Longer lines or tower cooler?

[philly224]

I have an edge star kegerator that I have just started using. Right now I have 5 foot lines and the fridge temperature is at about 33 degrees with a serving pressure of 8 PSI. Currently I have a commercial keg in there but plan to switch to home brew as soon as I can get my next batch ready.

The problem is the first pour is always pretty much all foam, I have to dump 1 to 1.5 glasses every time I go to use it. If I go to use it 10-15 mins later the foam is back. I see a lot of people saying longer lines or a tower cooler can help. I can do both eventually but I don't want to put the money out for both right now. Which would be a better place to start?

 

[sky4meplease]

Try the longer lines and see if it helps.
I have 10' of line, keep my beer at 37-38 degrees and average pressure of 12 psi.
I love the slower pour. It is almost impossible to screw it up. People that don't know a lot about pouring from a tap can pour without me holding their hand.
How far does the beer travel between the kegerator and the tap?

 

[philly224]

Try the longer lines and see if it helps.
I have 10' of line, keep my beer at 37-38 degrees and average pressure of 12 psi.
I love the slower pour. It is almost impossible to screw it up. People that don't know a lot about pouring from a tap can pour without me holding their hand.
How far does the beer travel between the kegerator and the tap?

Umm maybe about two feet from the top of the keg to the faucet if thats what you are asking. The line is 5 feet though.

 

[jerbrew]

That sounds like a temperature problem mostly. As the beer sits and warms up CO2 is coming out of solution. However, 5 ft lines are really short and a cheap immediate remedy would be longer lines. I use 10 ft and have it coiled up towards the back of the kegerator so that most of the beer in the lines stays cool until I can get the motivation to install a tower cooler. I dump (into my mouth as a reminder I need to install a tower cooler) the first ounce or two of the pour and the rest comes out perfect at 14 PSI serving pressure.

 

[philly224]

That sounds like a temperature problem mostly. As the beer sits and warms up CO2 is coming out of solution. However, 5 ft lines are really short and a cheap immediate remedy would be longer lines. I use 10 ft and have it coiled up towards the back of the kegerator so that most of the beer in the lines stays cool until I can get the motivation to install a tower cooler. I dump (into my mouth as a reminder I need to install a tower cooler) the first ounce or two of the pour and the rest comes out perfect at 14 PSI serving pressure.

Thanks! I will try longer lines first and then move on to a tower cooler if needed.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Keep using a sanke keg for your homebrew
Keep the 5 ft lines
Get a flow control faucet....You'll have perfect pours every time

You'll probably not listen and rearrange your entire setup with corny kegs and ridiculously long lines...most people do...most people like the hassle for some unknown reason

 

[day_trippr]

For advise, ^that^ is rather abusive...

Cheers!

 

[philly224]

Keep using a sanke keg for your homebrew
Keep the 5 ft lines
Get a flow control faucet....You'll have perfect pours every time

You'll probably not listen and rearrange your entire setup with corny kegs and ridiculously long lines...most people do...most people like the hassle for some unknown reason

Already have some ball lock kegs from my old mini fridge setup so definitely won't be staying with the sanke kegs. I am probably just going to get the ball locks that screw onto the sanke connections so I can switch back and forth easily if I want to though.

Also already have a flow control faucet and the first pour still sucks.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

For advise, ^that^ is rather abusive...

Cheers!

Coming from the king of abusive ^ That^ is a ridiculous comment that adds nothing to the thread

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Also already have a flow control faucet and the first pour still sucks.

You have a pressure/carb issue then. You shouldn't be having issues with a flow control faucet especially in the winter unless you keep your house like an oven....something else is up like the keg got shaken up big time on the way home. Try shutting off the tank,purge keg,and reset.

 

[philly224]

You have a pressure/carb issue then. You shouldn't be having issues with a flow control faucet especially in the winter unless you keep your house like an oven....something else is up like the keg got shaken up big time on the way home. Try shutting off the tank,purge keg,and reset.

