couple of kegging questions after my first keg

[Eddiebosox]

So i just kegged my first beer, an IPA. it tastes fantastic but i have a few questions.

MY tank is showing in the red zone of ordering a new tank, its at about 400 PSI. The problem is I just got it two days ago. Granted this was my first keg so it was a lot of trial and error with adding up to 30 PSI to frice carb, then venting, then to 11, then venting, and back and forth. Should i have lost that much in just a few days? if so, how low can I really go until i need to order a new one? 300, 200? Its not a huge problem, but the place i get it from is only open work hours which means i have to get a zipcar and leave at 6 AM before work to get it...


Also, I just came home after force carbing at about 20 and shaking it and then leaving overnight. Vented it down to about 8, then brought it back up to 12 to serve. Its coming out at a trickle. Do I have to wait a while to build pressure or is something wrong?

 

[Snagg30341]

Is CO2 thank in fridge? If so it will read low due to temperature change. Add 500 ish and that will be what you have.

 

[Eddiebosox]

it is in my fridge. Isn't it supposed to be?

 

[Snagg30341]

Mine was. Doesn't matter. But if it is in fridge it will show low if full. Took mine out and it warmed up and shows full. If it fit in fridge I would have left it in

 

[Snagg30341]

Just saw pour problem. That's not right. Is line kinked? Not sure why trickle. Mine would shoot out at 12. I had up dial it back.

 

[Eddiebosox]

OK, great. Any ideas on the trickle coming from my cobra tap?

 

[Eddiebosox]

OK, i took off and reattached the tap on the out plug and its now coming out fast. Only its all foam. Should I let it subside? Thanks for the real time answer BTW...

 

[Snagg30341]

Add 500 to psi reading on gauge and that's what you have.

If you have 10 or 12 psi it should shoot out. Corny keg? Check liquid out line. Must be blocked or kinked or bad fitting I'd guess. I'm sure someone more wise than I will have a better fix soon.

 

[Snagg30341]

Good!


My cobra does the same. Dial down to 10 psi and purge tank. Try that. If you have short cobra beer line that may be issue also. I need to order a longer cobra line because mine is foamy.

 

[Snagg30341]

Give it a pour or three and see.

 

[conneryis007]

Another possibility, if it doesn't pour fine after the second or third glass is you could have over carbonated the keg. You will have to keep venting it to come back down if this is the case. Another thought, (besides possibly needing longer beer lines) is your tower insulated and cooled? If not the temperature change between keg and shank/faucet creates lots of foam!

 

[boortzie]

Short beer lines can contribute to all foam pours. Try holding the cobra tap up high while pouring into the glass (height has an effect on relative pressure within the line). Not so much that you look stupid, of course, but higher up that the beer out level.

Also, when I was using a picnic tap I had to crank my pressure down to about 8 to serve, then back up to 10ish to hold. And I kept the tap in with the keg (warm taps lead to warming).

 

[Eddiebosox]

I had it up to 20 overnight, as I just kegged it, to force carb. Just brought it down to 11 to serve (after purging). It's not overcarbed. If anything it's still slightly undercarbed. The line is the standard 5 feet that came with the kegging kit.

A few hours on and it's still foaming.

It is damn delicious though...