Whats your keg set up?

[hefe811]

So I'm new to this, and science was never my strength. It took 27 years and a love to beer to get excited about the process...

I took my second brew and threw it in a sanitized corny keg. I bought and replaced the O-Rings to ensure I didn't have escaping pressure issues... so I thought. I read up on kegging and it sounded like a few days passing at 30PSI, purge, set the regulator to about 5 PSI and I'd be off and running.

Wrong. The pressure bled down the tank. I did water tests... no leaks. The beer is constantly flat and pours with tons of foam. Call friends, read. They say drop the temp, make sure you're pouring at 40 degrees.

The next evening I pour, 50% foam. Frozen foam. From the fridge...

My boring story leads to this. I've been asked if I balanced my kegging system... to which my response was the deer in the headlight look. Balanced kegging? So here we go.

How long should the gas line be? the pour line? How do you manage multiple kegs? (I assume shut off those kegs at pouring PSI and pressurize with the others, let it balance and re-open).

I've found a lot of links and they all each have different recommendations. In the end everyone says RDWHAHB... but my wheat beer is flat and unshareable. I've messed with this batch for almost 2 weeks now, burned over half of a 20# co2 tank (I believe) and now I'm fearful to keg my next batch.

Any and all input is appreciated. I'm not seeing anything that talks about the actual set up of the keg system (Math for tube lengths etc), rather than the total completion. If I'm offbase, please post where I can find a previous forum. I can't be the first one...

 

[ChelisHubby]

Well I am a beginner also but I Learned to put a 10foot line from keg to tap as for controlling foam. It can be frustrating learning I know I have made a ton of mistakes but I am making beer and it is getting better. Cheers and keep at it.

 

[ldwiv]

http://www.franklinbrew.org/wp/?page_id=98

This page has a lot details, and might be a good place to start, if you haven't seen it already.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Not really sure on the calcs for dispense tubing. I have 10' lines with no foaming serving at 15PSI at 38F. Length of co2 line from distributor to keg don't matter as it is a sealed system and will pressurize to whatever the regulator is set for.


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[hefe811]

Jut standard 5/16" ID line for dispense?

 

[res291que]

Dispensing line should be 3/16", if using a cobra faucet 8-10' long.


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[DrunkleJon]

Most of us find that the following usually works best for us.

3/16" lines 10-12 feet long (some like them as long as 15)
10-15 PSI at ~40 degrees F
Set and forget (at serving pressure) carbonation method over 1.5-2 weeks for carbonation

If your beer is overcarbed it will blast out of the lines which will knock CO2 out of solution and make for foamy pours and flat beer. If so, release pressure periodically for a couple days then repressurize to serving pressure and try again.

If you are getting foamy pours, inspect the beer lines for gas bubbles. If you are developing gas pockets in the beer lines you most likely have either temperature stratification in your kegerator and/or a pressure imbalance. This will cause foamy pours. To determine which it is, is the first pour foamy and the subsequent ones not? That is temperature (your lines are too warm). If all then you probably are overcarbonated for your serving pressure.

Also, frozen foam? That is worrisome. Your foamy pours may be a result of you freezing your beer. Is this a homemade keezer? If so, where is your temperature probe? If it is just free hanging in the air you will have larger temp fluctuations. I tape mine to a keg to provide better thermal mass and as a result the compressor cycles less often. A fan in the keezer can provide air movement which will balance out the temperature in the keezer.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.

 

[hefe811]

Drunkel that's a really helpful post.

Its just an old fridge I picked up from a buddy who was moving. I have a thermometer in there to gauge the temp and it reads 40-45f. The frozen foam was shortly after I turned the fridge up to the coldest mark (before it was at a 5 on a 1-9 scale).

I'll investigate and get back to the board. Thx for the help!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Ah, an upright fridge. Feel your taps and see if you notice it being warm or cold. If it is warm, I really would consider a fan to keep temperatures steady throughout the kegerator.

Also, beer lines are cheap, so it is usually best to start out with long lines and cut down until you get it where you want it. Also, are you using the plastic cobra taps or metal ones? I have always noticed that cobra taps foam more for me, and with the metal ones you will have the best pours if you think of them as having two positions only. Fully open and fully closed. None of that half opening or you will restrict flow and cause a foamy pour as well.

 

[LakeErieMonster]

The frozen foam would lead me to believe you have a CO2 leak. Quick dispensing of CO2 can chill your tank, keg, and entire refrigerator as the gas evaporates off to maintain equilibrium.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I'd keep the fridge in the 40F area and stop the 30psi carbonating. Try setting it at10 and leaving it alone for two weeks. Yes it's hard but I would say your foam is excess gas and frozen foam is from too cold of a fridge from turning it up to maximum.

 

[hefe811]

I've tried to re-force carbonate for a few days and its still flat. The extra feet of line did remove some foam. With just my luck the fans been going out in this Fridge. I think its time to make this thing a fermenter and build a keezer...