 3/8" ID line as you'd need a ridiculous amount of it to provide enough resistance to hold a typically carbed brew.

Line Type: Resistance:
3/8” OD stainless beverage tubing .2
5/16” OD stainless beverage tubing .5
1/4” OD stainless beverage tubing 2
3/8” ID plastic beer line .11
5/16” ID plastic beer line .17
1/4” ID plastic beer line .7
3/16” ID plastic beer line 2.7


In case it isn't obvious, 3/16" ID beer line has roughly 20 times the resistance of what you're using...

Cheers!

[edit] Start with at least 10 feet/ 3.3 meters of 3/16" ID beer line...

 

thanks loads i'll def try this
but is there any think i can do in the mean time or not?
thanks again

 

Is there a hardware store nearby? -They normally have a few different hoses in stock - for ice machines, etc. If so you could purchase about 3 meters of 3/16" hose and use it in a pinch -- However I would replace it with proper beer line for long term use unless you find a food grade or drinking water rated hose.

You can try reducing the pressure on the keg down to about 2psi when serving and see if that helps. Just make sure that you crank it back up to 10psi after your party is over or your beer will lose its carbonation.

 

It's harmless to try, but this may actually aggravate the lack-of-resistance problem by causing the CO2 breakout inside the keg.

'Course, considering the bore of the current tubing, one might not be able to discern the effects of any changes made at the keg side no matter what is tried...

Cheers!

 

thank you all i'll try this thank you

 

No joy I replaced the line with with a smaller line 3/16 and it is still foamy. I have tried turning regulators down to 2psi just so I could get a pint from it at the party but I still got a glass of foam.
I asked a friend of a friend who owns a pub what it could be and he said I might of had the pressure on the beer for to long. I have tried reading up on this but could not find any info could this be the problem?

 

It's almost a sure bet that folks ascending the kegging learning curve will overcarb at least one keg.

Disconnect the gas completely, then relieve the head pressure in the keg (either using a manual PRV or pushing down on the gas poppet). Repeat often over at least a 24 hour period.

Then set your regulator for 10~12 psi, hook up the beer line, hook up the gas line, MAKE SURE THE BEER LINE IS COLD before proceeding, then try drawing a pint.

If it's still foamy, disconnect everything again and continue the degassing procedure until you get the beer tamed.


Note that this assumes you don't have a beer poppet or QD problem that is restricting the beer flow so severely that all you can get out of it is foam. If your faucet is actually "spitting" foam, that may be the real cause of your problem...

Cheers!

 

ok thank you i will try this