Another Keg Balancing Thread

[SporkD2]

I am going to hook up all my lines for my keezer I just finished building tomorrow and have a question.

All of the sites I read about balancing your system give formulas for making sure you pour the perfect pint.

If I keep my freezer at 38° and want 2.6 volume I need 12.3 PSI(http://draughtquality.org/f/DBQM_Full.pdf page 31). So calculating the resistance of the system I get -.5 (vertical rise) and 2 (shank) which leaves me with 10PSI. If each foot of 3/16" beer line gives me 3PSI resistance, then I need around 3.5' of beer line.

I have read many people saying that they have 10' of beer line in their system and pour perfectly. How can this be? The math doesnt add up.

Thanks

 

[dataz722]

It may be because they have the beer warmer or use towers.

 

[Bobby_M]

You can use the formula, install 3.5 feet, pour foam, then buy all new tubing or alternatively you can trust the dozens of folks who have already done that. The advice is to start with 10' per faucet and then trim a foot at a time if it pours too slow. At 12 psi, it's more likely that you can start with 8 feet. It's a lot cheaper to start with 8, and potentially discard 4 feet than to buy 4 feet, discard the whole thing, and buy 8 more.

 

[spotter]

+1 to start with more, then trim.

I just set up my system, and I went through the math, and calculated I'd need just over 20' of 1/4 ID tubing. Set it up, it pours great. I've learned since then that 20' of 1/4 ID is pretty much the conventional wisdom here.

You may want to refine your calculations a bit, the resources I used seem to be lower than what you're citing. My favorite resources:
http://www.micromatic.com/direct-draw-draft-beer-system-aid-121.html
http://kegman.net/balance.html

 

[wildwest450]

+1 to start with more, then trim.

I just set up my system, and I went through the math, and calculated I'd need just over 20' of 1/4 ID tubing. Set it up, it pours great. I've learned since then that 20' of 1/4 ID is pretty much the conventional wisdom here.

You may want to refine your calculations a bit, the resources I used seem to be lower than what you're citing. My favorite resources:
http://www.micromatic.com/direct-draw-draft-beer-system-aid-121.html
http://kegman.net/balance.html

Wow 20' of 1/4"?? That's not conventional wisdom here. Most setups use 3/16" and considerably shorter lines. You must have a special situation.

 

[spotter]

Wow 20' of 1/4"?? That's not conventional wisdom here. Most setups use 3/16" and considerably shorter lines. You must have a special situation.

Yes, for most folks 3/16" and 10' trimmed down is conventional wisdom and the right solution. Let me rephrase:
If you need to use 1/4 ID for example because you want a certain brand to avoid off tastes or because your taps aren't next to your cooler, then 20' of 1/4" is the conventional wisdom. I have about 12' from fridge side to faucet and also went with the special line while I was at it. The total length of my lines are just over 20' a piece with 8' of that coiled up in the fridge. I went through a bunch of calculations to determine that yes, 20' is the right overall length (just like everyone said) and my pour is pretty darn sweet.

Summary:
Plan to use 10' of 3/16" ID. If 10' isn't long enough, plan to use 20' of 1/4" ID.

 

[shortyjacobs]

3 psi/foot for 3/16 is pretty high. I've seen numbers that range from 1.3-2 psi/foot. I had 5 feet of 3/16", and it was foam city. I went to 10, and get perfect pours...slight head until the end, when I pour into the center, and build a perfect head.

 

[SporkD2]

3 psi/foot for 3/16 is pretty high. I've seen numbers that range from 1.3-2 psi/foot. I had 5 feet of 3/16", and it was foam city. I went to 10, and get perfect pours...slight head until the end, when I pour into the center, and build a perfect head.

alright I'll try this, like you guys said all i'll be doing is wasting a few feet of beer line anyways.

Thanks everyone