Rundownhouse
Well-Known Member
I'd like some suggestions on how to troubleshoot the pours off the kegerator I recently built. I'll start with the details:
Set to 38F (analog controller)
PC fan circulating air
Regulator set to 12PSI
6" collar
7' 3/16 bev-grade lines
Perlick 525 faucets
I've looked at formulas for balancing a system, and given these parameters, I should only need ~5.5 ft of line. However, I got pretty bad foaming, so I tried to go to 7', and still no luck. I bought the line from MoreBeer, its the beer line they sell, so I don't think that's the problem. The regulator isn't old or ****ty or beat up or anything, so I'm ok assuming its actually at 12PSI. I hope it isn't temperature stratification or warm lines at the taps, because I've got the fan in there. The fan is kind of just sitting on the hump; I haven't mounted it yet. Still, I don't want to take up space rigging up a PVC tube to have it at the bottom and the output directed to the top. I thought just having it in there constantly circulating would be good enough. The fan is always on, not wired to the analog controller.
When I pour a pint, it's generally 3-4 inches of foam, close to half of the glass. The first pint I pour is always worst, that's close to all foam. Even if I immediately pour another, though, the next immediate pour is still half foam, so I don't think its warm beer in the lines. The pour gets increasingly poor (ha ha) the closer to the end of the keg I get. I'm pouring correctly, in that I quickly open the faucet completely and then quickly close it completely when I stop pouring.
Any ideas on what else to check? I'm at the point now where I may just end up putting 20' lines on all the taps, and then cutting them down until I find where I'm balanced, or getting some of those epoxy mixer nozzles (cure for your short hose troubles) and going that route. Given that the balance equation tells me I should be looking at 5.5' of line, I'd really rather figure out what's going on instead of putting 20' on and backing into the solution. For now, I'm opening the kegerator, venting the head pressure on the keg, and then pouring. Only way to get a decent pint.
The kegerator is a ~9cf chest freezer, analog controller set to 38F, 6" collar, perlick faucets, 5 taps, 5lb CO2 tank in the freezer into dual gauge primary regulator/dual output, with one output direct to gas QD, the other to a secondary regulator, secondary reg to a 4-way manifold, 3 of those 4 to gas QDs, the fourth to another secondary reg with out to a gas QD. My hope was to have one line for high-carb beers, three for normal (~2.5 volume) beers, and then a low-carb line.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to be detailed. Thanks in advance for any help/advice.
Set to 38F (analog controller)
PC fan circulating air
Regulator set to 12PSI
6" collar
7' 3/16 bev-grade lines
Perlick 525 faucets
I've looked at formulas for balancing a system, and given these parameters, I should only need ~5.5 ft of line. However, I got pretty bad foaming, so I tried to go to 7', and still no luck. I bought the line from MoreBeer, its the beer line they sell, so I don't think that's the problem. The regulator isn't old or ****ty or beat up or anything, so I'm ok assuming its actually at 12PSI. I hope it isn't temperature stratification or warm lines at the taps, because I've got the fan in there. The fan is kind of just sitting on the hump; I haven't mounted it yet. Still, I don't want to take up space rigging up a PVC tube to have it at the bottom and the output directed to the top. I thought just having it in there constantly circulating would be good enough. The fan is always on, not wired to the analog controller.
When I pour a pint, it's generally 3-4 inches of foam, close to half of the glass. The first pint I pour is always worst, that's close to all foam. Even if I immediately pour another, though, the next immediate pour is still half foam, so I don't think its warm beer in the lines. The pour gets increasingly poor (ha ha) the closer to the end of the keg I get. I'm pouring correctly, in that I quickly open the faucet completely and then quickly close it completely when I stop pouring.
Any ideas on what else to check? I'm at the point now where I may just end up putting 20' lines on all the taps, and then cutting them down until I find where I'm balanced, or getting some of those epoxy mixer nozzles (cure for your short hose troubles) and going that route. Given that the balance equation tells me I should be looking at 5.5' of line, I'd really rather figure out what's going on instead of putting 20' on and backing into the solution. For now, I'm opening the kegerator, venting the head pressure on the keg, and then pouring. Only way to get a decent pint.
The kegerator is a ~9cf chest freezer, analog controller set to 38F, 6" collar, perlick faucets, 5 taps, 5lb CO2 tank in the freezer into dual gauge primary regulator/dual output, with one output direct to gas QD, the other to a secondary regulator, secondary reg to a 4-way manifold, 3 of those 4 to gas QDs, the fourth to another secondary reg with out to a gas QD. My hope was to have one line for high-carb beers, three for normal (~2.5 volume) beers, and then a low-carb line.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to be detailed. Thanks in advance for any help/advice.