Flow Restriction, Foam, Etc.

[RonGarnett]

I just installed a 3 tap system with a deep freeze in my garage and the tap in my basement. I have two problem, both of which are probably giving me more head than I deserve.

1. The length of tubing I used to the downstairs is 12 feet, but the severity of turns in the tubing are high, so my air flow rate is probably not sufficient to cool the dispense point enough. I keep the kegs at approximately 35 to compensate. but I have work to do to improve this situation.

2. Because the length of the beer tubing run is near 15 feet, I went with 1/4 " tubing. That's a great idea if you aren't goint downhill, but the downhill run actually decreases the restriction by approximately 4 PSI..... Hard to tell what the turns in the tubing cause.... But, I think I would have been better off with 3/16 hose to counter the drop. Is there a way to regulate the restriction without adding some 3/16 hose inside the fridge?

3. I have an autistic son... his gift is destruction like Rain Man's is to count toothpicks. So, I have to turn off the CO2 and untap the kegs nightly so he doesn't decide that running the kegs into the floor is fun! Perhaps an inline shutoff would be better. I end up with air pockets in the beer lines as a result. I don't know why.... Maybe the taps are leaking air into the lines when not tapped?


Lots of rambling.... any advice? I'm an electrical engineer, so I didn't have too many fluid dynamics classes. But, I did drink a lot........... thanks to my military training........

Ron G.

Beer...it's whats for dinner!

[Draught Prophet]

Hi Ron,
Welcome to the forum.
What is the beer temp out of the tap? Pour a glass of beer, wait about a minute, then chug. Pour again and stick in a thermometer.
Next get a measuring cup and see how much beer pours in 15 seconds. You should be about 32 oz.
Once we get those two figures we should be able to figure the restriction issue out. Also, what beer are you pouring and how many feet above sea level is your place?
When you unhook a keg, you will get a little air bubble in the line regardless of your system. Maybe in line shutoffs would work, right above the coupler. There are faucet locks that MM sells, I've never used them, but they may be an answer.

Cheers,
Steve

[RonGarnett]

I am pouring two beers right now: Ky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and Ky Ale Light. My GPS says I am 930 ft above sea level, although I'm not sure of the accuracy. You might tell by the beers that I am in Lexington, KY (where both beers are brewed).

I had thought about the locks and the inline cutoff, but hadn't gotten around to that yet. It would certainly be less trouble.

The kegs are sitting roughly 8 feet above the tap with a total of around 360 degrees of turns.

I probably won't get around to the temperature thing until the weekend, but will send the data once I collect it. I appreciate your advice!