New to beer/kegerator

Welcome to BA! You might try posting your question in the Home Bar forum. You might get a little more exposure there. Cheers!

 

Welcome and hope you find your answer!

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/tons-of-foam-very-little-beer.321103/


https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/tried-everything-and-still-have-foam.433896/

Plenty of threads here in the forum, these are just the most recent. It is all about beer temp, the volumes of CO2 for the beer and the applied pressure.

 

In addition to Doug's link here are some more helpful threads. You'll likely find your answer here:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/foaming.193492/
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/help-with-balancing-my-system.248243/

Not trying to jinx you, but you might want to search this Forum for CO2 leaks (and solutions). It's common to have to do a little troubleshooting on a new unit.

 

We really like to help out and you will find honest answers at this board. So ask anything.
In addition to this resource, it is very important that you talk to your vendor. They really do need to help you out with over the phone assistance.

I'm saying this because there are too many second rate retailers selling sub standard kegerators on the net. Some of these guys have got to go. Your appliance should work right out of the box with little adjustment. Dial the pressure. Set the temperature. Tap the keg and enjoy. BA should not be their customer service department.
End O Rant.

 

to bmohl123:

You say you are getting nothing but foam. You also said you first had your psi at 10-13?? In my experience that is WAY too high. So first, take some soapy water and check your entire system for leaks - fittings, elbows, lines, joints, tank connections, everthing. Now, turn off the main shut off valve on your CO@ bottle. Next - pull the little pressure relief valve that is on the connection to the keg to bleed off excess pressure. Turn your pressure regulator right down as low as it will go. Next, turn your CO2 back on. Now, very slowly and carfefully, gently dial up the pressure regulator until you are at 5 psi. Then stop and leave it there. Try it for a while. If its not flowing , or is really slow, dial it up to 6 psi. FYI --- 7psi is as high as you should ever need.

 

Not exactly.
7 psig at 38F is 2.10 vols CO2. That is lower than just about every commercial beer save some stouts and porters. That 7psig also does not take into consideration system resistance.

7 psi is too low for most everyone. The OP stated he was at 10 to 16 psi. 16 psi is pushing the upper limit but this is a temperature issue. This is not a pressure issue. Until we get an accurate temperature from the OP there is no point in further advice really.

Cheers.

 

I disagree beersareonme. That will leave you with flat beer. The relationship between temperature, volumes of CO2 and pressure is defined by a Zahm Nagle chart. Read through some of the links above. And when in doubt, listen to Bill.

 

I was just offering what I have done on my system. My beer is picture-perfect. Right now I'm sitting at 4 Celsius, 6.5psi and my IPA is pouring beautifully and is well balanced and carbonated. I know it is tricky to set up different home kegs, so many variables. A long time ago a guy told me to instead of using a regulator, just close my main shut-off valve slightly, that it does the same thing. LOL (unless I missed something, flow is not equal to pressure) Science is a tricky concept sometimes. He likely also does not think that the Ideal Gas Law caused the footballs to deflate in the 2015 AFCCCG.

 

Can't debate what you say is working, just can't understand how it is. As Bill says, those values give you a CO2 level of around 2, which for most anything would be considered flat. A typical value for an IPA is 2.7 volumes, which at 4C would be looking for around 14 psi. My guess would be that the regulator gage isn't accurate. Another way to get an idea of what your pressure is, is to time filling a pint glass. If you are really at 6.5, it will be dribbling out and take a long time. If you are filling sub 10 seconds your pressure is likely higher than you suspect.

 

I completely concur with you DougC123, and it is a wonder that it is working. My pressure gauge was recently calibrated by my professional engineered pump company that I work for. A pint pours at what you would call "normal flow". If you are ever in Brantford ON please feel free to drop in and enjoy a pint with me!! Cheers.