Tried that as well, house is probably 68 degreesish on average.

Is 8 PSI at 33 degrees too high/low?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Tried that as well, house is probably 68 degreesish on average.

Is 8 PSI at 33 degrees too high/low?

33 @ 8 is a bit of an oddball setup. Its a degree above freezing. Most go on average 38 @12 psi. According to the charts your in the correct range even with your current setup. I had crappy Home Depot lines and they were a nightmare with foam..The real lines make a difference if your running cheap lines

 

[philly224]

33 @ 8 is a bit of an oddball setup. Its a degree above freezing. Most go on average 38 @12 psi. According to the charts your in the correct range even with your current setup. I had crappy Home Depot lines and they were a nightmare with foam..The real lines make a difference if your running cheap lines

They came with the kegerator so they most likely are cheap. Ill try switching the lines out first. Thanks everyone!

 

[sky4meplease]

They came with the kegerator so they most likely are cheap. Ill try switching the lines out first. Thanks everyone!

My tower came with 5' lines and I switched them out for 10' without even trying it first.
If you watch the local pub fill pints they waste a ton of beer to foam. They need more volume at the tap to keep things moving.
At home I don't mind if it takes a few seconds longer to pour and can lower the glass a bit to create head if need be.
Personally I would go with 8-10' lines and bring your temperature up 4-5 degrees along with the pressure to compensate for the added temperature. You can always shorten the lines if you want more volume coming out the tap but you can't make the lines longer.

 

[philly224]

So I still have this issue with 10 foot lines. Thinking I am going to have to just get a tower cooler. Whats the cheapest way to build one of these?

 

[Newsman]

So I still have this issue with 10 foot lines. Thinking I am going to have to just get a tower cooler. Whats the cheapest way to build one of these?

Find some way to surround a computer case fan, and put a hole just slightly smaller than whatever tubing (1"?) you are going to use and splice in a wall-wart from an old cell phone. Stick one end of the tube into the small hole you put in the case fan surround and put the other end in your tower. Parts shouldn't cost more than about $10

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I built my cooler around a 40mm ball bearing 12VDC fan and 1" ID/1-1/4" OD vinyl tubing to stuff up the tower column...













For Rev 2.0 I added a mini-vac attachment with a wider front-end bore and that would accept the tubing - once I heated it up...




Cheers!

 

[philly224]

That looks legit! Thanks!

 

[PapaO]

You have a pressure/carb issue then. You shouldn't be having issues with a flow control faucet especially in the winter unless you keep your house like an oven....something else is up like the keg got shaken up big time on the way home. Try shutting off the tank,purge keg,and reset.

Now You're saying its a pressure/carb issue? How can that be You keep saying.

Keep using a sanke keg for your homebrew
Keep the 5 ft lines
Get a flow control faucet....You'll have perfect pours every time

You'll probably not listen and rearrange your entire setup with corny kegs and ridiculously long lines...most people do...most people like the hassle for some unknown reason

To the OP You're beer doesn't know what type of keg you have or how you control the flow. If you're system is out of balance you will get foam. If you only get foam on the first pour and after the beer sits in the line for awhile than that sounds like a warm tower.

 

[Special Hops]

Do the lines first. It cheap. I always have at least 10'.

 

[PapaO]

Do the lines first. It cheap. I always have at least 10'.

He has a flow control faucet so adding more line won't help.

 

[Special Hops]

He has a flow control faucet so adding more line won't help.

Yes. I have flow control faucet and shortened my lines and had nothing but problems. When I went back to long lines it was back to normal. Just because you have flow controls does not mean you can use shorter lines.

That's my experience.

 

[PapaO]

Yes. I have flow control faucet and shortened my lines and had nothing but problems. When I went back to long lines it was back to normal. Just because you have flow controls does not mean you can use shorter lines.

That's my experience.

