Upgrading beer lines

[poto101]

Hey, i recently purchased this system:

the beer is great but my pour is 80% foam and i'm looking into getting a longer beer line. Can i just go to the hardware store and get like 10 feet of 3/16 hose and use it to replace the 5 feet i have on there now or do i need anything else?

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=325

Thanks for the help, you guys rock!

 

[killian]

I have only been able to find 1/4" at lowes.

 

[scottlindner]

I used 3/16" ID tubing from Home Depot, works great. Keep in mind you want it to be "food grade" but that marking doesn't exist. For vinyl tubing you want to look for a couple of standards, the important one to find is NSF-61. NSF-50 and NSF-51 are also likely to be found on the tubing that will aid in it being potable.

Scott

 

[shortyjacobs]

You really want the thick walled 3/16", which I haven't seen at Lowes/HD. The thicker walls prevent line flex, which gives a more consistent pressure drop and less foam. Bev. grade thick walled 3/16" also has smoother inner walls, apparently. In a pinch though, any 3/16" will do.

 

[wildwest450]

How do you know your beer line length is even the problem? Many people use that length of line with no issues.

 

[BSBrewer]

Great analysis of hardware store bought lines vs bev lined ones online:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/beer-line-tests-solution-plastic-taste-60380/

 

[azscoob]

my tap lines are 4 feet long, after some tinkering and adjusting my system, I get a slightly heady pour on the first beer and perfect pours after that. my big issue was a warm draft tower, after getting the air moving into the tower my foaming problems are all but gone. I also had foaming problems with a faucet early on, I upgraded to perlicks and that cleared up too, the old faucet was squeaky clean just had some flow issue that resulted in a nice glass of foam every pour.

 

[wildwest450]

my tap lines are 4 feet long, after some tinkering and adjusting my system, I get a slightly heady pour on the first beer and perfect pours after that. my big issue was a warm draft tower, after getting the air moving into the tower my foaming problems are all but gone. I also had foaming problems with a faucet early on, I upgraded to perlicks and that cleared up too, the old faucet was squeaky clean just had some flow issue that resulted in a nice glass of foam every pour.

+1, everybody is in a hurry to slap 50' lines on their cornies to eliminate foam, when that's the last and most unnecessary step of all.

 

[Scimmia]

+1, everybody is in a hurry to slap 50' lines on their cornies to eliminate foam, when that's the last and most unnecessary step of all.

Depends completely on one's setup. Try running a beer carbed at 3.5 vol/24 PSI through 4 ft of hose and let me know how it turns out.

 

[poto101]

I may have overcarbed my beer. i tried force carbing by cranking it to 30psi and shaking the keg for 10 minutes. I released all of the pressure after that and set it at 10. this was a week ago and i've had nothing but foam since then.

 

[wildwest450]

Depends completely on one's setup. Try running a beer carbed at 3.5 vol/24 PSI through 4 ft of hose and let me know how it turns out.

Of course, but i've answered enough of these questions to know the difference.

 

[scottlindner]

Another source of your constant foam might be the tower and faucet temperature. I have this problem with my setup so I have come into the habit of pouring a little bit and wait for the cold beer to chill the faucet and lines in the tower, and then pour the rest of the glass. Give that a whirl and see if that helps.

Scott

 

[poto101]

+1, everybody is in a hurry to slap 50' lines on their cornies to eliminate foam, when that's the last and most unnecessary step of all.

I went ahead and ordered the product that is posted here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/cure-your-short-hose-troubles-100151/

and have had great success!!!

thanks for the advice on not jumping into longer lines. these seem to work well and do not require the space that long lines do.

 

[wildwest450]

I'm glad it worked out.

 

[bendavanza]

I know the sticky about kegging covers line balancing among tons of other valuable information, but do the moderators here think there should be a separate sticky specifically labeled FOAM that discusses briefly line balancing, co2 volumes, etc. because this is a constant question invariably with the same 3 possibilities, not enough restriction (line length, ID, etc.), temp variants (too warm for the co2 volume or warm faucets/lines), and over carb (poor force carb methods, failure to bleed keg pressure, etc)?

 

[scottlindner]

Assuming the appropriate thread, yah, it seems like a sticky.

Add to your list that proper pouring is also a common problem. How many times do you see someone go to pour a glass, see foam, and throttle back the faucet? Exact opposite of what you want to do.

Oh... option five but less common. You prankster bud just shook the snot out of your kegger to mess with you.

Scott