Soda Keg Blasts Flat & Foamy

[AFVet1982]

Greetings all,
It's been a long time since I first joined HBT and I'm finally getting around to posting something besides my intro post. I've got a two-tap Kegerator in my basement bar (my plan has always been to offer non-alcoholic alternatives) and I'm having a problem I hope the community can help me with.

My keg setup is with one keg of beer and one keg of some type of soda. Keeping with personal/family preference, I got a 5-gallon keg of Coca-Cola from the local distributor. I had to do some work on the lines to adapt them to fit the soda keg, and the swap-out seemed to go pretty well. The problem arose when I first tried to dispense soda, which resulted in a very high-pressure blast from the nozzle that filled the glass almost completely with foam. When tasting, it was completely flat. I'm not sure what the problem is, but (and this is my lack of experience coming into play) I have suspicions that I need to swap the standard beer-dispensing valve with a ball valve or something else.

For what it's worth, when I first started using the kegerator, I had beer on one side and a locally made root beer on the other, both connected with sankey fitting. The Coca-cola keg is connected with the same type of fittings you see at any concession stand or soda fountain.

I do have the line pressure set slightly higher as I've read you're supposed to do for soft drinks. The beer side dispenses with no problems.

Any advice or recommendations from the community are much appreciated. If I think of something I left out that might be relevant, I'll edit the post. Thanks in advance.

Philip

 

[marc1]

You were able to get a keg of undiluted coke?
I thought that it was syrup in bags/boxes that was mixed with soda water when dispensed.

If it is a keg of undiluted coke, check that your lines are the appropriate length for their diameter and the pressure.

 

[mac_1103]

Yeah, learned a couple of things today. I didn't know that you could still get pre-mixed coke in kegs anymore. I also never knew that anyone distributed sodas in Sankey kegs. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for trying to help troubleshoot your issue, I don't know what "the same type of fittings you see at any concession stand or soda fountain" means. At every concession stand or soda fountain I've ever been to the fittings were hidden.

Anyway, if this is a good old fashioned Coca-Cola corny keg, then the gas and liquid posts should take pin lock connectors that look like this

The problem could be line balancing as suggested or there may be something wrong inside the soda keg.

 

[Broken Crow]

C'mon... Am I always gonna be the one that has to ask for details about the components and beg for pictures? I was hoping someone else would ask for pics but hey: I really wanna see this setup.

 

[day_trippr]

Almost certainly the serving line will be too short for legit soda carbonation. It'll be up around 4 volumes which means it'll test every bit of the dispensing system. I recommend the OP check out Mike Soltys' calculator after first comprehending Our Favorite Carbonation Table that's included, particularly the temperature vs pressure thing. Establish the proper CO2 pressure given the soda temperature, then apply that pressure value to the calculator to see how woefully under-lined the system in question is

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

Cheers!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I agree with day tiper, you are serving two products that need different pressures of CO2.

When I made my own root beer, from concentrate, it would take forever to carbonate. The beer side was properly carbonated and drank before the root beer was ready.

 

[Broken Crow]

Hey @AFVet1982 ..Can you come back and give us some details and maybe pictures?
I haven't done any sodas (yet) but from what I've seen of the pressures they seem to ususally be geared to 3-4 vols. I've been a bit puzzled by Taprites 'soda regulator' which has a low-side pressure gauge that goes up to 160psi (but still has a fixed 130psi PRV)... Anyhoo; Some details would be educational for me as well as possibly allow us to help you diagnose your issue.
In any event; we'll need a more expansive carb-chart: (sorry about the large file size)

 

[AFVet1982]

You were able to get a keg of undiluted coke?
I thought that it was syrup in bags/boxes that was mixed with soda water when dispensed.

If it is a keg of undiluted coke, check that your lines are the appropriate length for their diameter and the pressure.

Yes, the distributor had a specific name for it, but I don't recall that at this time. I asked several times to make sure and they confirmed each time that the keg was completely mixed and carbonated.

I do suspect there might be an issue with the lines that is contributing to this. Thanks for replying!

 

[AFVet1982]

Yeah, learned a couple of things today. I didn't know that you could still get pre-mixed coke in kegs anymore. I also never knew that anyone distributed sodas in Sankey kegs. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for trying to help troubleshoot your issue, I don't know what "the same type of fittings you see at any concession stand or soda fountain" means. At every concession stand or soda fountain I've ever been to the fittings were hidden.

Anyway, if this is a good old fashioned Coca-Cola corny keg, then the gas and liquid posts should take pin lock connectors that look like this
View attachment 879028View attachment 879030
The problem could be line balancing as suggested or there may be something wrong inside the soda keg.

Those are the connectors that I got from the distributor. And regarding the sodas in Sankey kegs, I got the root beer from the Upstream Brewing Co. in Omaha. They have their own brand of root beer (named "Bugeater," which is what the Cornhuskers used to be called), and they sell it in the same type of kegs they use for their other alcoholic brews. I think it is pretty good, has a nice fresh taste.

 

[AFVet1982]

Hey @AFVet1982 ..Can you come back and give us some details and maybe pictures?
I haven't done any sodas (yet) but from what I've seen of the pressures they seem to ususally be geared to 3-4 vols. I've been a bit puzzled by Taprites 'soda regulator' which has a low-side pressure gauge that goes up to 160psi (but still has a fixed 130psi PRV)... Anyhoo; Some details would be educational for me as well as possibly allow us to help you diagnose your issue.
In any event; we'll need a more expansive carb-chart: (sorry about the large file size)
View attachment 879103

Thanks for the reply and all the input. I have a dual-line regulator on the CO2 tank -- it came with the kegerator since I ordered one with two taps. I'll look at the chart and all the other information from the community and try to do some tweaking on my setup. It might take a couple of weeks, but I'll get it done and let everyone know the results.

 

[AFVet1982]

Thanks to everyone who responded for the advice and information. I'll get pictures posted in the next few days. Looking back I probably should have included pictures, just didn't think of it at the time.

Stay tuned, more to come.