Sup guys. I've had my kegerator for a couple years now and was rockin 1/4" lines. Last summer I switched to 3/16" line (6ft) which was the start of the problem. The faucet pours about 3/4 foam in a pint glass (basically comes out 100% foam). After quite some time of troubleshooting and repeated cleaning I have found this: If I disconnect the beer line from the brass elbow that is in the tower and connect a plastic beer spigot, the beer dispenses absolutely perfect. I am confident the problem is in the elbow, shank, or faucet however I do not know what my next step is. I have tried ordering replacement gaskets for the faucet but the one for the plug didn't seem to be an ideal fit, and did not solve the problem. What are your thoughts/inputs/suggestions/questions?
First steps.. 1)What is the temps your beers are pouring at? 2)What pressure you dispensing at? 3)What beer do you have on tap? 4)What brand unit do you have?
why don't you go back to 1/4" lines? there is no law that says you must use 3/16" and 1/4" is sometimes used as a choker. if it ain't broke why fix it? Cheers.
Plus before you were "rockin" the quarter inch lines, and now you just "have" 3/16. Why use 3/16 if they aren't rockin?
Bout 38-42 F 9-10 psi Busch, Hamms Haier HBF05EABNK I switched to 3/16" because the 1/4" lines caused high amounts of foam and in order to pour the beer it had to be dialed down to 2 psi. This of course is not enough to keep the CO2 in solution when the keg gets low, causing the beer to become flat before its gone - for obvious reasons I got sick of this and made the switch. I have spent many hours looking up common problems with kegerators and fooling around trying to fix mine, I am not new to the subject. I really do think I have narrowed it down to those 3 components (elbow, shank, faucet) and I'm just asking if anybody has ever come across problems especially when changing line size. I am also wondering if it could be something such as the brass elbow getting slightly warped while putting in/taking out and it isn't noticeable but it changes the flow to cause foam. Or if there are washers/gaskets that commonly go bad in that area.
So, the switch to 3/16th lines really wasn't the start of the problem. You switched to them because the rockin 1/4" line was producing large amounts of foam. The first problem is that to balance your system you really need to know the temperature of the second pour using a calibrated thermometer. If you are such a student of this, you would know that "bout 38-42" isn't it. You need an accurate temperature and the volumes of CO2 for the beer you are pouring, and from a force carbonation chart you can get the proper pressure to apply. That's where to start, then see what pours look like. Without a tower cooler you will have first glass foam regardless of balance.
Is your shank the one with the removable elbow, welded elbow? If its the removable style with the nut and grommet, the grommet might be deformed blocking the route of flow.
zero_signal - Yes, removable elbow with nut and grommet. I'll look at trying different replacements, thanks for the tip. DougC123 - The first pour is never foam when using my plastic spigot and I have no tower cooler. The temperature of my kegerator fluctuates +/-2 degrees on steady room temperature. I just gave a general range that it fluctuates depending on the room temp and outdoor temp. But no joke I really am a student of this, I am a senior with a chemical engineering major with a focus in rheology. I am extremely confident in my ability to calculate, predict, and analyze the constitutive equations needed to define this particular pressure-driven flow of a Newtonian fluid. I also have a good understanding about diffusion of gas through liquid. My calculations as well as my observations tell me it is not a pressure problem due to the source but perhaps a pressure problem with a particular fitting. Something rheologically complex is happening between the elbow and faucet and it very well could be disruption from a grommet. I have tried a replacement earlier this year but I am going to try different ones.
When you say plastic spigot . Are you talking about a plastic party pump faucet stuck on the line? And if so I guess you are opening the door to pour a beer off?
For temporary measures, I popped the shank out so its just a hole in the tower and i'm peaking the line out slightly with some insulation shoved in the tower. Its prolly not a big deal though since we all know that cold air don't get up der.
Gotcha... Ok since you read a lot of threads on the forum. Have you performed a flashlight test on the beer line checking for bubbles? To eliminate balancing issue. Because to me your numbers don't real match up for a proper poor.if all good and you still back at shank. Like I said inspect the gland(grommet) pressure fitting the elbow in place. Also if not pushed all the way forward before tightening could be an issue too.
You haven't finished your degree? I live in a town lousy with Chem E students. Fascinating. Did you take draft beer 101 too? Until you finish your degree, you're dead to me. But good luck with your beer thingy system. Please let the uneducated folk know the solution. Cheers. Seriously, don't be too proud of yourself. Our beer flows perfectly. How's yours genius?
I had a nice exchange with this guy last night, it all got moderated. He does essentially know it all at a very tender age. All except how to get rid of foam. Bill's read is dead on. He will get no help from me.
Unfortunately in a few months this kid is going to have to go work with adult professionals. If he acts even remotely like this he will be fighting an uphill battle. I've seen tons of engiNEARs who think they are a gift to the technical world.
