Keeper Build Line Balancing

[Mjs6101984]

I wanted to see if could get some help....

I recently built a keezer and looking for help balancing the lines. I am running 10ft of 3/16 with about a 1.5 ft rise. I have my temp set to 37 and the co2 at 14. I am still getting a decent amount of foam and wondering with my line set up of 10ft (I can’t go much less that that) what my PSI and temp should be set at. Right now I have a cheap Michelob Ultra keg that I’m using for testing. Additionally, my lines are insulated, but not yet chilled. This could be a chiller problem, but regardless I want to make sure I have the line length and PSI correct.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Pkrd]

Use this calc here, looks like a few more feet would be better for your setup (you can always shorten your line if the pours are too slow). Slow pours offer the benefit of giving you a little more time to bask in the glory of your home built keezer.

http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/


Common factors in foamy pours:

• Beer coming out too fast (longer lines and/or lower pressure will fix).
• Beer over carbed.
• Lines too warm (CO2 will form bubbles in the line).

Is the foam on the first pour only?
Did you carb your keg at a higher pressure?


Welcome to HBT.

 

[Mjs6101984]

Thanks for the reply.

I didn’t overcarb the beer. I started at zero and slowly increased the pressure. Since starting this conversation I’ve started with a new keg. I’m running it at about 11-12 psi with a new line of 11.5ft (3/16). I had increased my temp, but lowered it to 35 tonight. I know I need to wait 24 hours for it to reach this temp. It seems after raising the temp to 40 the foam was worse and much better at 38. I’ve checked the link posted, but everything seems perfect based on line length and psi, but I’m still getting a decent amount of foam on all pours. This is super aggravating!

 

[RealRayDizzle]

Before I switched to a full refrigerator, my college Keezer would foam the first glass or 2 then get better for a little while, then back to foam if I wasn't drinking fast.

I think maybe since it was a Keezer, the hump for the compressor was getting really cold (below 35 deg) while the top of the keg would be almost 40, so the temp difference was causing problems.

Not sure if this is the case for you, but a circulation fan and maybe a bit of foam around the bottom part of the keg may help.

 

[day_trippr]

Along with Mike's line length calculator, one should reference a carbonation calculator or table, like our favorite table here to find the proper CO2 pressure vs the beer temperature to hit and maintain the desired carbonation level (expressed in volumes of CO2, where most ales are in the 2.4 ball park). Combined these two resources should at least avoid the major pratfalls.

Next, temperature stratification is a real thing with keezers, and it only takes a small fan running 24/7 to prevent it. Beer is drawn from the bottom of the keg - typically the coldest spot in the keezer - while the lines are typically coiled atop the keg - typically in the warmest space in a keezer. One can use that same carbonation table to see rising temperatures mean lower ability to hold CO2 at the same level, and that difference turns into "CO2 breakout" in the warm lines.

Also, one should not discount the potential of mechanical issue with a keg or connector. A partially plugged keg post or dip tube or beer disconnect can cause foaming, as can a damage or missing Out Dip Tube Flange O-ring (capitalized for effect) - the small O-ring under the long dip tube flange. That little O-ring seals the dip tube to the threaded Out riser and seals the post to the dip tube. A nick in the right spot can allow pressurized CO2 in the keg head space to be injected right into the beer stream at the post. So, if the pour is uniformly foamy - and especially if there is "spitting" at the faucet spout - immediately check the beer line at the keg end and if it's filled with foam give the O-ring a good inspection.

Finally, there's the overcarbed condition. There's no way around it, it's by far the most common issue with novices that succumb to the attraction of "burst carbonation". It's all too easy to get it wrong and then there's a protracted ordeal trying to figure out what happened. "Set and Forget" may take a couple of weeks but it is a reliable method that saves beer

Cheers!