One keg pours FAST

[Homercidal]

So I got 4 kegs. All Ball Lock. For the most part they all work fine, but one of them seems to pour really fast compared to the others.

For instance I can set my PSI to about 11-15, depending on the beer style. For the other kegs it pours fine. no excessive foam past the first 2 seconds of pour after sitting, and at a reasonable rate.

The other keg, OTOH, seems to pour much faster, and the foam seems to start a few seconds after you start and lasts a few seconds.

I have not touched the PSI and it's been attached to the system along with another keg which poured fine.

I picked up a universal poppet for the liquid side, and replaced the one that was in there (which appeared just fine upon my very critical inspection.)

I'm using the same line that was attached to the previous keg, which poured fine. I've noticed this same behaviour in one of my kegs previously, just never marked which one. Apparently it's rotated back into the kegerator.

I'm kind of out of ideas, other than to buy another 5-10 feet of liquid line just for that one keg...

 

[brewprint]

I've noticed a similar issue. All of my 4 kegs are hooked up to the same psi as I only have one regulator. Some pour good and some not so much. I am still experimenting with the perlick taps though but I had this issue with the picnic taps also.

Maybe length of co2 line changes it?

 

[andrewmaixner]

Did you verify that none of the serving tubes in the slower-pouring kegs have a flow restrictor in them?

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Swap the liquid post and dip tube (with o-ring) to another keg of the same style and see if the issue follows. If so, I would suspect a bur on the dip tube flare or a bad o-ring. If it does not follow, I would suspect the threaded area of the keg on the liquid side to have some sort of damage that is allowing it to suck air.

Likely the flow is not really that muc (if at all) faster but much like a sink faucet with and aerator seems to have a higher pressure/flow-rate, the line sucking air will appear to to flow faster because it fills the glass (with foam) faster.

 

[Homercidal]

I've noticed a similar issue. All of my 4 kegs are hooked up to the same psi as I only have one regulator. Some pour good and some not so much. I am still experimenting with the perlick taps though but I had this issue with the picnic taps also.

Maybe length of co2 line changes it?

A single line runs into the kegerator through the side. It then splits just under the shelf and each runs up the back side-by-side to the top of each keg. They are the same length and in identical positions.

Did you verify that none of the serving tubes in the slower-pouring kegs have a flow restrictor in them?

Since it takes me a while to empty a keg I always completely disassemble each keg and run a dip tube brush through the dip tube while cleaning. All post assemblies get a soak in star-san after a thorough hand-washing.

Swap the liquid post and dip tube (with o-ring) to another keg of the same style and see if the issue follows. If so, I would suspect a bur on the dip tube flare or a bad o-ring. If it does not follow, I would suspect the threaded area of the keg on the liquid side to have some sort of damage that is allowing it to suck air.

Likely the flow is not really that muc (if at all) faster but much like a sink faucet with and aerator seems to have a higher pressure/flow-rate, the line sucking air will appear to to flow faster because it fills the glass (with foam) faster.

I can try swapping posts as soon as I get my next beer kegged, likely pretty soon. I doubt the threads are leaking on the liquid side as that would cause a leak OUT, spilling beer all over.

It might be possible that it seems to flow faster due to the bubbles, I don't think that's the case. The diameter of the pour is obviously larger. I could do a flow rate comparison to verify.

This keg is using the same liquid lines and faucet as the previous keg, which flowed fine. I'll have to do a very fine inspection of the posts and see what I can see.

My gut feeling is that there is height difference, or spring weight difference between the kegs. Perhaps at some point someone swapped a poppet of the wrong type. Maybe I need to verify the type and compare the poppet/post is the right one?

 

[JuanMoore]

I can try swapping posts as soon as I get my next beer kegged, likely pretty soon. I doubt the threads are leaking on the liquid side as that would cause a leak OUT, spilling beer all over.

It might be possible that it seems to flow faster due to the bubbles, I don't think that's the case. The diameter of the pour is obviously larger. I could do a flow rate comparison to verify.

It's usually not the threads that would cause a leak, typically either the diptube o-ring, the underside of the flange on the diptube, or the top of the post (the male threaded part of the keg, not to be confused with the post fitting which everyone around here seems to call the post). And a leak there won't cause beer to spill out, it allows gas from the headspace of the keg to get into the post fitting, and then into the beer line.

