Avanti Deluxe Foam Dispenser

[turbojimmy]

Believe it or not, after doing research here I decided to buy an Avanti BD6000 beer dispenser. It seemed like the relatively low cost of entry, plus around $200 in other parts could make it a fairly decent unit. I was able to haggle with the PC Richard guy to get him well below the cost of online vendors plus they have a $20 rebate on them. I bought a 5-year extended warranty on it, too.

I've ordered the Johnson Controls digital temp control, 5' beer line, longer CO2 hose and a cleaning kit.

I have the usual problems with it. Small changes in the temperature knob causes wild swings in temps. Beer hose is too short. Beer hose leaks. Coupler is sticky. Door won't close unless you push down on it to allow it to clear the bottom of the keg.

In the 48 hours I've owned this thing I've learned a lot about the nuances of temperature and gas pressure control. It amazes me that you can buy a keg and rent an air-pump tap, pump it some random number of pumps and get a decent cup of beer but with this contraption all I get is foam. I learned that it takes a VERY long time for the kegerator to bring the temp of the keg down to the target of 38 degrees (the Bud keg seemed to be in the mid-high 40 degree range when I brought it home). Now that it's stable, temps are between 38 and 40 degrees with the Avanti hardware. I'm using a digital temp gauge with a probe to monitor the temps and it seems to be doing okay.

I'm having a large party tomorrow and I'm wondering if there's a way to get a fairly decent pour out of this thing as I await my 'upgrade' parts. I'm really just concerned with getting liquid rather than foam out of it. I'm willing to sacrifice quality for foam reduction. Since temp is steady, should I reduce gas pressure? Again, I have a keg of Bud in it.

Also, is there a limit on the length of the gas line? It's 5/16" diameter and I'd like to get hose long enough to set the CO2 cylinder beside the unit rather than hang it on the back. Hanging it on the back adds considerable depth to the whole arrangement and I'd like to build it into my bar (even though it says it's a 'stand alone' unit).

TIA,
Jim

[hobster]

What pressure r u running?

[turbojimmy]

Originally Posted by hobster

What pressure r u running?

I turned it down to 9 PSI. It's not bad actually. I get about 1" of foam in an 18" plastic cup. During the party on Monday, as the faucet cooled, it got better and better. Definitely could use more carbonation, though.

My new stuff from Micromatic arrived today. Once this keg is kicked I'll swap it out (gas line, beer line and coupler).

Thanks,
Jim

[turbojimmy]

Update....

I installed my Micromatic parts: new 5' beer line, longer CO2 line (so I can put the tank beside the fridge rather than hang it on the back) and new coupler. Big difference. The beer line that came with the Avanti setup leaked and made a mess (beer ran down the keg, into the fridge and out the door). No matter how tight I made the fitting it weeped beer out the fitting.

I've read that the line that comes with the Avanti is too short and should be replaced with a 5' line. However, once I received the new line from Micromatic I realized that the Avanti did indeed come with a 5' line. But, like I said, it leaked so I tossed it.

Believe it or not, the temp is pretty consistent with the Avanti thermostat. It hangs out right around 38 degrees and only goes as high as 40 before it kicks on.

All in all it's working very well. I'm still on my first keg but it should be empty soon

Jim