Dual Tap Kegerator - Foam on One Side?

[klarsen]

I just built a new dual tap system at home. I have Bud Light and Boulevard on tap. The info that I have found says that both should take the same pressure settings. The side with Boulevard comes out just fine. The side with Bud Light is at least 75% foam or more. The regulator that I have is your standard one with a Y adapter.

The only possible explanation that I have is that the connector where the beer line connects to the tap has a dent in it. It's not perfectly round like it should be. Could this be the culprit? If not, what should I try? Disconnect and reconnect the beer lines?

[pvs6]

Since you have 2 kegs and two tappers maybe you could just switch tappers, move the foaming Bud tap to the Boulevard and the Blvd. onto the Bud keg. If the Bud still foams and other doesn't then you know it's the Bud keg itself. If Blvd. now foams and Bud doesn't you would then know that it is that tapper.

[klarsen]

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but as I said, I'm new. What is the best way to unhook the keg? Gas first, I'm assuming. After that, do I need to drain what's in the line, or unhook the coupler?

[DCullender]

You should not have to "turn off" the gas when untapping a keg. When you lift the handle of the coupler, the probe inside the coupler lifts up and shuts off the gas flow to that keg.

Since you have built this system a couple of questions:

Are both beer lines the same length?
Is the beer line crimped anywhere on the side that foams?

You said that there was a "dent" in the connector. Yes, if that dent interferes with the flow of beer it may cause foaming.

I also recommend switching kegs to see if the foam follows the bud light or stays on that line.

[klarsen]

You should not have to "turn off" the gas when untapping a keg. When you lift the handle of the coupler, the probe inside the coupler lifts up and shuts off the gas flow to that keg.

Since you have built this system a couple of questions:

Are both beer lines the same length?
Is the beer line crimped anywhere on the side that foams?

You said that there was a "dent" in the connector. Yes, if that dent interferes with the flow of beer it may cause foaming.

I also recommend switching kegs to see if the foam follows the bud light or stays on that line.

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone on here for all your help! It's great to have such an awesome group of guys to help a newbie through this and hopefully I can give back some knowledge someday.

Thanks for the tip on the unhooking the keg. I did read through the FAQ's and guides, but didn't see this mentioned. I bought the whole thing as a set, so all lines and parts are exactly the same on both kegs and no crimps in the lines. I'll try switching those lines tonight and that should greatly help narrow down the source of the problem. I'll post again with my results.

[klarsen]

Since my last update, I have made some progress. First, I switched the lines going to the taps and the results were the same. That ruled out the tap being the problem. Thinking that it might be a problem with the coupler, I switched those too. Still, the same problem.

So, here is the lowdown: The Bud Light foams no matter which line, coupler, or tap it is connected to. The Boulevard does just fine on all of the above. The only thing that I didn't change is the CO2 line going to the kegs. Is there anything else I should try, or is it probably just a bad keg at this point? Should I take it back?

[TomK]

I haven't seen anything about the temperature of the beer mentioned. Have you measured it iaw the usual requirements, i.e. 2nd pour and calibrated thermometer?

With all things equal, I'd be willing to bet that the heavier Boulevard is a helluvalot less prone to foaming than the Bud Light. I've found that Bud Light seems to work a little better when it's colder and poured slower. I have mine at around 36 deg and 13 psi, with about a 90 oz/min flow rate. This setup is working better for me, but still not perfect.

[Scott Zuhse]

Check the seal on top of the keg for damage such as a gouge, nick or cut. Look for the raised inner ring surrounding the stainless ball. If defective, you can use a faucet coupling washer on top of this seal to possibly compensate for damage.

Do not remove the one from the faucet you have on your system. Hopefully you have a spare. Center it directly on top of the raised ring and couple over the washer.

[KillianBoy]

klarsen,
Got a quick question, what are the length of line of both, I found that light beer and regular beer require different lengths, light beer foams with short lengths.

KB

[klarsen]

I bought the kegerator conversion kit, so both lines are 5 feet long of standard 3/16" beer line. What length would you recommend that I get?

You know, even thought this is frustrating, it's fun at the same time. Heck, I'm even thinking about brewing my own now! But that's a whole different conversation...

