At my wits end with kegging

[TimpanogosSlim]

Well it's a pin lock keg so I was purging the oxygen from the

From the gas post you say.

Two things.

1: I don't believe that co2 introduced through the gas dip tube forms a little blanket right at the bottom of the headspace in the tank. Makes no sense. Turbulence from the gas entering would cause it to mix with the atmosphere inside the headspace almost completely. IMHO.

2: Even if the "oxygen floats on top" theory is correct, which it isn't, venting through the gas post comes with an inherent risk of beer fountains.

BUT, this is all easily dealt with. Go to Harbor Freight or whatever hardware store and get a cheap pipe cutter.

The next time you have the gas post off, use the pipe cutter to trim the gas dip tube as short as you can make it with the pipe cutter, which is about 1/2 inch.

The only real job that dip tube has is to hold the o-ring in place.

This will help you avoid beer fountains, and assuage any superstition about mystical co2 that does not rapidly mix with it's surrounding atmosphere.

If you don't have a pin-lock post wrench, go make one. or buy one. But if you have a dremel tool or an angle grinder, they are cheap and easy to make. If you don't have the ability to strip down the keg, there will come a day when you have a leak that you can't fix until you have the right tools.

 

[Bobby_M]

Here's the thing. You can't set and forget after you are already overcarbed. At this point i would disconnect the gas and try to pour. If it is foam, vent the keg to zero and come back in 3 hour to test pour again. If foam, vent to zero and wait again.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Here's the thing. You can't set and forget after you are already overcarbed. At this point i would disconnect the gas and try to pour. If it is foam, vent the keg to zero and come back in 3 hour to test pour again. If foam, vent to zero and wait again.

So is the idea that eventually u will be able pour a pint that is not just foam and you can evaluate the carbonation levels?

 

[Bobby_M]

Assuming you're not knocking all the CO2 out of solution due to short lines, you will eventually get the volumes of CO2 down enough so that it will pour nicely.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Well I have installed 10' lines and now have disconnected the gas and am relieving it of c02 every few hrs ... It is already pouring nicer than before but still mostly foam... Luckily I anticipated that I may have some trial and error with kegging so I am making my first attempt at it with a cheap extract kit that I don't much mind if I waste.. I just want to figure his out now before I keg my dark ale I have had conditioning for 3 months. Thanks for the input Bobby_M .. It has helped a lot

 

[mooshimanx]

I usually just shake it up around 2 to 4 minutes and then leave them for two days or so. I never get overcarbed and I don't have to wait for 7-10 days for carbonation. It's worked out pretty well so far.

The other tip is to make sure you aren't just opening the tap part way; somewhat unintuitively, if you try to open the tap part way to slow the flow (usually because you're getting some foam), it just causes even more foam. You have to open the tap all the way.