Struggling with line/CO2

[Rdog]

I am not a homebrewer but was hoping someone here can help. I drink retail kegs (Modelo, Dos XX, Shiner, etc) from a commercial kegerator and am struggling with carbonation.

I have about 10 feet of line with about 18 inches or so of rise from the top of the keg to the spout. At around 2 or 3 PSI of CO2, I get a perfect pour in terms of foam, but the beer still seems to lack carbonation. Within a few minutes of pouring, virtually all the CO2 bubbles are gone. At 8 PSI, it comes out like a fire hydrant, lots of foam but virtually no bubbles from the get go and tastes relatively flat.

I keep the temperature around 38 degrees. I have fiddled with the CO2 pressure constantly and always seem to end up with one of those results.

Since this is just me normally drinking, I've also tried bleeding the keg before the first pour of the day to see if getting rid of pressure that might have built up over a day or two would help and it doesn't seem to. Any ideas would help...thanks.

 

[camonick]

What is the internal diameter of your beer line? 3/16” is recommended and 4mm ID EVABarrier would be even better. Most commercial macrobrew kegs are probably carbonated in the 12-15 psi range. That’s where you need to have your regulator set for storage and dispensing. That being said, ideally, you’d get the best pours with approximately 15 feet of 3/16” vinyl tubing or 6-10 feet of the 4mm. If you continually bleed off the pressure, it will become very flat. You need to maintain that 12-15 psi pressure to ensure proper carbonation.

 

[Rdog]

My line is 3/16" So, if I am understanding you correctly, the extra 5 feet of line will make the difference and I can increase the pressure. I had thought 10 feet would be enough at 8 PSI, but if what you are saying is true, than obviously it's not.

Thanks for your help!

 

[camonick]

Carbonation level is maintained by constant regulator pressure set to a desired level. As I said above, most commercial kegs are delivered with 12-15 psi in the headspace. Personal tastes and beer style can also have different levels. The amount of carbonation in a beer is determined by temperature and regulator pressure. Here is a chart that can help you see the difference if either variable is changed. Once you’ve determined what your desired carbonation level is, or what your keg was delivered at, you need to keep your beer at that setting for the duration of that keg. You adjust the way it is dispensed at the faucet by adding or subtracting line length. That is called “balancing” your system. A good rule of thumb is a MINIMUM of 1 foot of 3/16” line per psi. I always start with more than I think I’ll need, then either leave it alone or trim to get a desired pour. The only thing longer lines do once you’ve overcome your keg pressure, is slow the time it takes to pour a full glass. A lot of people swear by this length calculator. It will give you a starting point. Another thing to pay attention to is how you operate your faucet. Either all the way open, or all the way closed. Don’t try to throttle the flow with your faucet… that doesn’t work. Also make sure your lines aren’t kinked or have any other restrictions, those cause turbulence that knock the CO2 out of solution and cause foamy, flat pours.

 

[Rdog]

Awesome thanks. I think I was on the right track when I chose 10 feet of line originally based on the 1 foot per 1 PSI. But when that was still giving me lots of foam, I just started fiddling and figuring I needed less pressure but what you said makes total sense. I've ordered a longer line and will put that in and then increase the pressure and see what happens. Thank you again.