Kegerator foam issue

8 ft. may not be enough... PSI could be too low as well. Had some issues with FBS a couple months back. I had to bump up PSI. I want to say from 10 range to 14.

Are you fully opening the picnic tap (if thats what you have)?

 

Head straight to the BA Home Bar forum for the answer. (Also expect this topic to be moved there)

I'll be back to help when I can get in front of a computer. ..it's way too much to type on a phone.

 

It's tricky.

Given your current settings, you are right at 2.6 on first carb chart.

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/carbonationchart.jpg
https://beermasters.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/screen-shot-2015-07-21-at-1-59-38-pm.png?w=1024

Then looking at ywhere 2.6 resides, you are within that yellow zone. Extra length, up to 18 ft could help. But I would try PSI first.

Also, has it recently been moved? A moved or shaky keg is pretty much like a soda ready to explode.


Working backward, your 8 ft at 37 degrees is still within the carb guidelines (2.4) for ales. I've done the guideline thing and just always had to experiment for a day while drinking samples lol

Good luck

 

Whoa. Don't go straight from 10 to 14. There is a process here.

Look at the beer line where it comes out of the coupler. Is it solid beer or is there a bubble. This is critical in troubleshooting.

 

I'll take the keg. I am sure I can figure it out if I have it in my possession, lol !!

 

Ok so here we go. If you look where the beer line comes out of the coupler and you see that there appear to be CO² bubbles breaking out of solution, this indicates that your pressure is set a little too low. Ideally, the line should be beer only with no gas pockets. (We call such a line "packed")

It's entirely possible to balance your system without knowing the temperature:

1.) Bump your regulator up about ¼-½# by turning the adjusting knob ⅛ of a turn clockwise.

2.) Wait 10 minutes

3.) Pour 4 oz. of beer by opening the faucet completely

4.) Put glass of foam inside keg box

5.) Observe beer line at coupler...look for bubbles breaking out of solution. They will become increasingly smaller and slower to break out as you continue to perform this operation.

6.) If you see bubbles, repeat Step #1. It's critical that you only turn the adjustment knob ⅛ turn (clockwise)

7.) Close door and wait 10 minutes.

8.) Open door and drink the beer which was foam earlier (waste not...want not)

9.) Pour 4 oz. of beer by opening the faucet completely

10.) Continue this process until your line is packed and no bubbles appear in the beer line exiting the coupler

11.) Once no bubbles appear, turn the regulator up one more ⅛ turn.

12.) Mark your regulator with a Sharpie® to indicate an initial balance point in case a friend, family member or pet moves the adjustment knob in an attempt to help you out. There is usually a locknut to assist with this. tighten it up.

13.) Report back to this forum when you are pouring clear beer with a 1" collar of foam

14.) Enjoy a bright future with draught beer at your disposal!

 

How does a second beer pour? Third beer? Depending on your answer, this may be an easy fix.

 

Your description makes me think your tower cooler is not doing its job. If your faucet/shank/tower-lines are too warm it will cause the CO2 to off-gas too quickly, i.e. foam. A quick second pour isn't affected because the first pour has cooled everything down (temporarily). So it sounds like your system is balanced but you just need more cold air in the tower.

I haven't fooled around with tower coolers, if you can get @DougC123 to join in the discussion I believe he has more experience here.

 

I think with bubbles in the line he is fighting two things. I'd go with the IceAce pressure increase program and just confirm in the set up that the tower cooler is taking air from near the cold plate and sending it right up to the shank. Also important for a tower cooler is enough room for the air to return back out of the tower. To check flow if you pop the top of the tower off you should feel a good flow of air, and with the top back on the tower you should feel air returning at the top of the cooler below the tower.

 

In your situation immediate pours will always be good as gas has not had time to escape in the beer line.

Adjusting the pressure upwards (slowly & in a controlled manner) will solve much of this problem.

I'm a big fan (pardon the pun) of tower coolers, but that is not the enemy at this moment.

 

This 'run it up some, knock it down some' isn't how you need to come at this. This isn't a guessing game, you have three variables that are interconnected and need to be adjusted slowly and based on each other. You had a temperature...you said it was a liquid temp. What liquid? Ideally you want the beer temp, and you get this by starting with a room temperature glass and a calibrated thermometer. Pour a beer, immediately chug or dump, and pour a second beer. Take the temp of the beer, not foam, without touching the glass. That's your temp. What beer are you pouring? It will have a specific volumes of CO2 that you are trying to maintain. If you don't know the exact number, we can estimate based on the style. For ales and lagers it will likely be 2.6 - 2.7. You then take these numbers to a force carbonation chart which will tell you the correct pressure to apply.
Did you put in the 10' lines?

 

Did you use the technique I described to get the temp? Did you use IceAce's technique to raise the pressure or did you go right to 14? Make sure you are opening the faucet all the way, partial opening causes foam. The glass should be at a 45 degree angle. The glass shouldn't be from the freezer, a frosted glass will cause foam also. What does your second pour look like?

33 is really cold, and lower temps call for lower pressures. New Glarus should be able to tell you the correct volumes of CO2 which will help this effort also.