[KillianBoy]

klarsen,
Several ways to do this, some say 10 ft and cut down 6 inch at time, I myself have several cut from 5 to 10 feet (beer line is cheap), if 6 didn't work I use the 7. Your going to have to buy all assorted hardware (clamps, tailpieces and nuts) to lengthen beer line look in store for all parts and to forum on best parts and ways to do this, I had problems with Michelob Ultra foaming and fast at 5 feet, ended up using 8 feet, now pouring Budweiser slow with no foam at 7 feet.

KB

[klarsen]

I switched to an 8 foot line for the Bud Light and 6 feet for the Boulevard. That made a definite positive impact. I still have a little too much foam for my liking, but I don't think my temp is quite where it should be either. It's quite acceptable though. Thanks so much for all your help guys!

[Scott Zuhse]

We would like to be able to help you even further. This is very difficult with out any reference to temperature, pressure, etc. The longer line simply allows you to manage the not so clear flow. This line does nothing for you as to taking care of business at the keg. You may end up with flat beer.

Using a calibrated thermometer, check your beer temperature. If it is close to 38F, you should be at 14 PSIG. If not, adjust one pound for every two degree difference. Up for warmer, down for colder.

[klarsen]

I'm using a digital thermometer that I got from Micromatic. 1st glass (1/2 foam) is 42 degrees. 2nd glass (after chugging the first) is 40 degrees. I'm still getting way too much foam from both sides. Pressure is 15 PSI. Could this be a problem with the temp of the lines or taps? It's just a standard fridge with dual door-mount taps.

I have the fridge as cold as it will go. Should I just scrap it and turn our chest freezer into my kegerator? My wife doesn't quite understand my obsession with getting this perfect, but she is very forgiving and indulges my whims. I'm sure I could get her to buy off on the freezer if she thought it would halt my constant whining.

[KillianBoy]

klarsen,

OK, several questions

- How did you lengthen line? (splice, full length replacement or other)

- Where did you buy the beer line? (homebrew store, MM or hardware store)

- What is the inner diameter of the line? (1/4 or 3/16 or other)

- How are the flows on both? (fills pint glass in 1 second fast, in 10 seconds slow)

Cleaning faucets again wouldn’t hurt, make sure to tear them down don’t just soak in BLC, clean out the air holes. I also wouldn't hurt to clean coupler thoroughly with stainless brushes, maybe you clean or run without the check ball.

The PSI with 40 degree beer seems right, if you don’t mind the beer at 40 then stick with what you got just adjust PSI to temp as Scott says, you don’t have to have the beer at 38 degrees, it’s just a starting point for PSI calculations.

You could replace the Boulevard back to the original line to see how it pours, if it pours fine, your new beer line or components might have problems. It just a matter of trial and error and take your problems one at a time. Here’s a tip, if it works don’t fix it, if your Boulevard was pouring fine, I wouldn’t have touched it.

KB

[klarsen]

I bought new 3/16 line from MM and completely replaced both lines. I have never cleaned the lines, taps, etc, but all components are new and I'm on the first keg through each tap. I can measure the flow rate tonight, but it didn't seem excessively fast or slow to me.

Any other ideas for things to check? Possible loose connections? I'll take some pictures of all components, so you guys can tell me if something isn't hooked up right. Thanks again guys.

[KillianBoy]

klarsen,

Pictures would be great, make sure you have the washer installed on beer side and go through your system inch by inch, clamps, kinks in line, just go down the line and make sure everything look right. Make sure the keg isn't touching anything (cold plate or cold air vent doesn't blow directly on keg). Just take it slow and one problem at a time.

KB

[Gordy]

What kind of refrigerator did you use for the system? Colder temps tend to foam less and work better for the lighter Macro - beers. I know you have it as cold as the thermostat setting will allow but there might be some "tricks" that the members know about to drop a few degrees. One, to start with, is moving the temp sensor to the warmest part of the fridge box, most likely the upper area near the door on the opening side.

[klarsen]

Here are the pics that I promised. It's been a busy week, or I would have gotten them up sooner.

[klarsen]

Here is part 2. I hope I got all the important stuff in there.

[klarsen]

Must have been a bad keg. I got 2 new kegs on Thursday and they both pour just right. I put a little longer lines on them to slow the pour and everything is working great! Thanks again guys.

By the way, a local place here in Omaha had good prices on Leinenkugel, so I got a full keg of Honey Weiss and an 1/8th of Amber Bock. Life is good!