Same old problem?

Welcome to the BA site, Damon. Your question is best asked in the Home Bar or the Homebrewing forums. Do a search in one of those forums and I'll bet that you'll find your answer. If not, start a new thread for discussion. And get some GOOD beer into that kegerator.

 

Welcome aboard! Here are links to the Home Bar and Homebrewing forums. Good luck!

By all means!

 

Can you take a picture of your regulator and relay the pressure setting?

Methinks you are using a high pressure soda regulator instead of one designed for beer.

 

@billandsuz will probably have your answer. What worked for me was simply doubling the length of hose that I was using, which was already a lot. It took up a lot of room in the fridge but it worked by extending the length of the run. I had two taps so it was a lot of hose but you only have one so it shouldn't be as bad. You might want to get a smaller I.D. line as well. There are charts you can find online for this. Good luck.

 

what @IceAce says is a possibility. If you replaced the regulator let's hope it was a decent brand.

Couple things here. When you say Pepsi machine converted, I am thinking your local Pepsi bottler is missing a "Pepsi machine", whatever that may be. Pepsi does not sell any beverage equipment. Period. So even if you don't know it or it was given in good faith, your equipment is not yours, aka stolen. That is felony. Something to think about. And you just posted it on a public forum.

You need the proper temp, proper restriction and proper pressure.

All of this is in the forums, but we can make it easy here.
38F.
About 10 psi.
6' of 3/16" ID beverage line.

Those three things, pretty much exactly as stated, are required. Then let us know.
Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Cheers.

 

Something doesn't add up. 10' of 3/16" at 9 psi should not be doing this. Are you sure it is 3/16" and not 1/4"? Why is this the second regulator? Once you are dialed in, settling isn't really a thing anymore. Bring it home, hook it up, and go. When you start adjusting stuff all over the place it takes time for those changes to take effect.

 

There are a few possibilities. I think you might have a wild keg. You may have a kink in the line. Basically, if your information is accurate these are the only possibilities.

Kegerator balance is not about estimates, it is really physics with little room for guessing and zero room for opinion. So we need to verify the three parts. You want good draft beer? Here you go...

• Double check the line length and line ID. It must be 3/16" ID beverage line.
• Temp is critical. We need liquid temp not air temp (which can swing quite a bit). So, place a small glass of water inside. Let it cool for a few hours. Check temp (with a good thermometer!) of the water inside the appliance (as in, do not place it on the counter and allow the water to warm even 1 degree), record.
• Pour 4 ounces of beer and check temp. Record. Dump.
• Immediately pour 8 more more ounces and check temp. Record. Drink.

Report this information.

As I have been known to say. There are only three elements to a kegerator. Temperature. Resistance. Pressure. That is all there is and there ain't no more. We need this three legged stool to be balances and each leg is dependent on the other. If that is all cool, well. The keg is foul? The equipment is broken?

Cheers.

 

If the coupler is shot it will leak gas or leak liquid.
It is a key to the keg. It either works or it don't.
Cheers.

 

Is it possible the vertical distance from keg to faucet is way different than standard in this converted vending machine?

 

When you say the line is just touching the top, are you saying the line is bent? How much room from the top of the coupler is there to the top of the ceiling? They do sell low profile couplers so that is an option in you don't have enough room. It probably would really help to get some pictures of the setup. You mention 10 feet of line, how is that routed from the coupler to the faucet? Is the line mostly in refrigerated areas?

 

I’m going back to the line. Are you absolutely sure it is 3/16”? How do you know?

 

It is possible you got a bum regulator. It is not unheard of for those bastards to lie. Sometimes right out of the box.
So, it is telling you 8 psi, but it is a bald faced lie. You can get another pressure gauge at HD, they are a few bucks (and that is part of the problem with those things). 1/4" threaded connection. Just swap it out. Return it if that is not the issue.

Another question, does the beer pour foamy all the time, as in is it foamy coming out of the faucet at first and then more clear?

Finally, and this can not be stressed enough, temperature of the beer is critical. I know you are saying it is 37 but as I asked previously is it 37F in the kegerator, 37F after the first 4 ounces and 37F after the next 4 ounces? Without confirming all of this we are spinning our wheels.

See my post above.

Cheers.