Rocket beer causing mass amounts of foam - help!!!

[bobbyisstrange]

Good morning crew,

I just got my first kegerator…I watched video after video on how to properly set it up and to my no so much surprise- something is wrong somewhere. I set the co2 to 10 psi, the beer line is about 8 feet long, the kegerator is about 38-40 degrees…not sure why it’s coming out so fast, and I mean fast…filling up at 12 oz glass in less than 2 seconds….causing me to wait like 5 minutes to even drink the beer…does anyone have any remedies here? Btw, it’s a 1/6 barrel of Shock Top not home brew. Thank you so much!

 

[day_trippr]

"ballistic beer" is rarely a good thing

What is the inside diameter of the beer line? For that short a line you'd want the ID to be no larger than 3/16" or [edit] ~4.5 mm.

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

You're getting a full glass of foam, right?
Was the keg cold when you got it? Has it been kept cold since?

If yes to all those, the beer [EDIT] could be overcarbonated in the keg. Have you vented the keg to reduce the inside pressure?

Also, 8 feet of beer line is decent, but line resistance heavily depends on the inside diameter of your beer line. How much is it? Should be printed on the line itself.

 

[IslandLizard]

the ID to be no larger then 3/16" or 9.5 mm.

I think you meant to write 3/16" or 4.5 mm?

 

[day_trippr]

Ugh. Bad math in the morning. Thanks...

 

[bobbyisstrange]

the beer line is 3/16 and the keg was cold when it came, tossed it right into the kegerator. Just checked digital thermometer temp and it says it’s 39 in the kegerator right now.

 

[bobbyisstrange]

You're getting a full glass of foam, right?
Was the keg cold when you got it? Has it been kept cold since?

If yes to all those, the beer [EDIT] could be overcarbonated in the keg. Have you vented the keg to reduce the inside pressure?

Also, 8 feet of beer line is decent, but line resistance heavily depends on the inside diameter of your beer line. How much is it? Should be printed on the line itself.

How do I vent the keg?

 

[IslandLizard]

How do I vent the keg?

Close your CO2 tank.
Disconnect the gas line from the coupler.

While keeping your face away from that area, pull the ring on the Pressure Relief Valve located on the bottom/side of the Sanke coupler until most of the (excess) pressure has been released, then let go of the pull ring.

You could let it sit for 3 hours then vent again.
Or just give it a try.

Reconnect the gas line to the coupler.
Turn your regulator screw all the way to the left (0 pressure), and reopen the tank. Adjust the regulator to 8-10 psi.
You may still get some foaming but it should become less over time.

If foaming is still excessive or becomes excessive, you could repeat the procedure, then let it sit for 3 hours and vent again before reconnecting.

 

[mac_1103]

Doesn't it seem unlikely that a commercial keg would be significantly overcabonated? Since your line length seems to be OK, maybe there's something wrong with your regulator?

 

[redrocker652002]

I am wondering if, and I don't know much but just thinking out loud, if when you put it in the kegerator it got shook up and foamed. You mentioned you pulled a pint right away and this happened. Have you waited a bit to let the keg calm down and tried again? Also, maybe the line is a bit too long? I have not measured mine, but I get a bit more foam that I like due to line length I think, but I am just too lazy to do anything about it right now. LOL. Either way, just thinking out loud. Rock On!!!!!

 

[day_trippr]

At 10 psi an 8 foot long 3/16" ID line is just barely long enough...

https://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/
Cheers!

 

[bobbyisstrange]

At 10 psi an 8 foot long 3/16" ID line is just barely long enough...

https://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/
Cheers!

What length should I use?

 

[day_trippr]

If you use the linked calculator you'll see your existing setup should work - but it's close.
To provide some margin with the same tubing I would go with 10 footers, minimum...

Cheers!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Yeah, 10 foot is preferred, but 8 will do. Just reduce the serving pressure a little to compensate for the shorter length. I'd start at 7-8 psi, and adjust accordingly. Too high = lots of foam. Too low = slower pours. Then again, lower pressure will cause lower carbonation towards the end of the keg. Unless you empty the keg quickly enough.

 

[bobbyisstrange]

Close your CO2 tank.
Disconnect the gas line from the coupler.

While keeping your face away from that area, pull the ring on the Pressure Relief Valve located on the bottom/side of the Sanke coupler until most of the (excess) pressure has been released, then let go of the pull ring.

You could let it sit for 3 hours then vent again.
Or just give it a try.

Reconnect the gas line to the coupler.
Turn your regulator screw all the way to the left (0 pressure), and reopen the tank. Adjust the regulator to 8-10 psi.
You may still get some foaming but it should become less over time.

If foaming is still excessive or becomes excessive, you could repeat the procedure, then let it sit for 3 hours and vent again before reconnecting.

