Kegland flow control QD - foaming and low pressure

[Plop]

Hi there!

I recently started to keg, when I bought the equipment I figured it would be easier to have a quick disconnect with flow control (Product link) than having 10,000 ft of tubing in the kegerator.

I wanted to start with something simple and I made hop water. Then I started to run into foaming issues, the tap just pours foam and it does it really slowly.
Video below or link there: Video

I did some troubleshooting:
- took the keg out
- put another flow control QD on it without any tubing and same problem
- I replaced it with a standard QD without flow control and I get loads of pressure and pretty much no foam

The flow control is opened as much as it can, not sure why I get no pressure. No clue regarding the foam, design flaw?

Am I using those QDs wrong somehow? Or did I just waste money on those fancy QDs?

Thanks!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I have no experience with flow control QDs, but I'd recommend trying EVABarrier tubing. It's a lot smaller diameter than normal beer tubing, so the lengths you use are a lot shorter.

I notice that kegland has discontinued the QDs, so I wonder if you weren't the only one having problems with them.

- I replaced it with a standard QD without flow control and I get loads of pressure and pretty much no foam

Have you adjusted the flow control QD "full throw" in both directions? Are you sure you have it adjusted in the correct direction? I'm not insulting your intelligence. When I have problems in my brewery, 85% of the time, it's something stupid-simple (i.e., user error) like that.

 

[ANY]

I have a very similar problem. Mine produces 100% foam with the pressure I want... and they leak.
At first I thought that it was because they were still warm. 2 hours, no change.
I feel I too have wasted my money.

 

[McMullan]

Try disassembling and cleaning. If that doesn't work, repeat and change the o-rings. I managed, with a struggle, to get mine working without any tubing/tap fitted directly. I wouldn't buy another one and I'm not surprised they've been discontinued. If Kegland release a more reliable plastic version in the future (I think they plan to) then they should exchange for these dysfunctional units, free of charge.

 

[Plop]

Today, I made a couple of experiments with tubing this time and same result. No flow when set at the minimum and a painfully slow flow of foam when set at the maximum. No issue with a regular QD though.

I took it apart and cleaned it, I noticed a fair amount of vegetal matter coming from the hops. That does not bode well if I decide to brew an NEIPA… No improvement regarding the flow after cleaning.

Not sure why the o-rings would slow the flow or create foam but I’ll give it a shot.

I’ll keg a stout soon, I’ll see if the situation improves or if that was a waste of money.

No news from the customer service of Kegland unfortunately.

 

[day_trippr]

I imagine the adjustment mechanism is similar to that found on a flow control faucet - and those are not hop-debris-friendly, either.
Anyway...I think it's likely a tell that the QD is no longer in production...

Cheers!

 

[Plop]

I just tried to change the o-ring, interestingly the one provided with the flow control QD is chunkier than a normal one. It could make sense that changing it fixes the flow issue but no luck on my end.

 

[McMullan]

Replacing the potentially duff o-rings now is going to reduce the chance of any leaks occurring soon.

 

[Brooothru]

Sorry to sound the fatalistic POV that others have stated, but my experience with flow control variable pressure QD's is the same as yours. I bought two several years ago. It seemed like a good design, at least conceptually, but I just couldn't make them work the way I wanted. They're stored away in a spare parts box somewhere.

As @3 Dawg Night said, I also saw where Kegland is discontinuing those QDs. I did have much better luck with the Perlick flow control taps, though they are pricey and sometimes finicky. The tap that has impressed me the most however is the Intertap Nukatap. Out-of-the-box, worked fine with smooth pours and no foam. They also make a flow control version but I haven't seen the need to go that route.

It's been a couple of years since I replaced lines in my kegerator so I just got some 4mm EVABarrier and a bunch of DuoTight fittings to change out everything from the keg disconnects to the faucet shanks in the tower shaft. All the parts have finally arrived so I may tackle the project tomorrow. Wish me luck.

 

[Plop]

Sorry to sound the fatalistic POV that others have stated, but my experience with flow control variable pressure QD's is the same as yours. I bought two several years ago. It seemed like a good design, at least conceptually, but I just couldn't make them work the way I wanted. They're stored away in a spare parts box somewhere.

As @3 Dawg Night said, I also saw where Kegland is discontinuing those QDs. I did have much better luck with the Perlick flow control taps, though they are pricey and sometimes finicky. The tap that has impressed me the most however is the Intertap Nukatap. Out-of-the-box, worked fine with smooth pours and no foam. They also make a flow control version but I haven't seen the need to go that route.

It's been a couple of years since I replaced lines in my kegerator so I just got some 4mm EVABarrier and a bunch of DuoTight fittings to change out everything from the keg disconnects to the faucet shanks in the tower shaft. All the parts have finally arrived so I may tackle the project tomorrow. Wish me luck.

