New kegerator conversion foam

[Benner]

I recently built a kegerator from my old mini fridge, and I've been having issue where it seems to burp all foam for the first couple seconds of the poor and then seems fine. If I leave it for a minute or two and top up I generally see the same issue occur again.

Here is the kit I bought: 2 Faucet Tower Kegerator Conversion Kit - Stainless Steel Tower - US Sankey D System - No CO2 Tank (I only measured and realized after that I can only fit 1 30-L keg after I purchased, but the co2 is turned off for the second line)

I have also since bought a tower cooling thinking that may have been the issue, and, I also bought an inkbird to make sure the temperature is correct. I have it set to 34F now with a 1 degree variance and the probe is in a bottle of water.

I also realized there was no washer/gasket on the beer line to the coupler and thought maybe that was the issue. When I bought a cleaning kit one was provided so I cleaned the lines and installed it to the same results.

My co2 is set to about 8psi, and anytime I tried a higher amount there is even more foam.

Does anyone have any guidance or tips to prevent/fix this?

Video can be seen here: 2 new items by Kyle Benner

 

[doug293cz]

What is the length and inside diameter of the beer tubing? This is a critical item to prevent excess foaming.

Brew on

 

[Benner]

What is the length and inside diameter of the beer tubing? This is a critical item to prevent excess foaming.

Brew on

This is a 3/16" ID 5' beer tubing. I bought the conversion as a full kit.
Kit - 2 Faucet Tower Kegerator Conversion Kit - Stainless Steel Tower - US Sankey D System - No CO2 Tank
Beer line from the kit - Beer Line Jumper - 3/16" ID - 5' Vinyl Hose w/ Connectors

 

[doug293cz]

Do you still get the same foaming after the installation of the tower cooler? Foamy first pours are often caused by warm beer lines and tap. The cooler should have reduced/eliminated this as a problem. 5' of line is a bit on the short side. Try replacing it with 10' of line, and keep the excess coiled on top of the keg.

Also, are you pouring with the tap wide open? Pouring with a partially open tap to slow the flow will create more foaming. Longer beer lines will slow the flow and reduce foaming as well.

Brew on

 

[Bobby_M]

It should be illegal by now to sell 5 feet of line in any kegerator or kit. Where are these vendors getting the idea that it's anywhere near enough for a clean pour?

 

[IslandLizard]

Thank you for posting the video of the pour, and the inside shot of the kegerator. It really helps troubleshooting.

As the others said, a longer line (10-12' of 3/16" ID) will help much to slow the pour down. Even when dispensing at 12 psi, which will allow you much better carbonation too.*

The video shows a very foamy pour first, then stabilizes. IME, the foamy pour at the start is from warmed up beer, likely due to the beer-filled line inside the tower not kept cold enough.
What is that tower cooling you bought? Is it a recirculation fan?

Is there any (foam) insulation inside the tower? Maybe you can improve that somewhat. Let that insulation (foam) stick out a couple inches (~5 cm) below the tower, into the fridge, if possible.

I see the beer line is taped against the roof of the fridge. That could be a potential issue too, as the (insulated) inner shell of the fridge may have a slightly higher temp than the air. I'd let the beer line just droop down, as the gas line is. Colder air sinks.

* There is much better alternative for tubing out. It's called EVA Barrier, an oxygen barrier tubing. You may want to read up on it.
6-8' of 4mm ID EVA tubing for each tap would do it, dispensed at 12psi, while it protects your beer from slowly oxidizing. Use EVA line for both, gas and beer lines.
You will need to buy some dedicated adapters, and possibly do some tinkering, to connect those EVA lines, on either side.