So to start this is my first kegerator...it is a Danby DKC146SLDB. Brand new from Costco. The first keg I used was a 1/6 torpedo of Four Peaks Kilt Lifter. It was a little foamy but manageable. I recently got a 1/2 barrel of Dos XX Lager. Before switching to the new keg I purchased a kegerator cleaning kit and made sure to clean the lines, faucet, etc and replace everything back the way it came off. I've had nothing but continuous foam ever since I've tapped this keg. CO2 is currently set at 10 but I've tried setting it between about 6-12 yielding the same result...foam. Temperature is at 34 degrees, I purchased a thermostat since this model doesn't come with one. The line it came with is 5ft and is not kinked. All seals appear fine and should be considering they are brand new. I even bought a tower cooler fan and replaced the faucet with a Perlick Flow control faucet because it was coming very fast. I feel like I've done everything recommended for this issue and I'm still getting the same results. Help!
Is because your system is not in balance. You want between 6 and 9 feet of 3/16" ID beer line and run at about 12 PSI. 5' may be too short depending on ID. Each foot of line adds resistance at about 2lb per foot. I just ran longer lines in my new setup and have to run higher pressures to balance. You dont want to lower pressure to resolve foaming, its usually either lines too short or keg too warm. 34 is tough cool but it should pour fine at 12 psi with the right length of beer hose.
Post 2 is on the money. OP what is making you say the temp is 34? What are you measuring the temp of? You need to take a reading of the beer, and to do that you need a calibrated thermometer and you start with a room temperature glass. Draw a beer, immediately dump or chug it, then pull a second beer. Measure this temp without touching the sides of the glass. That's your temperature. In a scientific world you need to take that number, and the volumes of CO2 for the beer (probably 2.6-2.7) and go to a force carbonation chart to find the required pressure, but what is in post 2 will get you there. Also when you change pressure you need to wait a day for any effect, you can't change it and look for results. Think more like stopping a battle ship vs. stopping a car. If you are changing pressure down you also need to purge CO2 but this is likely not your situation.
If that is the same model Danby is recently saw at Costco, well, start over. It is sad. Unfortunately that is not a real good deal from Costco and not like them. In the very least the coupler is a real POS and if it hasn't failed yet, it will. I'm not trying to be a jerk or rain on your parade but the appliance is absolute rock bottom in terms of components. Other Danby units can be mediocre though. So let's work this one out. Draft balance. Search this forum as it is easily the single most discussed topic. Everything has been asked many times. We need to know the temp of the beer on the first pour. Critical. Then the temp immediately after the first pour. Critical. Use a decent calibrated thermometer, not the one in the junk drawer. It makes a difference. Let us know. Cheers.
Thanks Doug. I just have a thermometer set inside the bottom of the kegerator, all of this is a little more complex then I realized it was going to be. My naïve first timer thinking. I did allow a day or so between pressure settings having read that online. I will try the longer line and setting the PSI at 12.
Thanks Bill. No hurt feelings over here, wife bought it for me and I don't have any experience with them. I am continuing to read a lot of posts on this site and learning there is much more than just tap n go. I will definitely get a temp read off the beer itself.
34 is not your temperature. The pressure you need to apply is really not a guessing game. You can keep taking shots at this, but the real way to do it is understand balance and how to achieve it. Get your actual temp the way I described it. Report back and we can go from there. Longer lines will help if you have balance, they will slow the flow. They are of no use if you aren't balanced.
I picked up a beverage thermometer and 100ft of line. The temp is 37.5 and I've got the PSI set to 12. I was going to go with 7ft...thoughts?
Start with 10', easy enough to cut down if you think the flow is too slow. Very hard to add 3'. Without knowing the exact volumes of CO2 for XX, and guessing it is 2.6 give or take, you are in a good spot with 12.
While billandsuz makes a good point about the Danby, don't be discouraged. Think of this as, at worst, a starting point. The refrigerator, itself, is pretty generic, so you're fine there. You'd likely upgrade the faucet and add a longer beer line no matter whose unit you bought, so, while not free, it's irrelevant, in the context of brand names. The coupler, then, is the only significant 'additional' piece you'll need to replace. You'll also want to add some tower cooling. Something south of $100 should do it nicely, if you're a DIY guy. Read up on balancing the system and you'll be pouring foam free Dos XX in no time. (and it's not the brand of beer that's causing your problem)
I completely agree with Mike. Have a beer on me me Mike. A kegerator is a cold box with some hardware. if it keeps the beer cold (38F), then you win. After that you may need to replace some hardware and upgrade some components, perhaps add a tower cooler. So $400 for the "value" kegerator that half works, plus meh, maybe $200 in additional parts, and you are getting to a pretty good residential kegerator, more or less. If you do it right you have 90% of a work horse BM 23 (at $1,300 or so) and that is a pretty cool beer hack. But we are happy that you will be pouring world class pints soon! Cheers. This is somewhat for people who browse the threads and wonder "how can I make my kegerator work properly?"
