Another my beer is pouring flat thread

[TechyDork]

So I can figure this out. My beers all pour with low carbonation from my keg fridge. Here is my set up maybe someone can spot the trouble. Beers pour with a nice head a minimal co2 bubbles and pours are what I would consider normal speed. I have not timed how long a pint takes.

Keg fridge set at 38

14' beer lines 3/16" bev seal ultra beer line

Taps are about 18" above the middle of the kegs

CO2 set at 12 psi

4 port manifold to distribute gas to all 4 kegs.

I have checked and have no gas leaks in the system

I am using the standard chrome faucets.

Help!

 

[kombat]

Why is the temperature set so warm?

 

[william_shakes_beer]

how long has it ben on gas?

Are you burst carbing or doing set and forget? If burst carb, pleas provide details. If set and forget, how long?

 

[ImNoExpert]

your serving pressure is set at 12 but are you setting your carbbing pressure to that as well? How many volumes are you carbbing your beer to?

 

[TechyDork]

Why is the temperature set so warm?

I thought most kept their beer fridges in the upper 30's F, should I keep it cooler?

how long has it ben on gas?

Are you burst carbing or doing set and forget? If burst carb, pleas provide details. If set and forget, how long?

The keg i am drinking has been on gas for a month now, at 12 psi.

I do kind of a combo approach.

When i keg a batch I will fill the keg, attach it to CO2 and hit it with 25 PSI to seal the lid. then release the pressure release valve several times to get all of the O2 out of the keg.

Then i usually roll the keg for 10-15 minutes to get some co2 in solution and give it a head start.

then i put it in the fridge, release the pressure and connect it to the serving CO2 line with 12 psi.

I let it sit for 2-3 weeks and then sample a glass.

your serving pressure is set at 12 but are you setting your carbbing pressure to that as well? How many volumes are you carbbing your beer to?

I am not sure the exact volumes, but I was basing the PSI and temp off of the normal carbing chart that you can find online.

I am wondering if my lines are to long, or is my PSI setting to hi/low?

 

[TechyDork]

Here is the carbing chart i have been using. According to this i should be getting 2.6 volumes of CO2. Right in the middle for carbination of most american style ales.

 

[TechyDork]

Anyone have any ideas? I lowered the fridge temp to 34 and will plan to let that sit for a few days and then test again.

Reading the threads on here about this tubing i see people using anywhere from 6-20' lines in their systems.

I am going to triple check for leaks tonight and see if that is the issue.

 

[IslandLizard]

Your carbonation is fine, definitely after 3 weeks. Jeez, I can't wait that long, it's force carb for 24 hrs at 30 psi then down to 12 psi. A bit foamy for a few hours, then almost perfect, getting better each day.

The resistance of Bev Seal Ultra is around 0.7.
Reason is, its diameter is 1/5" (0.20"), larger than 3/16" (0.1875"), and its a lot slicker than BevLex 200.

20-22' is a good start at 34°F, and like you, I prefer my beer a little less cold. Nothing wrong with 38°F, just add a few feet. BTW, 38F is still too cold for most ales, IMO.

Another thought, do you have a circulation fan inside your fridge? Coiled line near the door is warmer than in the back.

 

[doug293cz]

So I can figure this out. My beers all pour with low carbonation from my keg fridge. Here is my set up maybe someone can spot the trouble. Beers pour with a nice head a minimal co2 bubbles and pours are what I would consider normal speed. I have not timed how long a pint takes.

Keg fridge set at 38

14' beer lines 3/16" bev seal ultra beer line

Taps are about 18" above the middle of the kegs

CO2 set at 12 psi

4 port manifold to distribute gas to all 4 kegs.

I have checked and have no gas leaks in the system

I am using the standard chrome faucets.

Help!

Suggest you do time how long it takes to pour a pint with the tap wide open. If it's less than 10 seconds, then you should try longer lines. To get an estimate of how much longer do the following:

1. Go to the calculator here
2. Put in your current parameters*, including actual pour time.
3. Note the line length calculated as "length_1"
4. Change the pour time to 10 seconds
5. Note the line length calculated as "length_2"
6. Calculate your new line length = current length * length_2 / length_1

This should give you a good correction for the lower flow resistance of Bev Seal Ultra vs. "standard" vinyl lines.

*Supplier specs Bev Seal Ultra at 0.190" ID

Brew on

 

[TechyDork]

Your carbonation is fine, definitely after 3 weeks. Jeez, I can't wait that long, it's force carb for 24 hrs at 30 psi then down to 12 psi. A bit foamy for a few hours, then almost perfect, getting better each day.

The resistance of Bev Seal Ultra is around 0.7.
Reason is, its diameter is 1/5" (0.20"), larger than 3/16" (0.1875"), and its a lot slicker than BevLex 200.

20-22' is a good start at 34°F, and like you, I prefer my beer a little less cold. Nothing wrong with 38°F, just add a few feet. BTW, 38F is still too cold for most ales, IMO.

Another thought, do you have a circulation fan inside your fridge? Coiled line near the door is warmer than in the back.

After reading many other threads I am going to wire up a small PC fan to keep the air moving in there.

I though that my carb should be fine, so that confirms that my system is out of whack.

Suggest you do time how long it takes to pour a pint with the tap wide open. If it's less than 10 seconds, then you should try longer lines. To get an estimate of how much longer do the following:

1. Go to the calculator here
2. Put in your current parameters*, including actual pour time.
3. Note the line length calculated as "length_1"
4. Change the pour time to 10 seconds
5. Note the line length calculated as "length_2"
6. Calculate your new line length = current length * length_2 / length_1

This should give you a good correction for the lower flow resistance of Bev Seal Ultra vs. "standard" vinyl lines.

*Supplier specs Bev Seal Ultra at 0.190" ID

Brew on

So plugging in my numbers and using the 10 second pour time (I will verify this on my system) i get 13.77 ft as a hose length. Now that i look at the site I am pretty sure that is where I came up with the length for my lines.

Too bad that I used up all the tubing. I may just ditch it and go back to the regular vinyl stuff i had before. It was cheaper and easier to deal with.

Ill time out that pour time and see if adjustments are needed or if i just need to ditch this bev seal and go old school.

 

[doug293cz]

After reading many other threads I am going to wire up a small PC fan to keep the air moving in there.

I though that my carb should be fine, so that confirms that my system is out of whack.



So plugging in my numbers and using the 10 second pour time (I will verify this on my system) i get 13.77 ft as a hose length. Now that i look at the site I am pretty sure that is where I came up with the length for my lines.

Too bad that I used up all the tubing. I may just ditch it and go back to the regular vinyl stuff i had before. It was cheaper and easier to deal with.

Ill time out that pour time and see if adjustments are needed or if i just need to ditch this bev seal and go old school.

So, 13+ ft is what you need for ordinary vinyl bev line. The Bev Seal Ultra has less resistance to flow, but you can't adjust coefficient of friction in the calculator, so the kind of convoluted method I laid out is a work around for that.

Brew on