And there's an easier and more accurate way to test if this is the case than swapping diptube/post fitting assemblies. Simply look at your beer line to see if it has bubbles or pockets of gas in the high spots. If so, watch the beer line as someone pours a beer, and see if the bubbles/pockets reform pretty much immediately after flow stops, or if it takes 15-20 min. If there's no bubbles/gas pockets in your line, that's not the issue. If there are bubbles/gas pockets, and they reform pretty much immediately after pouring, you're leaking gas into the beer line at the liquid diptube.

 

[stpug]

I have experienced a similar, but opposite, phenomenon with a few beers over the years (i.e. they pour much slower). I generally find that those beers that pour more slowly are heavier bodied beers than my "typical" beers (think full bodied stouts, rye-heavy beers, etc). My system is balanced for pouring typical beers so when a heavier bodied beer gets in there then it pours more slowly. And, now that I think of it, when I have cream ales tapped they will usually come out a bit more forceful and quick, which is generally not a problem because of the minimal head-forming compounds in those beers.

This may not be related to your issue at all but thought I'd throw it in there.

I guess, while I'm at it, I've noticed excessive foam formation when pouring beers that utilized a high glycerol producing yeast strain (3711 and belle saison area a couple I can think of) in my kegerator even though other beers may pour normally. I suspect that, like in kids bubbles, the excess glycerol in the beer aids in bubble formation and stability. No proof though.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, I put another keg in and this one appears to pour faster than normal too. Pressure was up to about 15 PSI. Higher than normal by a few. Even adjusted down to 11 it still seems to pour a bit fast.

That one is not carbed yet so I could not check for foaming.

There are no bubbles in the line before I pour. I did not check for nucleation during a pour yet, but I'll try to remember to do that.

Now that I've dropped the pressure I'm sure I'll get the foaming back until I purge the excess carbonation. Was too busy filling that other keg and eyeballing the young man my daughter brought over for a visit. He seems like a nice kid. So, I'm slightly nervous.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I have experienced a similar, but opposite, phenomenon with a few beers over the years (i.e. they pour much slower). I generally find that those beers that pour more slowly are heavier bodied beers than my "typical" beers (think full bodied stouts, rye-heavy beers, etc). My system is balanced for pouring typical beers so when a heavier bodied beer gets in there then it pours more slowly. And, now that I think of it, when I have cream ales tapped they will usually come out a bit more forceful and quick, which is generally not a problem because of the minimal head-forming compounds in those beers.

This may not be related to your issue at all but thought I'd throw it in there.

I guess, while I'm at it, I've noticed excessive foam formation when pouring beers that utilized a high glycerol producing yeast strain (3711 and belle saison area a couple I can think of) in my kegerator even though other beers may pour normally. I suspect that, like in kids bubbles, the excess glycerol in the beer aids in bubble formation and stability. No proof though.

Those are interesting points. I hadn't specifically thought about density and viscosity in high-FG beers, or other yeast byproducts, affecting pours.

 

[brewprint]

I have experienced a similar, but opposite, phenomenon with a few beers over the years (i.e. they pour much slower). I generally find that those beers that pour more slowly are heavier bodied beers than my "typical" beers (think full bodied stouts, rye-heavy beers, etc). My system is balanced for pouring typical beers so when a heavier bodied beer gets in there then it pours more slowly. And, now that I think of it, when I have cream ales tapped they will usually come out a bit more forceful and quick, which is generally not a problem because of the minimal head-forming compounds in those beers.

This may not be related to your issue at all but thought I'd throw it in there.

I guess, while I'm at it, I've noticed excessive foam formation when pouring beers that utilized a high glycerol producing yeast strain (3711 and belle saison area a couple I can think of) in my kegerator even though other beers may pour normally. I suspect that, like in kids bubbles, the excess glycerol in the beer aids in bubble formation and stability. No proof though.

I can say that I force carbed a keg of all grain pretty much the same way I have on past extract beers and I overcarbed it. Gravity was around 1.012 but it seems like it absorbed the co2 much faster.

I believe that different beers react differently to the same co2. However in the case of the OP I don't think this is the case.

