Newbie here with foam troubles

[stutcher]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for help with my home draft system. I installed a draft system in my garage refrigerator. I am on keg #3, and I get A LOT of foam. The first two kegs were import, and my current keg is a domestic, so I think the keg tap can be eliminated since they are different. Here are my specs:
1) Fridge air temp is 36
2) Using 3/16 id clear brew approved beer line. I have varied my
pressure from 2 to 10 psi, and still have the problem. The beer
has always been clear in the line; no bubbles.
3) The shank is 1/4 id. It pertrudes 2 1/2 inches into my fridge.
Could this be too short? I read someplace else that for a home
fridge, it should be atleast 6" so the dispenser on the outside
stays cold.
4) My beer line is approximately 2 ft. There is hardly any vertical
drop in my line; the top of my keg tap is just about even with
shank. I read that the beer line creates restriction. Could I
need more beer line to create more restriction, especially
since I don't have any vertical rise?
5) Could the washers be a cause? Do I need special washers someplace?

Any help that someone could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[sevman]

Do you have any kinks near the shank ? If you decrease your air pressure do you bleed pressure off keg? Are you opening faucet all the way when you pour? If none of the above set your air at 12 lbs that is standad for a restaurant keg box.I hope this helps

[stutcher]

No kinks what so ever. Yes, I bled off the pressure at the keg. Yes, I open the faucet all the way when I pour.

I will set it at 12 and see what happens. I did the math with 'balance the keg' formula, and it should be set at 12. To me that seems awefully high, I don't know anyone with a fridge keg that has it set that high. But I will give it a try after work. Thanks for your reply to my post.

[mmwmike]

You have the right equipment and temperature, it's just the length of hose is too short. Even though you have a short distance between the keg and the shank, you still need enough "resistance" built up by the hose for the beer to pour properly. All of our conversion kits and towers come with a standard 5' of 3/16" I.D. hose. Change your beer line from 2' to a 5' long one. Don't worry about "fall & lift" just rest the extra length on top of the keg. Then set the pressure at 10-12 pounds.

You can also have foam due as a result of too low of pressure - the beer is not "packed" into the line by the CO2 pressure.

Mike Godwin, Micro Matic USA, Inc. Northridge, CA

[stutcher]

Thanks Mike. I will let you know the results as soon as I do that.

[stutcher]

I changed the hose length from 2.5 to 6 ft. Slowly cranked the C02 to 12, and the foam troubles went away. Thanks for the suggestion. Let me ask another question. I currenty have a domestic beer of import quality (Saranac Pale Ale) tapped. I noticed after consuming a pint, that the next beer poured into the glass got foamy. Is this common? Should I rinse the glass after using it once?

[Scott Zuhse]

Try increasing the pressure one more pound. The beer is probably still degassing and bubbles are collecting behind the faucet. If you notice a shot of foam when you first open the faucet, stop immediately and dump this out of your glass. Start over. It is impossible to pour clear beer over foam without creating more additional foam. Check for pressure leaks as well. They can cause problems as well.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute

[dog-on]

Originally Posted by sevman

Do you have any kinks near the shank ? If you decrease your air pressure do you bleed pressure off keg? Are you opening faucet all the way when you pour? If none of the above set your air at 12 lbs that is standad for a restaurant keg box.I hope this helps

bleeding pressure off keg? please explain. i am having similar problems..