Force carb question and http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

If you've got the A419 set at 40 (per your other thread), and PSI at 10-12, you will need to let it sit for at least a week before you begin to notice any real carbonation. On my system, more like two weeks is necessary to achieve 2.5 volumes. YMMV.

This is the so called "set it and forget it" method.

If you're impatient, there are ways to speed the process along.

...also, I think there is some variability based on the strength of the beer.

 

Until it's ready

While a chart might be handy, experience seems to be good enough (unfortunately, everybody's experience yields a different time)

In my experience, serving pressure (11 psi) at serving temp (38F) for ten days is just about right. 20 psi cuts a few days off that. 30 psi cuts off a few more. 50 psi takes, maybe, 2 days. But I tend to take a laid back approach, so 50 psi is almost guaranteed to over carb the beer, since I'll probably forget about it for a week or more.

When you have a healthy pipeline going, this is a non-issue. My beers usually wait for weeks after they're fully carbed before I tap them.

RDWHAHB

 

i use the "set it and forget it" method. i usually carbonate between 12-14psi (depending on style of beer) @ 37 degrees.

my beers are fully carbonated by 10 days.

 

Actually, no.

Leave it at the same temp and pressure (ex. 40F and 10-12 psi) until the keg is empty. If you decide to increase the psi (ex. 20+) in an attempt to carb the keg faster, you run the risk of over-carbing, as mikehartigan described.

How are you planning to serve from keg? Draft tower? Cobra tap? How long are your beer lines?

 

your pours might be a bit foamy with 3-4ft lines @ 10-12psi.
im guessing the guys on youtube didn't dial in their tube lengths.
you could carbonate @ 10-12psi for 10 days and drop the serving pressure to 2-5psi....
but you would lose the carbonation volume over time.
i have 8ft lines and keep the serving pressure @ 12-14psi. clean pours (perlick 525ss) every time.

 

E-DUBB is right.

It is a matter of balancing your psi, temp, and line length/serving method.

You want to balance your setup so that the amount of resistance (lines, faucet, and height of the faucet above the keg outlet) is slightly less than your psi.

For example:

You want to carb your beer to 2.5 vol.'s of CO2. So you take a look at your chart, and note that at your selected serving temp (40F), you need to set your psi to 12.

You're getting roughly .5 lbs resistance from your cobra tap, and 3 lbs/ft resistance from your beer lines (3/16 ID). So...

.5 lbs + (3 ft. x 3 lbs/ft). = 9.5 lbs resistance

So, the pressure at your cobra tap will theoretically be around 2.5 psi (12 psi - 9.5 lbs resistance from your system)

As always, YMMV.

The short of it is that you will probably need to dial back your psi to avoid excessive foaming. Take a look here for a more detailed explanation:

https://byo.com/stories/item/164-balancing-your-draft-system-advanced-brewing

Good luck!

 

As delicately as possible, those guys simply don't know what they're doing. The beer seeks equilibrium - that's an immutable law of Physics. 11 psi at 28F is approx 2.5 vols CO2. Once everything is happy at those settings, it's perfect. No need to touch anything until the keg kicks. If you need to lower the pressure to serve, then something's wrong.

 

the important thing to get right for proper carbonation of your beer, any beer, is the applied pressure. that is the pressure at the gauge of the gas cylinder. that tells you how much gas pressure is being maintained at the liquid in the keg.

it doesn't need to be complicated but many arm chair experts provide disinformation.

the line is a "choker", nothing more. it is only used to slow down the rate and force of beer delivery. if your lines are too short the applied pressure needed to maintain the proper carbonation will cause beer to shoot out like a fire hose. force the beer through a choker and it reduces the flow rate and the delivered pressure. this is for the kegerator/keezer direct draw set up. other designs can get a bit more involved. only a bit.
using Alan's reference, 2.5 psi at the cobra tap is just about right to get beer in your glass correctly.

for reference, the flow at the outdoor garden spigot is a lot when wide open, but less at the end of the garden hose. make the hose 100' and it is only a trickle. the pressure at the spigot hasn't changed but the delivered pressure has.
Cheers.

 

oops! I meant 11 psi at 38F

 

I have that chart printed out and handing on the side of my kegerator.

As the volumes/temp/psi info has really been divulged above, I'll just leave a comment about time and my own experience... With the set and forget method, I've found that within the first week, the beer has obtained an acceptable carbonation level (for my likes) to drink but over the following week or so it really becomes fully carbonated to the desired rate.

I also think billandsuz said it best with "it doesn't need to be complicated..."

 

With a properly balanced system, there's nothing to be gained by doing that. Increased wear and tear on the valves, the extra money you'll spend for the CO2 you're venting, and looking like a rookie are the only downsides that come to mind.

 

Don't know if that would work or not. But that's too big for a beer line. You would need 3/16".

I have to ask, why are you trying to fix something that you don't know is broken? And, if it's broken, in most cases, it's because something was done incorrectly. The solution is to do it correctly. Fixing a foaming problem by throwing additional hardware at it like fixing our educational system by throwing still more money at public schools.