Another foamy keg thread

[ejericson]

so I am not a home brewer but been reading and sounds like people know their stuff, So here it goes

i got a kegerator with a tower from a friend and replaced everything that comes in contact with the beer and things were rotten and old.

when i pour i get nothing but foam from the tap for the first few seconds. i did a lot of reading and thought maybe it was the tower warming the lines up so i took off the faucet and kept in the fridge to keep it cold and the got the same results. any thoughts would be much appreciated.

heres my setup

5' of 3/16 line brand new
1/2 barrel of sierra nevada kept between 38-40 degrees
12PSI

thanks a lot!

 

[LLBeanJ]

You need a longer beer line. For proper balance, you generally want 1' of 3/16" line per PSI you're serving at. Replace your line with 10-12'. For now, try bleeding off the keg and lowering the pressure to about 5 PSI and you should get better a better pour. Problem is, if you keep it that low, you'll eventually lose carbonation. That's where the balance comes in and having the correct length of line.

 

[mappler]

You need a longer beer line. For proper balance, you generally want 1' of 3/16" line per PSI you're serving at. Replace your line with 10-12'. For now, try bleeding off the keg and lowering the pressure to about 5 PSI and you should get better a better pour. Problem is, if you keep it that low, you'll eventually lose carbonation. That's where the balance comes in and having the correct length of line.

What he said.

 

[ejericson]

wow i've heard about the length thing (insert sexual pun here) but didnt know it needed to be that long, i thought i was fine with 5 feet. i will double the length tmaro! thanks a lot will let you know how it works out.

on that note will it be alright to put it back to the uninsulated tower?
i dont want to drill through the door when it already has a tower that looks nice...

 

[ejericson]

so after increasing the length of the line is there any particular way i whould coil it inside the fridge? ive heard that you dont want to leave any low spot that it should be all up travel...

 

[LLBeanJ]

It should be fine to put the tower back the way it was. I know a lot of folks with that type of setup rig up a computer fan or something similar to blow cold air up into the tower, but I don't think it's necessary. Just the first few ounces coming out will be warmer.

I've never heard about a specific way to coil the hose. Not saying there isn't something to that, just that I've not heard of it. On my own setup, I just have it coiled up flat against the back wall and it works just fine.

 

[40watt]

So why do these venders sell kits with five feet of line. It's not as if another five feet of line would break the bank.

My kit came with four or five feet of 1/4 in line. By all accounts this is useless. Paying shipping for more line because it wasn't included in the first place, is the kind of thing that's gonna piss me off.

 

[ejericson]

well that did the trick! went to 12' feet of line at 12PSI and that totally calmed it down to almost the perfect pour. i might need to take off a foot as it is a little weak, but im going to give it a few days to see how it turns out.

thanks for the advice it really made my day!

 

[ejericson]

so ive almost got it all dialed in accept there is still some unwanted foam. when i pour a beer i get about 1/4 glass of good beer, then a quick spurt of foam, then solid beer again. so the quick burst of foam in the middle cause more foam to form as the rest of the glass fills up leaving me with the top 1/4 of my glass all foam.

Any ideas?

 

[gr8shandini]

5 to 6 feet of 3/16" line should be enough. I think it's the warm tower that's causing your trouble. I found a good link when responding to another post that has a line balancing calculator and a troubleshooting guide:

http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/kegbalance.shtml

And even with a cooled and insulated tower, the first beer of a session is usually a little squirrelly. Does your problem clear up with the second pint?

 

[BigRob]

I coil my lines and used zipties to keep then in a nice coil, then I sit on top of the keg. Seems to work well.

 

[ejericson]

i started with 5 feet at everywhere from 8-12 PSI and it was nothing but foam, when i added the additional length that balanced it out much better. no it doesnt get better with additional glasses, it pours well for a second or two, then a quick spurt of foam, then good beer again.

 

[smakudwn]

i started with 5 feet at everywhere from 8-12 PSI and it was nothing but foam, when i added the additional length that balanced it out much better. no it doesnt get better with additional glasses, it pours well for a second or two, then a quick spurt of foam, then good beer again.

I would be interested in this also, mine does this exact same thing and its driving me nuts. I have 10 foot lines on 2 different kegs, doing the same on both.