It sounds like you and I have the exact same setup. The 4mm tubing is pretty good I like it a lot, it stays manageable in the kegerator (5ish ft at 15psi). I'll use some 5mm tubing for stouts though, the 4mm introduces too much resistance for low pressure kegs.

The duotight fittings are super handy, I just find that the ones with an FFL connection are easy to break when tightening. After all they are made of plastic...

 

[McMullan]

Surprise, surprise…

 

[Plop]

Surprise, surprise…

Sounds like the perfect solution, they are suprisingly affordable when you compare it with flow control ball lock + duo tight fitting.
I would be curious to see the flow at a low pressure like 5psi or so.

 

[day_trippr]

I wouldn't expect the Aussie to spill his guts about discontinued products but I'm pretty sure the original SS version was discontinued because they were very pricey, did not work very well unless one could use very short lines or were using them for dispensing sodas (high pressure), and you had to use the included post O-rings otherwise they would leak, clearly a design error. Otherwise they were great

These new designs look interesting though, particularly for travel/party setups, or for those who don't have enough taps to avoid having to change pressure setups for different styles...

Cheers!

 

[Brooothru]

Surprise, surprise…

Any idea where these flow control connectors are being sold domestically in the States? Williams, More Beer, all the usual suspects don't show it in inventory, and shipping from Down Under is quite pricey.

 

[k-os]

Any idea where these flow control connectors are being sold domestically in the States? Williams, More Beer, all the usual suspects don't show it in inventory, and shipping from Down Under is quite pricey.

I've found it's usually 4-6 months before we see the Kegland products available stateside once they put out the initial announcement.

 

[Plop]

They are available in Canada:
https://brewhq.ca/products/duotight-ball-lock-disconnect-black-liquid-8mm

 

[McMullan]

Any idea where these flow control connectors are being sold domestically in the States? Williams, More Beer, all the usual suspects don't show it in inventory, and shipping from Down Under is quite pricey.

No, no idea. I get all my kegland peripherals from their aliexpress shop. Postage rates are getting a bit silly, though, especially on top of new VAT charges. So I’m thinking about opting out just based on that. The LHBSs trying to f*ck me over, to stuff their shareholders, can f*ck off too. I’m easy

 

[McMullan]

I should note too that ‘push fittings’ aren’t designed to be pushed indefinitely. I do wonder how my bulletproof CMB discos (with barbed flares) compare over time. I‘m pretty sure kegland could sell a dog turd on a slipper then come back six months later to sell a slipper without a dog turd or even two slippers with dog turds

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Williams has the them

 

[Brooothru]

Williams has the them

I saw the new DuoTight quick disconnects, but didn't see the flow control ones. I'll give another look. Thanks.

 

[Lurp Nuts]

Bumping this because I'm having a similar issue with these new version connects.

I installed one on a seltzer tap a couple days ago, and was super stoked. No line breakout, good control, worked great. Next day I poured a glass, and it was all fits and spurts. Something is happening inside the mechanism that is causing bubbles, lots of them. I tried re-seating the hose a couple times. Tried trimming the end. Tried lubing everything that seemed reasonable. Nothing's worked. I'm confused why it would work flawlessly, then suddenly fail. I actually bought two of them, and the other is doing the same thing, too.

If anybody's had these issues, and come up with a fix, I'm all ears. Or eyes or whatever.

 

[day_trippr]

Can you actually see the disruption in the beer line at the disconnect?

Cheers!

 

[doogie]

I got some a few years ago, had similar issues and performed the mod described here Kegland Flow Control Keg Ball Locks?
They've been working fine for me since

 

[Lurp Nuts]

Can you actually see the disruption in the beer line at the disconnect?

Cheers!

Yes, huge bubbles starting at the disconnect, like sometimes it gets close to half gas/half liquid. No problems with other regular disconnects. I've also tried multiple kegs, so the problem appears to be isolated.

 

[day_trippr]

I asked as my first thought was could there be something trapped inside?

Cheers!

 

[Lurp Nuts]

I asked as my first thought was could there be something trapped inside?

Cheers!

No, I disassembled them and had a good look to see if there was anything that could block or potentially leak. It was just carbonated water, so I'd have a hard time imagining anything getting in the way. My first thought was that I had a bad hose connection, so I took some pliers and tried seating it with a large amount of force. Still no changes.

 

[pvpeacock]

Are you having the same problem with beer or only with soda water and hop water? I have the plastic flow control disconnects in my 5 tap keezer and only the soda water/hop water keg has issues. I think it may be inherent with the higher carbonation levels in the water vs. the beer. Also, I notice that hop water foams way more than soda water or beer for some reason.