FOAM!! THE ULTIMATE NOOB ? BUT I CANT FIX IT!!

[leebrockney]

Hey everyone. I recently underwent a remodel of an old garage on my property and turned it into a music studio. I built a bar inside and started with a basic keezer build and went from there.

Build details:

Taprite regulator
20lb Tank
Perlick faucets
6ft beer lines
Temp bottom and top near 36 degrees F all the time
Fan installed inside unit.

Currently running blue moon and cider boys cidre.

The issue is not just that I get pure foam. Its also that the pressure coming out of the taps is ultra high. At 10lbs psi its like a fire hose. Its strong even at or near 0. I replaced regulator thinking it was bad. It wasn't. I originally had only 2 ft beer lines. So I put in 6 ft lines to create more resistance. I have replaced thermometers and temp is always around 36 anywhere I put the probe. I am just stuck. Ran through my 5 gallons of blue moon just trying to get it fixed and now on to my 8 gal of cidre and its pure foam too.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Lee

 

[day_trippr]

You didn't mention the inside diameter of your beer lines, and that's hugely important.
Most home dispensing systems use 3/16" ID lines, and if one does that using 1 foot of line per PSI of CO2 the pour quality should be acceptable.

Otoh, if you're using wider bore line you'd need a hella lot of it.

Check out the only beer line length calculator worth using, plug in your particulars, and see what it recommends for different line IDs.

Also, wrt adjusting your regulator to zero pressure and still pouring like a fire hose: unless you release the head space pressure in the keg, it'll still be above the lowered regulator pressure. Next time turn down the regulator, pop the keg PRV, then slowly raise the regulator pressure to the desired setting...

Cheers!

 

[leebrockney]

Thanks for the reply. Yes. your process of releasing the keg pressure is exactly what I did. Once I lowered the reg pressure. I pop the keg pressure valve and release all the gas inside the keg and let it re-pressurize. Still seems very high pressure even when I have reg way down.

I will check line size. I thought the keezer build I used said 3/16 for gas and 5/16 for beer. It may have been opposite. I will check. Thanks!

 

[day_trippr]

Good catch - 5/16" ID beer line would require prodigious lengths to tame the beer - use that calculator I linked to see how much

Cheers!

 

[leebrockney]

Good catch - 5/16" ID beer line would require prodigious lengths to tame the beer - use that calculator I linked to see how much

Cheers!

Ok! So I checked and I AM using 3/16 ID for beer line. It even says perfect pour 3/16 ID on tube. Lol. I used calculator and put in a 9.5 ft beer line. Set reg to 10 psi. Released pressure on keg. Then opened up the gas (via manifold) to repressurize. I am still getting very fast flow even when I turn the flow control on my perlick faucet almost all the way down. And... its still way foamy.

Could it be possible that I just over pressurized the keg when I had the bad regulator and its just ultra carbonated now? I know that wouldnt effect flow but maybe the foam? Could it improve if I get a new keg?

Thanks!

Lee

 

[bracconiere]

You didn't mention the inside diameter of your beer lines, and that's hugely important.
Most home dispensing systems use 3/16" ID lines, and if one does that using 1 foot of line per PSI of CO2 the pour quality should be acceptable.

Otoh, if you're using wider bore line you'd need a hella lot of it.

Check out the only beer line length calculator worth using, plug in your particulars, and see what it recommends for different line IDs.

Also, wrt adjusting your regulator to zero pressure and still pouring like a fire hose: unless you release the head space pressure in the keg, it'll still be above the lowered regulator pressure. Next time turn down the regulator, pop the keg PRV, then slowly raise the regulator pressure to the desired setting...

Cheers!

and if your regulator is slow, and has a shut off valve....shut the valve off and see how far up it goes....they tend to creep...(not sure if that's any help)

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Could it be possible that I just over pressurized the keg when I had the bad regulator and its just ultra carbonated now? I know that wouldnt effect flow but maybe the foam? Could it improve if I get a new keg? [...]

Beer is propelled by head space pressure, which is maintained (with a bit of lag) by the regulator. You may well have over-carbonated the beer at some point, but once you established a head space pressure of 10 psi, that is the pressure that drives the beer. If "beer" is still flying out of the faucet - especially an FC faucet - it must be mostly foam.

Here's something to try to help figure out what's going on: pour a glass of beer, then quickly check the beer line back at the keg. If you're seeing foam all the way back there, either your beer is over carbonated, or there's some issue with the beer path exiting the keg, like a plugged poppet or dip tube or disconnect on the Out post, or a missing/damaged O-ring under the Out dip tube flange...

Cheers!

 

[leebrockney]

I just poured a glass. I see no foam whatsoever in the beer line anywhere. Its clear from faucet to keg. But I get a glass of foam. And its a thick foam. Like whipped cream. On a cidre...

When I start the pour its clear and then quickly changes to foam. I would say though that it's no longer flying out of the faucet. Still seems slightly fast given the FC being down but not crazy.

 

[day_trippr]

Well, good, the foam isn't originating at the keg. That's something - rules out a handful of possibilities

Is this syndrome happening with both the cider and the Blue Moon clone - it read like it is but wanted to check.
And now that you have your beers line(s) in the ball park, are you running the FC faucets wide open?
Finally, if you pour a 12 ounce glass, then pour another immediately, how do the two glasses of beer compare visually?

Cheers!

 

[leebrockney]

Yes. I was having the issue with both the wheat beer and the cidre. The wheat beer is now gone so I don't know if line fix etc would have fixed that. Will have a new one ready next week.

I have the FC faucets almost all the way down. If I open up all the way, Its still pretty aggressive flow.

I will be heading out there shortly and will do the 2 beer glass test and post the results. Really appreciate the help!

Lee

 

[SouthBounds]

I get overpressured commercial kegs all the time. So do the bars, ha! I turn the CO2 off and pour until it won't pour anymore. One good shake of the keg after that. That will pop some CO2 out of solution. Pour again until it stops. Repeat as necessary. Then I hook up the CO2 at 4-6psi (intentionally low).

 

[leebrockney]

I wonder if thats it. Realized I'm almost out of cidre now too from testing! Lol. Maybe a couple new kegs doing what you suggest will do the trick. Just poured these 2 16oz glasses and with the fc wide open. It fills the glass with foam in about 2sec. Left is 1st, right second. Stumped.

 

[Yooper]

I had similar issues- and had to go with 12' foot lines for my 12 psi setting at 39 degrees. It's 100% better now!

 

[Harleybrew32]

I went right for 12 foot lines when i built my kegerator, regulator set to 12psi and 37-39F temp.
seems to pour all beers pretty good.
I did buy some cheap keg quick connects and they had flaws in them and the beer poured foam, but i could see it in the line you said yours was clear.
have you taken your taps apart and cleaned them? even if new there could be something in there, i doubt in both though.

 

[Genuine]

Sounds like Beer line ID and length are your issue. I've had to shorten mine to around 7 feet or so however I have a short rise to my taps from my kegs. In my kegerator that I have upstairs with a tap tower, I need 10 feet of line to get it to pour correctly.

 

[leebrockney]

Final update. Got two new kegs. Went to 15ft beer lines and I am now getting perfect pours every time. Thanks much for the help! Cheers!