 

[GryphonBrew]

Could there be some type of blockage in your dip tube, disconnect, beer line, or faucet that would cause an issue? Air pocket?

 

[bkl63]

5 feet is fine, you need to know the temperature of your beer (pour a glass, dump or chug, pour another and measure temp) and the carb level of the beer. With this information you can properly set your pressure. Also the tower may need to be set up with a chiller (Google Beer Tap Chiller).

 

[ShakerD]

My system has been doing this lately as well. I ordered new line and am going to clean the system top to bottom to see if that will restore it to it's former perfect pours.

 

[barneygumble]

First, I think the OP said he originally had 5' of 1/4" line, not 3/16. That was far too short for that diameter. It seems that his problem cleared up with the new hose.

I'd like to add, and being new here I imagine its been mentioned before, that an alternative remedy to long hose (like me, I have a very small custom fridge two tap setup that barely fits the 6' I have that the LBHS was selling at the time) is to drop an insert from an epoxy mixing nozzle down the dip tube of your kegs to create resistance and help balance the system.

 

[Yooper]

5 feet is fine, you need to know the temperature of your beer (pour a glass, dump or chug, pour another and measure temp) and the carb level of the beer. With this information you can properly set your pressure. Also the tower may need to be set up with a chiller (Google Beer Tap Chiller).

In my experience over the years, 5 feet of line is rarely fine. It depends on the rise to the faucet, etc, but even if calculates out as "ok", it usually isn't. I went to 6', then 8' and then finally 10' lines and it's perfect.

But in this case, it sounds like something is "knocking" the co2 out of solution and causing foaming in the middle of the pour. An obstruction, or a faulty poppit or something sounds likely.

 

[chickypad]

5 feet is fine, you need to know the temperature of your beer (pour a glass, dump or chug, pour another and measure temp) and the carb level of the beer. With this information you can properly set your pressure. (Google Beer Tap Chiller).

This doesn't make sense to me either. For my dispensing temp I set the pressure to get the carbonation level I want, then make the lines long enough to get a good pour (for me that's 8 feet but I also buy beer line with a fairly high resistance). Using a 5 ft line and dialing down the pressure to get a good pour would give me undercarbed beer.

 

[BiscayneBrewing]

Not necessarily, you just have dial down the pressure while serving. Then dial it back up when you're done drinking.

As an example, I have a keg of rootbeer on tap for the wife and kid. It needs to be carbed at 30 psi for proper carbonation but good luck trying to serve at 30 psi (If it even stays in the glass you'll get all foam) . So I turn off CO2, bleed the pressure off and then turn the CO2 back on at serving pressure. Every few days I'll jack it back up to 30 to keep up the carbination.

 

[ejericson]

First, I think the OP said he originally had 5' of 1/4" line, not 3/16. That was far too short for that diameter. It seems that his problem cleared up with the new hose.

i started with 5' of 3/16 not 1/4, then went to 12 feet and made a HUGE diference, i must be getting some kind of interruption mid pour but cant figure out... the line is laid out nicely no kinks or hard corners. proper temp and PSI. i think i do need to subtract a foot of line but that wouldnt foam it up mid pour would it?

anything other suggestions??
thanks for all the replies so far

 

[Yooper]

Not necessarily, you just have dial down the pressure while serving. Then dial it back up when you're done drinking.

As an example, I have a keg of rootbeer on tap for the wife and kid. It needs to be carbed at 30 psi for proper carbonation but good luck trying to serve at 30 psi (If it even stays in the glass you'll get all foam) . So I turn off CO2, bleed the pressure off and then turn the CO2 back on at serving pressure. Every few days I'll jack it back up to 30 to keep up the carbination.

What a pain! I'd rather just have longer line and never mess with anything. What if you want a drink of one beer, but then someone else wants a different one, and one wants a soda? That would make me crazy, crawling into the kegerator, adjusting up and down and setting one pressure for one, then turning it down to pour a beer. Then, before going to bed, turning them all back to the right pressure. Arrgghh.


I have 30' of line for soda (although I rarely make it now that my kids are gone), and 10' for beer lines, and I never ever mess with my system. It's a lot easier, and I never have foamy beer OR soda.