 

My wife asked me what I wanted for my wedding present, and with no research whatsoever, I picked an igloo kegerator from home depot and grabbed the first keg of yuengling I could find. Within 5 minutes I learned that kegerators are not nearly as plug and play as I'd thought. With that first keg, the only way I could pour foam free with the existing setup was at around 8 psi at 39 degrees. Before I bought my 2nd keg, I did quite a bit of research and upgrades and was convinced I'd be good to go, but alas, still could not pour without foam anywhere over 8 psi and by the end of the keg was undercarbed. I'm really hoping y'all can help before I go get my 3rd keg. My current setup: 10 ft 3/16" ID beer line, beer temp (from last keg) 39 degrees (accurate thermometer, 2nd beer immediately poured in room temperature glass), cooled insulated tower, new regulator (taprite).
On the first keg, beer in the lines was not foamed at all, only when it came out (that was on a 4 foot line). On the second keg, I would see bubbles and movement in the line even when not pouring. I think the coupler might not have been getting a good seal; every time I would use the pressure release on the coupler beer would bubble up around it. I've ordered a new one, should be here tomorrow. While attaching the new beer line, I accidentally bent the barbs on the faucet, but I'm pretty sure it's one solid piece all the way through so I don't think I have any leaks in the faucet.
What else should I do before I get my next keg? What should my starting point be pressure wise?

 

You are getting there. You are missing one piece of the balance equation, which is why you are seeing bubbles move in the line. You need to use the v/v for the beer, along with the temperature to determine the pressure. It may seem counterintuitive to jack the pressure up when you have foam, but it is what needs to be done. The v/v for Yuengling is 2.6, and at 39F you are looking to apply around 13psi for proper balance. The other detail to aim for is constant temperature from the keg to the faucet. The coil of extra beer line should be low in the cooler, not on top of the keg. How are you cooling the tower?

 

I had the extra line coiled on the keg, when I get this next one I'll coil it low in the cooler. My tower is cooled by a fan with a tube that runs to the top of the tower. I just got done cleaning the beer lines, I got a hand pump with a connector that hooks to the beer line, but while I was pumping it up I noticed that as the pump started to get pressurized, it forced the solution through the line without the faucet being open. It only happened when the pressure was really high, but it tells me there is an air leak in the beer line. Could this be part of the problem?

Also, with the new keg, how long should I let it rest before I tap it? Should I wait a while after I tap it as well?

 

Where did the cleaning solution leak out from, it had to go somewhere and that's where the leak is. I never let my kegs rest, I go 10 minutes from store to pour. Assuming it was kept at 38-ish degrees, which is what my kegerator averages, I just use the volumes of CO2 and force carbonation chart to set the pressure and it usually never needs to be touched. Now altering the temperature or pressure away from those values or trying to get back to those values takes some time, usually like 24 hours. Once you are trying to modify the conditions it is like trying to stop a train, it takes a while.

 

It never leaked out, it just kept getting forced through the beer line. I'm guessing if I had pumped enough through it would have leaked at the barb on the faucet, but the more I think about it, the less I think air is leaking in while it's tapped. I had to pump pretty hard to force the solution through while the faucet was closed. This might be a very stupid question regarding the keg itself and settling, but what does shaking it up during transport do? I mean, the keg is sealed so your not losing co2, but does it need to reabsorb co2, or does it never leave the beer itself?

 

No clue what you are describing on the cleaning. The idea of cleaning is to push the fluid through the lines and out the other side. Either from the keg side to the faucet, or vice versa. To say you just kept pumping it in and it wasn't leaking makes no sense to me. Did you eventually open the faucet? If the line was empty when you started, you might be compressing the air up against the back of the faucet. Air is compressible, liquid is not. The faucet should also be completely disassembled and cleaned as well, but that's another story. As far as tansporting the keg, it is mostly full with a small head of CO2 so unless you are going over some crazy trails for hours, there really isn't much room for CO2 to come out of solution into. When you tap the keg, you are picking up beer from the bottom of the keg, away from the head space.

 

I did eventually open the faucet to flush the lines, I was just noticing the solution forcing through the beer line as I was pressurizing the pump. It could very well have been air compressing though. I got another keg today, I haven't tapped it yet though, just because I haven't had time. I did check all my fittings though, and adjusted the regulator to 13 psi on the empty keg before I traded it in. I'm debating on if I'm gonna wait for the new coupler tomorrow evening or just tap with the old one tomorrow afternoon. I will report back with results.

 

OK, I just tapped the new keg, I'm at 13 psi and 40 degrees beer temp. No bubbles in the line but I'm still pouring 1/2 to 3/4 foam. Any suggestions?