Still foamy poor!

[MoRoToRiUm]

Sanyo 4912 conversion, 1Ft tower dual perlick taps. I did have 3FT 3/16 micromatic beer lines, which according to calculator on other thread should have been ideal, but under the pressures on the chart (and others I just bled and retried over a period of time) I had a lot of foam. I just pulled my 3FT 3/16 micromatic tubing and replaced it with 10FT 3/16 micromatic tubing. I think it's worse!

That said, there are a lot of other conversion users out there, so I was hoping some might chime in with their line lengths and thermostat settings (using factory still, working up to a ranco).

Much appreciated!

 

[schweaty]

Do you have cold air being pumped into the tower? Heat rises and so the beer in the lines on that first pour is probably warmer.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Not at the moment; next project. Even two beers right in a row I have this issue.

 

[schweaty]

I'm no expert but since nobody else is responding here, what about the pressure of your CO2? Maybe its too high?

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

With 3Ft, I varied from 8PSI to 12PSI; 10FT I have it at 10PSI currently, and am slowly trying variations (bleed pressure, set psi, get stable for about a day, pour half a dozen and re-adjust)...

*EDIT* Thanks BTW!

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

*bump* Anyone? Please?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

What temp is the beer at? Are you still set at 10psi?

What beer is on tap?

 

[MrNate]

Take the kegs off the gas, but leave them in the fridge. Bleed them off several times until the beer goes flat. Recondition them at 6 psi and leave the gas hooked up at that pressure for serving. After about 3 days, serve through 10' of 3/16 beer line. Also, take off your faucets, disassemble and clean them.

This is the technique that works for me. YMMV and all that.

The typical problem I run into is that if the kegs are overcarbed, keeping the correct head pressure pushes the beer out too fast and I get foam. Whereas if I turn the head pressure down, the CO2 comes out of solution in the keg and lines and I get foam.

6 and 10 is the rule that seems to be working for me. If you're inclined to argue against the theoretical possibility of this working, don't bother. Just assume that you're right and I am a deluded imbecile, or that I live in some remote corner of the universe where the laws of physics do not apply.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Are you purging the pressure off before tapping?

I turn the pressure off, release any gas in the keg, connect the QD to the keg, place a glass under the tap, open the tap then SLOWLY open the gas to the keg. Stop when the beer starts flowing.

 

[Sager Brewing Co.]

Serving PSI should be like 2-5, 10-12 is way too high.

 

[GreenwoodRover]

I have a sanyo that I am currently converting (meaning functional but not all prettied up with paint, etc). It's been functional for 2 weeks and I've run 1.5 kegs run through it. I have a 2' tall PVC tower and I use the thick walled 3/16" id beverage line from Austin Homebrew. I do not have a towe colling system. I have 12' of line on each keg, i have the reg set to between 10-12psi i have the factory control set between the warmest and second to warmest temp. I usually pour into a 1/2 liter plastic stein. I get a 1" head.
How I carb:
I place the keg in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours to get it to temp. I then turn the gas on and leave it set at 25psi for 24 hours. I then crank the reg back to 10-12psi and let it sit for 2 days. I shut the gas off via isolation valve, and purge the keg. I re-pressurize the keg by opening the isolation valve. I pour a half pint of foamy sediment laden beer and pour it down the drain. After that I don't have to mess with it until the keg is dry.
This has been my process for the first two kegs in my sanyo, the 3rd is being sampled post carb for the first time tonight. If there are no issues I will consider my system tested and true based on 3 "perfect" kegs.

 

[GreenwoodRover]

Serving PSI should be like 2-5, 10-12 is way too high.

I disagree, serving pressure is a function of line length and friction loss.
Optimizing a system is a tricky balancing act between a high PSI to push through long lines and over carbing the beer in the process or low psi in short lines to avoid foam, but allowing co out of solution and therefore "flattening" the beer.
Most charts I have looked as well as beersmith say that at 40df 11.25psi will keep the beer at 2.3-2.5vol of CO2. To serve without foam at those pressures based on my line type and calcuated friction losses iIneeded 12' of line.
I think BobbyM has a link in his sig that goes to a line balancing calculator that takes into account height from keg to faucet, line type, line length and serving pressure.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Well I found where I found it before:

Draft system line balancing

And here is another thread with a great calculator for carbonation:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f84/beer-line-length-pressure-calculator-35369/

Right now in my Sanyo 4912 I have 10FT of 3/16' beer line going to 1FT tower, @ 10PSI.

Thanks for all who have posted!

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

L = (P - (H * .5) - 1)/R

so,

L=(11.2-(1*.5)-1)/2.7

L=3.6

Anyone running a Sanyo with this size tubing? With my 10FT, the beer in the line is clear, just not my pour. I had taken my faucet off and cleaned it before tapping this keg, so I don't think it is that. It is slightly improving now that I have had it sitting at 10PSI constant temperature for a day, so I may be on the right track...

 

[missing link]

Another great source of info is MicroMatic.com - Draft Keg Beer Equipment, Kegerator, Taps That site is dedicated to dispensing beer and has an active user forum. Most of the forum users are modding the Home Depot Danby to get it to work but there are many discussions regarding foaming and possible cures.

If the foam doesn't go away after pouring a glass, then temp in the tower is not the problem, you definetely have a balance problem somewhere. Most likely to much CO2 in the beer itself.

While every system is different, the general consensus is to fill your keg, set system to 10 psi, put keg in fridge. Wait 1 week and enjoy.

You might want to take the keg out, vent it, let it warm up and keep venting. CO2 comes out of solution faster at warm temps.

Put your keg back in the fridge, set psi to 8, wait a week, test the pour, if it's good, slowly adjust the pressure up until you get the CO2 level you like.

Linc