 

[Yooper]

i started with 5' of 3/16 not 1/4, then went to 12 feet and made a HUGE diference, i must be getting some kind of interruption mid pour but cant figure out... the line is laid out nicely no kinks or hard corners. proper temp and PSI. i think i do need to subtract a foot of line but that wouldnt foam it up mid pour would it?

anything other suggestions??
thanks for all the replies so far

The foaming up mid-pour makes me think there is some sort of obstruction that is blocking the "out"- either in the connection (a tiny leak?) or in the line itself. Something isn't quite right.

 

[BiscayneBrewing]

I have a secondary regulator so each kegs pressure can be set individually. But I agree, still a pain. I will definitely be looking into a longer line for the soda keg when I order more.

 

[barneygumble]

Not necessarily, you just have dial down the pressure while serving. Then dial it back up when you're done drinking.

As an example, I have a keg of rootbeer on tap for the wife and kid. It needs to be carbed at 30 psi for proper carbonation but good luck trying to serve at 30 psi (If it even stays in the glass you'll get all foam) . So I turn off CO2, bleed the pressure off and then turn the CO2 back on at serving pressure. Every few days I'll jack it back up to 30 to keep up the carbination.

I use secondary regulators for different brews too. Its a two keg fridge. I did what you did for years. This prepackaged system of mine has no room for more hosing whatsoever. Especially now that I added the secondary regs in the back. Its tight to get the hoses I have in them. I hear they make low flow beer line now which may help my cause eventually, but I learned the epoxy insert trick, dropped one down each of my dip tubes. Now I can leave my carbonation levels set at optimum for style for almost all beers and get a nice pour.
Available from Grainger or McMaster Carr cheap.

 

[ejericson]

The foaming up mid-pour makes me think there is some sort of obstruction that is blocking the "out"- either in the connection (a tiny leak?) or in the line itself. Something isn't quite right.

Where should i check for leaks??

 

[bkl63]

Carbination levels are dependent on the Temp of the liquid in the keg, and the Atmospere of the desired beer, know these two, the correct pressure can be set. There are charts that knowing temp and Atmosphere they will give you the pressure. Your system need to be in balance or foam will occur. By turing down the pressure when serving you are actually taking your system out of balance and going about your issue in the wrong manner. Any changes to pressure don't take place instantly. You may need to bleed off pressure if it's set high or add pressure it it's low and the change may take 24 to 48 hours to be reflected in your beer.

This doesn't make sense to me either. For my dispensing temp I set the pressure to get the carbonation level I want, then make the lines long enough to get a good pour (for me that's 8 feet but I also buy beer line with a fairly high resistance). Using a 5 ft line and dialing down the pressure to get a good pour would give me undercarbed beer.

 

[bkl63]

Original poat said said 3/16" line.

First, I think the OP said he originally had 5' of 1/4" line, not 3/16. That was far too short for that diameter. It seems that his problem cleared up with the new hose.

I'd like to add, and being new here I imagine its been mentioned before, that an alternative remedy to long hose (like me, I have a very small custom fridge two tap setup that barely fits the 6' I have that the LBHS was selling at the time) is to drop an insert from an epoxy mixing nozzle down the dip tube of your kegs to create resistance and help balance the system.

 

[Yooper]

Where should i check for leaks??

You could try taking a part the black quick disconnect. A screwdriver fits in the slot on top. But if you do that, make sure you do it over a white paper towel, as there are four pieces. And the black o-ring WILL go right down the drain if you do it over the sink. Trust me on this. Clean it out and inspect it, and put it back together. You can also release pressure from the keg, and take off the "out" post. Sometimes some debris goes up the diptube and clogs up the poppit in the post. I've had that happen. Or an obstruction in the long diptube. You can pull it out and hold it up to the light and eyeball through it to see if that's a problem.

 

[CS223]

You didn't mention the keg type. If it's a corny, there's an o-ring on the underside of the dip tube (& gas tube). I believe if this o-ring goes bad that it can can leak gas past the diptube and into the QD tap. According to the LHBS, one tube has the square type o-ring and the other has a standard o-ring.