Too Many Check Valves Causing Issues?

[barnaclebob]

I just added two perlic 630ss faucets to my kegerator along with an external C02 connection so I don't have to have the tank in the fridge anymore. I was using a party tap with 10ft of line before and getting perfect pours.

Anyway I am getting too much foam. I have 10 or 12ft 3/16 Lines and the faucets come out of the side of the kegerator, no tower.

I do get some bubbles building up in the line which is a clear sign that there is not enough pressure to keep the co2 in solution even though I have it set the same if not slightly higher (~12psi at ~38 degrees).

There are now 3 check valves in between the tank and the keg. 1 at the ball lock fitting that attaches to the keg, 1 inside the manifold, and another at the ball lock fitting that connects to my external co2 keg post. If each of these valves has a spring do they therefore lower the pressure a slight amount from one side to the other? I'm wondering if this could add up to 1-2PSI?

Anyway the keg I have in there now is almost empty so its possible that while moving it around to install everything I upset it a bit. I'll wait until I get another full keg in there before really starting to worry.

Here is the type of check valve I'm using on the gas fittings:

http://www.homebrewing.org/product....AyWqrCgvfV63cNDABukWkl76Nh8b5PjejjBoCSjzw_wcB

 

[barnaclebob]

Just to follow up, the beer settled down and pours fine now. No issues.

 

[barnaclebob]

Another follow up: When the keg is nearly full and therefore the co2 head space is low, the serving speed seems to drop gradually indicating a pressure drop in the keg (i.e. no co2 flowing). After a few seconds of pouring i'll hear co2 start flowing through the regulator and the serving speed picks back up. I wonder if this has anything to do with the check valves or if my regulator is a bit sticky from 6 months being kept inside the fridge. Right now its not enough of an issue to do anything about.

 

[day_trippr]

Somewhere I read that the typical ball-and-spring check valve provides up to .5 psi resistance, so three in line could indeed provide somewhere between 0 and 1.5 psi (or maybe more - who knows?)

But for most setups, that's not going to decrease the flow of gas that much, considering it's like an order of magnitude smaller than the typical regulator setting.

Unless, of course, one of those checks has a stuck ball. That could easily cause the slow flow symptoms you're seeing. So, assuming you have more than one gas drop, does this symptom appear on more than one keg?

If this is all with the same keg, I would try to determine if the gas Quick Disconnect is not playing well with the keg gas/In post poppet.

For example, some "universal" poppets come with springs that are too long for keg short posts (posts are not of uniform length - I bet there are five or six lengths out there for ball lock posts alone) and need to be trimmed, usually by one turn, lest they overwhelm the spring-loaded plunger inside the Disconnect and never allow the poppet to open...

Cheers!

 

[barnaclebob]

I'm pretty sure its not an issue with the keg because the flow into it when purging and carbonating was normal.

I don't think it decreases flow it just causes there to be a greater "activation" pressure differential from keg to regulator for the gas to start flowing.

I've only got one keg on now but when I get the other line hooked up we'll see if there is a difference since that will isolate 2 of the check valves and I know the third is working fine.

 

[day_trippr]

Why not just use the second drop now and see what happens?

Cheers!

 

[dnslater]

EDIT: Brainfart post. Ignore.

 

[barnaclebob]

Been going through some of my threads to post updates:

I get good pours and good carbonation from both taps but did have to bump up the pressure by a psi or two relative to my old setup.

 

[dk21]

I have a check valve at the regulator and at each outlet of my co2 distributor. I experimented with two different kinds of check valves for use at the disconnect and no longer use them. I found that at best, the co2 trickled into the keg. At worst, I had a few that wouldn't even let any co2 through. I contacted the store where I bought them and they contacted the manufacturer. The manufacturer suggested setting the pressure to some absurd level to make them work. At any rate, I gave up on those and just clean my gas lines every other keg or so...just in case.