Trouble with Kegerator

[NJbeerfan55]

Hello

This is all new to me and having some troubles. Thanks for you help.

I attached the regulator to the co2 tank the regulator had a washer and a threaded end. Tightened with a co2 wrench.

I attached the beer, and set the regulator to 10 psi, however I am having lots of foam.

Wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions I also want ensure nothing else is needed for the cp2 regulator.

Seem to also have a leak at the tap, guess I need to get a wrench that fits to tighten that, seems a spanner wrench?

Thanks

 

[day_trippr]

Assuming you are using conventional beer shanks for your faucets, you would need a faucet wrench, which can look similar to this one:

That will allow tightening the collars on the beer shanks.

As for the foam: there are many factors that can cause foaming pours: excessive carbonation, insufficient beer line resistance (involving the inside diameter of the beer line vs its total length), faucet temperature, not using sufficient CO2 pressure for dispensing, etc.

But, pour quality problems can be solved. For a start, what is your beer line ID and length? And are you primarily having problems with the first pour of the day - or are all pours similarly affected?

Also, is there any "sputtering" or "spitting" when you draw a beer? There's a fairly specific root cause for that. Otoh, if it just calmly pours foam that would fall into the larger bin of potential causes...

Cheers!

 

[NJbeerfan55]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’ll be heading to hardware store tomorrow.

Unsure the length it is the standard one from one of the major kegerator / beer sites. When the co2 went down the foam stopped but ultimately so did beer flow.

 

[day_trippr]

Gotcha.

Historically, pre-built kegerators have come with 5 to 6 foot beer lines, usually 3/16" Inside Diameter, and just as usually solid PVC/vinyl, ala Bevlex 200, the standard for decades. This has also historically been shown to be "sub-optimal" as even with relatively middling carbonation levels (say, 2.4~2.5 volumes of CO2) break-out is just barely kept at bay, if at all. A slightly warmed faucet can be all it takes to set things off, and once excess bubbles form they become nucleation points for even more bubbles, and you have a cascade in the glass.

If your lines fit that model there are two ways to go: replace them with longer lines - one foot of 3/16" ID beer line per CO2 pressure has been shown to be a good middle of the road; or replace them with thinner lines - for an example, EVABarrier tubing of 4mm ID - which allows shortening the lines to 5-6 feet total while delivering good pour quality - and with the added benefit of being "barrier tubing" which helps keep oxygen from getting to your beer. Many of us have switched to EVABarrier tubing since it became available about 5 years ago in the USA and will never look back

Two tools to have handy going forward:

- this is our favorite carbonation table and shows the pressure needed at a range of temperatures to set the beer carbonation level, with 2.4~2.5 "Volumes of CO2" being a common level. Find your beer temperature on the Y-axis, scan across that row to the Volumes Of CO2 you desire for carbonation level, and run up that column to find the proper CO2 pressure to both carbonate and dispense your beer.

- and this is the only beer line length calculator worth using (imo). Fill in the particulars for a given beer line and it will recommend the length.

When you get your cylinder refilled and let the system reach thermal equilibrium again, if you're still having pour quality issues, come on back here and the group will help you work them out There are many more details to consider...

Cheers!

 

[NJbeerfan55]

Gotcha.

Historically, pre-built kegerators have come with 5 to 6 foot beer lines, usually 3/16" Inside Diameter, and just as usually solid PVC/vinyl, ala Bevlex 200, the standard for decades. This has also historically been shown to be "sub-optimal" as even with relatively middling carbonation levels (say, 2.4~2.5 volumes of CO2) break-out is just barely kept at bay, if at all. A slightly warmed faucet can be all it takes to set things off, and once excess bubbles form they become nucleation points for even more bubbles, and you have a cascade in the glass.

If your lines fit that model there are two ways to go: replace them with longer lines - one foot of 3/16" ID beer line per CO2 pressure has been shown to be a good middle of the road; or replace them with thinner lines - for an example, EVABarrier tubing of 4mm ID - which allows shortening the lines to 5-6 feet total while delivering good pour quality - and with the added benefit of being "barrier tubing" which helps keep oxygen from getting to your beer. Many of us have switched to EVABarrier tubing since it became available about 5 years ago in the USA and will never look back

Two tools to have handy going forward:

- this is our favorite carbonation table and shows the pressure needed at a range of temperatures to set the beer carbonation level, with 2.4~2.5 "Volumes of CO2" being a common level. Find your beer temperature on the Y-axis, scan across that row to the Volumes Of CO2 you desire for carbonation level, and run up that column to find the proper CO2 pressure to both carbonate and dispense your beer.

- and this is the only beer line length calculator worth using (imo). Fill in the particulars for a given beer line and it will recommend the length.

When you get your cylinder refilled and let the system reach thermal equilibrium again, if you're still having pour quality issues, come on back here and the group will help you work them out There are many more details to consider...

Cheers!

Thank you very much. The chart with the co2 has helped.

I lowered it to 8 psi, seems better. I also notice the first pour if dumped will result in less foamy beer thereafter. Remember doing that a few times in the past when filling from a keg.

I do notice a decent amount of bubbles in this pour. Maybe this is normal and just never analyzed it?

Thanks