Line length or flow control faucets only control flow and will not stop co2 coming out of solution in a warm tower. The OP has first pour foam and foam if the beer sits in the line for 10 to 15 minutes. This a classic sign of a warm beer line.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

To the OP You're beer doesn't know what type of keg you have or how you control the flow.

Lately I've been thinking the kegs make a huge difference.

They're completely different in design

ALL kegerators come with short lines and sanke taps with no issue or they would change every kegertor ever sold

Every beer serving establishment in the country uses sankes...if corneys were better they would all switch for the best hassle free pour but they don't.

I used corneys and switched to sankes and now.get the easiest most hassle free pours

I also love the flow control but haven't needed it much but its nice to have...Today was record breaking high temps didn't turn on the AC and I came home to 86 on the thermostat....the tower was warm and got some foam so halfway through the first pour I turned down the flow control and it finished fine....It works and is nice to have

I have no proof...it just makes sense and works for me

 

[PapaO]

Lately I've been thinking the kegs make a huge difference.

They're completely different in design

ALL kegerators come with short lines and sanke taps with no issue or they would change every kegertor ever sold

Every beer serving establishment in the country uses sankes...if corneys were better they would all switch for the best hassle free pour but they don't.

I used corneys and switched to sankes and now.get the easiest most hassle free pours

I also love the flow control but haven't needed it much but its nice to have...Today was record breaking high temps didn't turn on the AC and I came home to 86 on the thermostat....the tower was warm and got some foam so halfway through the first pour I turned down the flow control and it finished fine....It works and is nice to have

I have no proof...it just makes sense and works for me

PapaO

 

[PapaO]

Lately I've been thinking the kegs make a huge difference.

What huge difference? All a keg is something to hold pressure.
They're completely different in design

Both are designed to hold pressure. How is that different?

ALL kegerators come with short lines and sanke taps with no issue or they would change every kegertor ever sold
Then why do you have flow control taps?

Every beer serving establishment in the country uses sankes...if corneys were better they would all switch for the best hassle free pour but they don't.

Or that’s how they get there beer.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

(1) Corneys have skinny dip tubes and poppet connections. Sankes have 3/4" spears and some sort of large diaphragm on top....Completely different

(2) A soda can holds pressure...A keg is a serving/disbursing devise and not just something to hold pressure. Which goes back to (1)

(3) Flow control...Because they help like in the time mentioned today so why not

(4) Laughable

I've used both, speak from experience and found sankes far better

I'd love to hear why you switched from sankes to cornys....didn't think so

 

[PapaO]

(1) Corneys have skinny dip tubes and poppet connections. Sankes have 3/4" spears and some sort of large diaphragm on top....Completely different

(2) A soda can holds pressure...A keg is a serving/disbursing devise and not just something to hold pressure. Which goes back to (1)

(3) Flow control...Because they help like in the time mentioned today so why not

(4) Laughable

I've used both, speak from experience and found sankes far better

I'd love to hear why you switched from sankes to cornys....didn't think so

If you want to discuss this more start a new thread so the Mods don’t lock this down and the OP can get an answer ....didn't think so

PapaO

Not from State of Confusion

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

If you want to discuss this more start a new thread so the Mods don’t lock this down and the OP can get an answer ....didn't think so

PapaO

Not from State of Confusion

I wasn't looking for an argument or to discuss my opinion in detail from the get go

Cheers

 

[jmcquesten]

(1) Corneys have skinny dip tubes and poppet connections. Sankes have 3/4" spears and some sort of large diaphragm on top....Completely different

(2) A soda can holds pressure...A keg is a serving/disbursing devise and not just something to hold pressure. Which goes back to (1)

(3) Flow control...Because they help like in the time mentioned today so why not

(4) Laughable

I've used both, speak from experience and found sankes far better

I'd love to hear why you switched from sankes to cornys....didn't think so

I am interested in how/why the sanke could be different. Can anyone do a side by side comparison on the same setup to see if there's anything to this? Maybe someone not involved in the heated line length vs flow control "debate".

Kegorators come with the bare minimum to "work", but not necessarily give the best performance.