Keg foam

[Mrcmb]

I’m new to getting. I did a 30 psi cold crash for two days and has been sitting at 12 psi for the last 3 days. When beers pours it’s a lot of foam. When I release the pressure and add 5 psi it pours fine. What am I doing wrong. Or do I just need to wait longer at 12 psi. My temp is about 37 degrees

 

[MMP126]

So 30psig for 2 days, then left on 12psig for 3 days. That should be ok, maybe a bit high on carbonation.

To start:
What is your beer line size, ID and overall length?
Are your beer lines clean?
How far is the center of your keg from the faucet outlet?

 

[Mrcmb]

I would think the lines are between 8-10 feet. It was the lines that came with the kegerator that i bought
https://www.kegco.com/hbk309s-2k-ho...et-with-stainless-steel-door/#product-reviews

 

[day_trippr]

If they are the original lines provided with the kegerator it's much more likely the lines are only 5-6 feet long.
That's been the "standard" forever, and the cause of many threads on HBT

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

I’m new to getting.

lol...if you mean new to kegging, day_trppr had a great suggestion in another thread, about checking your dip tub o-rings....i was just voyuering, and it helped me out.


if it pours fine at 5psi though, not sure if it would apply....

 

[myndflyte]

Yeah I'd check the length of the lines. You'll want 10 ft if you're at 12 psi.

 

[Mrcmb]

Yeah I'd check the length of the lines. You'll want 10 ft if you're at 12 psi.

if i went lower on the PSI for the time being would my beer stay carbonated if i set it at 8 or so?

 

[myndflyte]

if i went lower on the PSI for the time being would my beer stay carbonated if i set it at 8 or so?

Yeah it'll be fine.

 

[day_trippr]

Assuming 12 psi was the equilibrium pressure and the temperature hasn't changed, 8 psi will slowly flatten the beer as the head space expands and the dissolved CO2 comes out of solution to maintain equilibrium.

While there are lots of ways to produce undesirable foam (including a damaged or missing Out dip tube O-ring mentioned by @bracconiere), I'm gonna guess this keg is overcarbed and the lines aren't long enough to handle that condition...

Cheers!

 

[camonick]

if i went lower on the PSI for the time being would my beer stay carbonated if i set it at 8 or so?

That all depends on the carbonation level you desire in your beer. You can use this chart Force Carbonation Chart - Kegerators.com to determine where you want to be. A balanced system is key to enjoying your draft beer without hassle. There are a lot of line calculators you can refer to, but I have found through my experience that a minimum of 1 foot of 3/16” or similar line per psi will give you a good starting point to begin balancing your system. I personally have to use close to 1.2 feet/ psi for some reason to make my beer pour well. I also believe that while it takes longer to carbonate, the set and forget method is a fail safe way to get perfectly carbonated beer. Bear in mind that your elevation plays a big part in how your system operates also. Somebody at sea level needs different settings than I do in Colorado (my regulator is set at 14 psi to achieve the carbonation level I like and my beverage lines are 16-18’ long)

 

[day_trippr]

^excellent^

Cheers!

 

[Mrcmb]

Can I add tubing by a connector ? I don’t know I could get behind the tower to change the tubing

 

[camonick]

Sometimes adding inline connections create a nucleation site that knocks even more CO2 out of solution, compounding the original problem.

 

[wsmith1625]

I bought my kegerator before i started brewing and kegging my own beer. Back then i didn't know the volumes of co2 in the kegs I bought. I would use the co2 volumes chart and set the regulator to what i thought was correct for the beer style, but still would get foamy pours. Then I came across a tip online that helped a lot. Look at the beer line right after pouring a beer. If you see bubbles coming from the coupler, your regulator is set too low and gas is escaping from the beer. In your case, if your regulator and temperature are correct, then it means your keg is over carbed.

Disconnect your gas line and shake the keg up a bit. Then pull the pressure relief valve to let some gas off. Do this a few times and then reconnect the gas line. Shake the keg until you stop hearing gas enter the keg. Then wait about a day for the pressured to balance and you should be fine.

I've changed my lines since buying my kegerator but kept then at the original 5 foot length. I never have problems with foamy pours. I'm sure longer lines might help but they won't fix an unbalanced keg. Good luck.