Glycol System Flush

[GolfClub]

I am at my wits end with my Beer Draught system. I have a 4 tap remote pour system. The run is about 48FT of tubing. It was pouring foam like crazy when it was at a Nitrogen/Co2 mixture so I went 100% Co2 since I only serve boring beer anyways. I turned the PSI down to around 12PSI and i'm still spewing foam.

The Glycol system never gets below 39 which shouldn't cause as much foam as I'm getting but I figured i'd give a glycol flush a try since it seems it hasn't been done since the thing was installed 2 years ago.

That being said - I do not know the capacity of the glycol lines. If I have a 1 gallon reservoir and 48 feet of line how much glycol/water mixture do I need?

Also - The manual on the glycol cooler says to ensure a glycol has a freeze point of 5-10* using a hydrometer - Without buying a Hydrometer and learning how to use it (I already ordered one don't worry) Is there a 'General Ratio' that I should have to produce that freeze point?

Thank you all for your help.

[JohnnyG]

I believe micromatic glycol is mixed at 2 1/2 water to 1 part glycol that should give you a acceptable freeze point. Also your chiller should be down around 29-32 deg glycol fluid temp. And don't know the total restriction in your system but I would run blended gas for sure as long as your ratio and applied pressure are fine and system is balanced the gas shouldn't be an issue. Check your beer temps from keg in walkin and beer out of line to compare. Also check all coupler washers to eliminate that as well.

[mikejferrari]

To answer your question about the capacity of the lines- if you're using 3/8" ID glycol lines, it holds .75oz/ft. So with 96 ft total between send and return, you should have 72oz of glycol in the system. Have you cleaned the condenser fins in a while? If the condenser can't breathe well, you lose cooling efficiency. And I agree with Johnny; you should go back on the blend. If your glycol bath is at 39*, it's going to foam. The bath temp should be 8-10* below your cooler temperature.