Ok so I vented the keg, almost to the point of no more co2 - I rehooked everything and it’s back in the kegerator…I have the psi at about 7-8 - how long will it take to recarbonate?

 

[IslandLizard]

Ok so I vented the keg, almost to the point of no more co2 - I rehooked everything and it’s back in the kegerator…I have the psi at about 7-8 - how long will it take to recarbonate?

The beer is already thoroughly carbonated, you just vented off some extra pressure from the headspace.
It should pour much better now, so you can enjoy that beer any time now.

 

[sibelman]

The beer is already thoroughly carbonated, you just vented off some extra pressure from the headspace.
It should pour much better now, so you can enjoy that beer any time now.

In other words, it takes time for the CO2 to enter the beer to carbonate it, likewise he's time to leave and reduce carbonation. Just releasing the pressure in the head space won't instantly make much change. That release might need to be repeated after CO2 has a chance to re-equilibrate, in case the beer is still over-carbed.

 

[JaxBrewerSahti]

Overcarbed and or hot beer (over 37 degrees)

 

[Rickc66]

Good morning crew,

I just got my first kegerator…I watched video after video on how to properly set it up and to my no so much surprise- something is wrong somewhere. I set the co2 to 10 psi, the beer line is about 8 feet long, the kegerator is about 38-40 degrees…not sure why it’s coming out so fast, and I mean fast…filling up at 12 oz glass in less than 2 seconds….causing me to wait like 5 minutes to even drink the beer…does anyone have any remedies here? Btw, it’s a 1/6 barrel of Shock Top not home brew. Thank you so much!

You could get a flow control tap, they work great for me, reduce the pressure as all regulators are not accurate and also insulate your tower, colder beer=less foam

 

[day_trippr]

Next pour, if it's excessively foamy, check the beer line to see if there was foam in it all the way back to the keg...

Cheers!

 

[redrocker652002]

You could get a flow control tap, they work great for me, reduce the pressure as all regulators are not accurate and also insulate your tower, colder beer=less foam

Tower is insulated, kegerator is at about 38 degrees I think, I have not checked it in a while, but have not changed the controller on it. My pour is good for me. I don't mind a bit of extra foam, gives off a good aroma and is subsided pretty quick. Thanks for the info though, I appreciate it. Rock On!!!!!

 

[bobbyisstrange]

I’ve gotten some nice pours - it’s ice cold - I fear my regulator is leaking somewhere, I think I want to replace, can anyone recommend a solid one that won’t break the bank?

 

[IslandLizard]

I’ve gotten some nice pours - it’s ice cold

Good to hear!

I fear my regulator is leaking somewhere

What makes you think that?

Do you hear something, like gas escaping? Could be the connection to the tank.
Where's the tank located, inside the kegerator?

 

[bobbyisstrange]

Good to hear!


What makes you think that?

Do you hear something, like gas escaping? Could be the connection to the tank.
Where's the tank located, inside the kegerator?

Tank is inside the kegerator…I got it filled yesterday and today it’s at low gas…I tightened everything and it’s still getting lower. I’ve even sprayed it with soapy water but nothing, but I’m obviously losing co2 somewhere…I’ve since turned it off to try and reserve it.

 

[doug293cz]

Tank is inside the kegerator…I got it filled yesterday and today it’s at low gas…I tightened everything and it’s still getting lower. I’ve even sprayed it with soapy water but nothing, but I’m obviously losing co2 somewhere…I’ve since turned it off to try and reserve it.

The pressure in a CO2 tank (with any remaining liquid CO2) is totally dependent on the temperature. Since you put a warm tank in a cold chamber, the pressure will drop just due to the physics of gas/liquid equilibria. The table in the upper left of the chart below gives you the CO2 pressure (if any liquid left) for different temperatures. If your pressure has fallen significantly below the table value, then you are out of liquid in the tank, and you probably have a leak somewhere if you just got a fresh tank yesterday.

Brew on

 

[IslandLizard]

In addition to what @doug293cz wrote above, you can weigh that tank, with regulator and hoses attached. Write it down.
Then a day or so later, weigh again, the same way, and write down again, even keep a daily log. If the difference is larger than what you used, there's a leak somewhere.

[EDIT] Dispensing a 5 gallon (already fully carbonated) keg at 10 psi takes about 62 grams (~2.2 oz) of CO2.
That's 12.5 grams per gallon (8 pints).

There should be a plastic or fiber washer (and sometimes an o-ring depending on the model) between the tank nozzle and the regulator.

Bigger leaks on the high pressure side are usually audible and thus easy to spot. On the low pressure side (behind the regulator) check all you connections, use some soapy water or "bubble juice." Or submerge the connections in water.