I know this seems a common problem I set up my kegerator three weeks ago and ran a half keg corona light foam problem but at 2psi it was fine. I replaced it with a Sam Adams now I have foam problems I've tried it at 16psi and 2 still the same my temp is at 39f that's 3c I am at 5000ft altitude. Any advise would be gratelly received.
These two threads cover your issues pretty well: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/foaming.193492/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/help-with-balancing-my-system.248243/ If you have problems after applying these actions please post again.
Kegerators were designed to frustrate you!!! Sometimes it's as simple as a loose connection though, and you should probably try that first. Then you can spend months trying to get it right before you finally give up!
Here is what I have found working for over 6 months of trail and error trying to get different ales and micro brews to be foam free. The first problem I had was the hose and replaced it with a 8 foot length of 3/16" piece. Next the regulator was so bad that i was at about 30 lbs but gauge was reading 12 lbs. Spend the $$$'s for a real regulator and reap the benefits. The final problem was the placement of the hose above the tank and finally foam free beer. I run my beer at about 36 degrees which is to cold according to most but I'm not a beer snob I just want a cold one!
If the pressure is 30 psi but the gauge reads 12 psi, that means you have a bad $5 gauge, not a bad $50 regulator. I'm not saying your regulator was not faulty, only that you probably replaced it unnecessarily (I don't believe in coincidences). What you did was analogous to replacing the tire because your tire pressure gauge was broken.
One thing I've never seen addressed in all my searches for kegerator excessive foaming is the seating of the faucet. I've had too much foam since I built my kegerator a year ago. I've tried all the usual fixes - temp, line length, coiling hose on top of the keg, etc. BUT then I noticed some air on the inside of the door in the line where it connects to the shank. Apparently, my faucet was tightened enough to seat the thin rubber built in faucet washer. I added a neoprene washer between the beer faucet and shank; tightened firmly and voila! So, make sure you check your faucet tightness and/or add a neoprene washer.
The only time I’ve seen the faucet not seat was with a combination of shank and faucet that included at least one cheap Chinese made part. In that case it did appear tightened, but the splines would not go fully together. You shouldn’t need or have a washer in that connection if everything is as it should be.
Well, you certainly stumbled onto a solution! Faucet collars should be tight, but they don't need to be cranked down. That said, while your additional washer didn't hurt, it also didn't solve your particular problem. There is no conceivable way for air to get into a beer line via a loose or misconnected faucet. A draught system is under positive CO² pressure and a loose or misaligned faucet will leak beer...not inhale air.
Your answer makes total sense to me; but the fact was I still had a pocket near the shank inside the kegerator (not a tower but a converted refrigerator with a through the wall shank). Now, I have a new theory, see what you think. The neoprene washer is acting as a 'thermal break' between the shank and the beer faucet. Prior to that, warmth from the warm faucet on the outside was causing some of the CO2 to break out of solution as the faucet's metal heat transferred to the shank.
I love when folks are engaged and learning! Your new theory has the ability to hold some water...well done. In addition, a faucet will act as a heat sink, but in my experience I've yet to see it cause a CO² breakout at the shank. That said, the probability of the cause of the bubbles is that the system was still slightly imbalanced...the bubbles broke out of solution because the applied pressure was slightly less than the volumes of CO² in the beer. Then why did they end up next to the shank you may ask? Simply because CO²bubbles will rise to the highest point in the system. Think of it as Occam's Razor in action.
