Way to much head!

[jbauer]

We have just acquired a kegorator for our house and have yet to dial it in. We have been having a problem with amount of head on the beer when we pour it. This is our third keg and the last two have been really terriable. Is our pressure way to high/low or something we are missing?

[edramshaw]

What are the specs for you system? We would need to know the temperature of the beer in the fridge. You can do this by putting a glass of water in the fridge with the beer and checking its temp in the morning. You can also use my favorite technique learned right here and that is to pour a beer, chug it and then pour another and check the temperature of that one. We also need to know the pressure the beer is set at, type of beer you are pouring and length and size of lines you are using (for beer only the gas doesn't matter for this). Let us know.

[kmycek]

OK, I might as well highjack this thread for my own troubleshooting purposes, since it has been dormant for about three weeks, I have the same issue...

I just bought a Marvel outdoor unit, which came equipped with a (gasp) one faucet tower. I dispensed (pun intended) with the single faucet in favor of a really nice three faucet, t-shaped, PVD brass unit from MM (I can fit 3 1/6 barrels in there or 3 homebrew corny kegs - [8D]. I do live in AZ, however, it has been averaging only about 85 or so here during the day and 68 at night.

The unit is installed under a granite countertop. I have a 2" PVC pipe going between the fridge and the tower (it's actually central vac pipe, which is thinner walled). I bought the 15 CFM blower and 1" flexpipe from MM as well. The tower came with 3 5' 3/16 ID beer hoses - which I didn't cut.

For the inaugural run, I bought a 1/6th of Anchor Steam, and a 1/6th of Sierra Nevada. The temperature inside the fridge is 38-40. The tower is cold to the touch. I originally started the kegs up at 12 PSI, but it was ALL FOAM. I have since backed down to about 8 PSI. I have the same type of problem. First pour (after sitting for 30 minutes) is about 60% foam. Second beer poured in the same action is perfect. I sealed up the seams on the tower with some HVAC duct sealer (they were leaking quite a bit). I checked all the connections and everything is tight and there are no kinks. The three beer lines and 1" blower conduit is a little tight in the vac pipe, but there is still about 10 - 15% of the internal volume of the pipe left open for the cold air to drop back into the fridge.

I guess the factors I have left to work with are beer line length, temperature and pressure. Anybody have any advise on where I should start?


Keith

[kmycek]

Well, after reading through most Scott's replies on this forum, I think I will try getting the kegs consistently colder (36-38) and raise the pressure to 14-15 PSI. I guess it is just counter-intuitive for a newbie like me. When you see your brand new kegerator shooting a glass of foam in 2-3 seconds, your first inclination is to lower the pressure...!

I am at 2300 ft above sea level, and I am using 100% C02..

Do you think that will help, Scott?


Keith

[Scott Zuhse]

Be certain about your temperature. You should try to be as exact as possible. Record the temperature directly from the keg by checking the second glass of beer from the same glass. Target 38F. At this temperature, elevation disclosed and with the carbonation levels, pressure should be close to 15 PSIG.

Sealing the air leaks will greatly enhance the longevity of your compressor. If this does not clear the foam issue, you may need to look at mechanical issues such as kinked line, faucet problems, etc. Keep us posted.

Scott Zuhse, Instructor Micro Matic Dispense Institute

[cheryl welch]

HELP!! We have a Wonderbar system that was installed by an unauthorized person, hence, even though the system is under a year old, no warantee. So am looking for a person in the Northern California area who can come look at our system, give us a diagnosis and estimate on fixing? Anyone in the Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento area who would be willing to take on this challenge, please call Cheryl @ 707-275-2244. Our location is at the Blue Wing Saloon in Lake County, Upper Lake, California.

[JerryB]

Cheryl, Contact Jerry at 800 367-8852. I can help.

[ernestbud]

no-one has even asked about the length of the restrictor or beer lline in the kegerator are you putting in the right amount of restriction to balance the flow put a total of about 5' of 3/16 line between the coupler and the towere then see how it pours. and also are you using warm,frozen, or cold glasses to pour with? and finally your flow should be about 2 ounces per second I never actually trust the gauge on the regulators i just go by beer flow at 2 ounces per second