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Hi All,
First off, thanks for everyone's contribution to this forum as I've gleaned a tremendous amount of information over the past few months with researching the build of my kegerator and troubleshooting the initial issues I had. Now on to the show...
After a few months of trying to dial-in my system, I'm still wondering if I have some fundamental design flaws with my setup. In short, I have a continuous issue with foamy beers and also some off-flavors.
To detail my setup:
- I have a full-sized fridge in the basement keeping the kegs at a chilly 36-38 degrees.
- 2 beer lines run up 10 feet to the floor above and connect to a 5" shank with taps that come directly out of the wall. (Aesthetically, it looks awesome.)
- The lines are kept cold with a pond pump in the freezer continuously circulating 4 gallons of RV antifreeze through a lines that are coupled with the beer lines and insulated with high grade pipe insulation. (similar concept to a trunk line)
- My beer pours at 36-38 degrees after sitting overnight, so I'm fairly certain my issue is not related to temperature.
- I have 20' of beer line of which 7' is 1/4" and 13' is 3/8. I think this is part of my problem... My taps/shanks are connected to the 1/4" tubing and the keg is connected to the 3/8". So the beer is moving from a larger diameter tube, through a splice and then to the smaller 1/4" tubing from keg to taps.
- Also, as part of the install of the lines, I made a slight mistake and the lines go UP from the tap about 1-2 feet before going back down to the fridge. I read somewhere that the beer line must go directly down or else foam will form in air pockets above the taps. I can change this but will take some effort and rework.
The problem:
- It seems I have to keep my regulator at about 16 PSI in order to keep enough pressure at the taps to keep the beer from dropping back down the lines wh, which eventually over carbonates my beer in the keg.
- If I go below the 16 PSI, the beer is super foamy and I think it's because the beer starts to drop back down the line due to lack of PSI to keep the beer pushed against the closed tap.
- Lastly, I'm getting some off-flavors in the beer after it's been sitting over night - the second pour is usually fine. I'm certain my lines are clean as I use PBW and StarSan after each keg swap and still have those flavors.
The questions:
- Would going to a single 3/8" line without a splice and without going from larger diameter to smaller tubing solve the problem?
- Do I need more than 20' of line? (Seems the more I read about sizing beer line, restriction, gravitational affect, etc, the less I know what to do.)
- Could the 1-2' rise in the line as it leaves the tap cause foaming issues?
- Any suggestions on how I can improve the setup?
- Any thoughts on what could be contributing to the off-flavors?
Thanks for all your help!,
- Rob
First off, thanks for everyone's contribution to this forum as I've gleaned a tremendous amount of information over the past few months with researching the build of my kegerator and troubleshooting the initial issues I had. Now on to the show...
After a few months of trying to dial-in my system, I'm still wondering if I have some fundamental design flaws with my setup. In short, I have a continuous issue with foamy beers and also some off-flavors.
To detail my setup:
- I have a full-sized fridge in the basement keeping the kegs at a chilly 36-38 degrees.
- 2 beer lines run up 10 feet to the floor above and connect to a 5" shank with taps that come directly out of the wall. (Aesthetically, it looks awesome.)
- The lines are kept cold with a pond pump in the freezer continuously circulating 4 gallons of RV antifreeze through a lines that are coupled with the beer lines and insulated with high grade pipe insulation. (similar concept to a trunk line)
- My beer pours at 36-38 degrees after sitting overnight, so I'm fairly certain my issue is not related to temperature.
- I have 20' of beer line of which 7' is 1/4" and 13' is 3/8. I think this is part of my problem... My taps/shanks are connected to the 1/4" tubing and the keg is connected to the 3/8". So the beer is moving from a larger diameter tube, through a splice and then to the smaller 1/4" tubing from keg to taps.
- Also, as part of the install of the lines, I made a slight mistake and the lines go UP from the tap about 1-2 feet before going back down to the fridge. I read somewhere that the beer line must go directly down or else foam will form in air pockets above the taps. I can change this but will take some effort and rework.
The problem:
- It seems I have to keep my regulator at about 16 PSI in order to keep enough pressure at the taps to keep the beer from dropping back down the lines wh, which eventually over carbonates my beer in the keg.
- If I go below the 16 PSI, the beer is super foamy and I think it's because the beer starts to drop back down the line due to lack of PSI to keep the beer pushed against the closed tap.
- Lastly, I'm getting some off-flavors in the beer after it's been sitting over night - the second pour is usually fine. I'm certain my lines are clean as I use PBW and StarSan after each keg swap and still have those flavors.
The questions:
- Would going to a single 3/8" line without a splice and without going from larger diameter to smaller tubing solve the problem?
- Do I need more than 20' of line? (Seems the more I read about sizing beer line, restriction, gravitational affect, etc, the less I know what to do.)
- Could the 1-2' rise in the line as it leaves the tap cause foaming issues?
- Any suggestions on how I can improve the setup?
- Any thoughts on what could be contributing to the off-flavors?
Thanks for all your help!,
- Rob
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