 

[MrFeltimo]

It's usually not the threads that would cause a leak, typically either the diptube o-ring, the underside of the flange on the diptube, or the top of the post (the male threaded part of the keg, not to be confused with the post fitting which everyone around here seems to call the post). And a leak there won't cause beer to spill out, it allows gas from the headspace of the keg to get into the post fitting, and then into the beer line.

And there's an easier and more accurate way to test if this is the case than swapping diptube/post fitting assemblies. Simply look at your beer line to see if it has bubbles or pockets of gas in the high spots. If so, watch the beer line as someone pours a beer, and see if the bubbles/pockets reform pretty much immediately after flow stops, or if it takes 15-20 min. If there's no bubbles/gas pockets in your line, that's not the issue. If there are bubbles/gas pockets, and they reform pretty much immediately after pouring, you're leaking gas into the beer line at the liquid diptube.

This is really great info, thanks.
I have this issue too.
Would simply replacing the liquid dip tube o-ring solve the issue?

Dan

 

[The_Bishop]

It should. Inspect the hardware while it's apart for any damage.

 

[MrFeltimo]

Great thanks

 

[JuanMoore]

This is really great info, thanks.
I have this issue too.
Would simply replacing the liquid dip tube o-ring solve the issue?

Dan

Usually. The exception would be when the leak is caused by a flaw in one of the surfaces the o-ring mates to. As mentioned, inspect the underside of the diptube flange and top of the keg post for scratches or burrs while you have it apart.

There are also the extremely rare cases where this issue is caused by a pinhole in the diptube itself.

 

[masonsjax]

Swap liquid connectors with another keg and see if the problem is with the keg or with the tubing/faucet.

It's also possible that keg had more residual co2 from fermentation and is actually sitting at a slightly higher pressure than the others, or maybe it has an infection that makes it continue to produce co2?

 

[progmac]

I have a fast keg, too! Increasing line length to 10 ft on all of my kegs helped a lot, but I still have one that is just plain speedy. I've kind of just accepted it as one of those things.

 

[Homercidal]

I'll have to check the O-Rings and the tubes in that keg. I didn't get a chance to do anything last night. I managed to pour a bottle of Brewery Vivant with dinner and never used the kegerator.

I may just go ahead and get 15' lines in any case. I tend to like most of my beers well carbed and don't mind a slower pour.

But I should still troubleshoot this problem as well. I don't see any bubbles in the liquid lines while it's sitting there (ok, maybe 1-2 small ones, but nothing like I've seen before) and the CO2 slipping past the O-Ring on the Liquid side makes sense.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Swap liquid connectors with another keg and see if the problem is with the keg or with the tubing/faucet.

yes, do this

It's also possible that keg had more residual co2 from fermentation and is actually sitting at a slightly higher pressure than the others, or maybe it has an infection that makes it continue to produce co2?

If connected to the same pressure of CO2, this would not be the cause. The pressure exerted on the liquid by the gas (and therefor the pour speed, if everything else is also the same - height, length, tubing diameter, etc) would be constant between all kegs attached to the same regulator. When the liquid absorbs more CO2, the pressure is re-equalized constantly.
(Technically there could be very small variations due to check valves, etc, but that's very minor and would constantly and quickly be balanced out).

 

[masonsjax]

If an infection has overcarbed the beer and the headspace has say 30 psi in it equalized with the overcarbed beer, attaching a gas line at 10 psi means nothing and the beer will pour fast as a fire hose. You'd have to purge for days before the equalization would match the low pressure exerted from the gas in line. Not a very likely scenario I admit, but certainly is possible. Much more likely if the beer was kegged a while ago and left sitting, or was naturally carbed. I've had naturally carbed beers that overcarbed slightly that poured a little faster than desired until they equalized to serving pressure.

 

[JuanMoore]

A beer carbed higher than the serving pressure (regardless of how it became overcarbed) will also cause bubbles/gas pockets to form in the beer line, but they'll be cleared out when you pour a beer, and then take 30 min or more to reform. If they reform almost immediately, the liquid side diptube isn't sealed.

I've never seen a gusher infection that's active at serving temps, but I suppose it's possible if the serving temp is on the warm side. If the keg was sealed and stored at room/cellar temp for a long time before being put in the kegerator/keezer, then it's definitely possible.