Wild Miller Lite (first keg)

[timm747]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I just bought a new kegerator. I got the Kenmore from Sears for $549.00. It was an aweseome deal that I couldn't pass up!

So my question is, I have a calibrated thermometer in there (I put it in a glass of ice and water and it read 32 degrees) in a bottle of water and it reads 40 degrees right now (however when I came home from work tonight at 5pm it read 38 degrees, so I'm not sure why it is up to 40 now, but I just decreased the temp so we'll see what it reads in a bit.) I have the PSI set to 12 and every single time I pour a beer I have to let the foam run out before I get clear beer. I've had it for 3 days and I've tried increasing pressure, decreasing pressure, increasing temperature, decreasing temperature and nothing is working. I'm using all of the stock equipment that came with the unit.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Tim

[topgun3208]

welcome to the forum Tim. are you sure it was $549?, was it a clearance item? I paid 649 for the kenmore on sale last april and they are still that price here. if you did great deal. I keep a calibrated t'meter in a cup of water (no ice) in my unit as well to monitor temp. pretty much everyone in here has/had foam issues, as I am now, but I let it settle down in the glass. Scott the MMC moderator will jump in here from time to time and offer up his suggestions. you need to let him know what brand of beer you r running and your location for the elevation (how many feet above sea level). I am running killians red @36f and 14psi now on a 1/2 keg. the last keg I had was sam adams and it dam near drove me nutz with the foam. good luck on the kenmore, great unit.

mark

"If I had to live my life over, I'd live over a saloon" WC Fields

[timm747]

Thanks Topgun, I'm in Maryland and am 2m above sea level. I currently have the temp at ~38 degrees and the pressure at 12psi and I always have a cup of foam before the beer pours clear.

The unit wasn't clearance. It was on sale for $649 and they had a 15% rebate (or free shipping) on any Kenmore products over $399 plus I had just opened a Sears charge about a month ago so I also had a $10 coupon for any purchase over $50.00. For the past 3 months we have been eyeing it up but could never justify the $650.00. Its funny how much you can justify buying something if you can get an additional $100 off! ha ha...

Tim

[madmax]

Timm747, Im no expert but I believe what is happening is when you draw your 1st beer thru that warm spigot the beer instantly degases after making contact with the not so cold shank spigot assembly. After the 1st beer it cools down and there after you should`nt have a problem. I always have the same problem.I just draw a half a glass dump it and the rest justs pours perfectly everytime.[]

[timm747]

That ends up wasting a lot of beer though, doesn't it? When you say that you pour 1/2 a glass of foam and the rest is fine, is it fine for the night, or for the keg? If I wait 15 minutes it foams back up. I could live with pouring a 1/2 cup of foam once a day, but it happens every glass....

Should I just drink faster? []

Tim

[timm747]

Glad the forum is back...

I've got the liquid temp in my Kenmore Kegerator at 38 degrees and it's pumping at 12psi. However I'm still getting a lot of foam when I first pull the tap. It's also pouring very fast.

Should I look into extending my line? I don't think it came with 5 feet of tubing...

Tim

[Scott Zuhse]

Madmax is correct. The Kenmore unit probably has no method of forcing cold air into the tower.

quote:If this is installed in this manner you will always dispense a glass of foam each time you pour a beer. Beer has gas and it will expand when heated. The gas in the beer will break out and collect behind the faucet. This foam will end up in your glass while you pour until the cold beer chills the line. Thus, a beer chilled system. Using the cold air from the kegerator and forcing it up the tower is the most efficient method to dispense.

Check this link to a 15 CFM blower and flex tube. By the way, what brand of beer are you dispensing. At 38 degrees, you may require 14 PSIG.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute