Lots of Foam at home. Take it for a ride pours perfect.

[raymillsus]

Ok so this is strange but I will admit I am new to kegerator. I have a Danby kegerator stock 5 foot of beer line and a 34cfm Tower cooler.

When I tap it at home I get Foam and lots of it.
I untap it pull the release and let all the air out. (Not sure this does anything at all)
Put it in my toy hauler and take it for a 2-3 hr ride in the camper. And when I get to the campgrounds I retap it and Whalah Perfect pours all weekend. Then when I get home (if any is left) it pours just fine. What gives. I can not get it to pour right without a ride in the camper toy hauler.

[djc]

Are you dispensing at the camp ground with a hand pump?

[raymillsus]

No Same Kegerator same CO2 same keg everything is the same. I take the kegerator and set it up in the garage of the toy hauler. This has happened on both a Keg of 1/4 Bells Oberon and a keg of 1/6 Alagash White Ale. I want to be able to bring a Keg home from the store and get a good pour. I do not adjust the CO2 pressure I change nothing. Just take it for a ride in the camper. I know everyone loves camping but I want to understand what I need to do to get the same results at home.

[djc]

Well, pulling the purge does do something, it empties the head space of CO2. Driving and bumping around likely knocks a lot of CO2 out of the beer and into the head space. Based on fast usage and the keg warming up during the ride, you are likely just lucky you get good pours at the camp site. Kegerators aren't plug and play, you need a good handle on beer temp, the volumes of CO2 for the beers your are pouring, and the applied pressure. Very unlikely in your usage pattern you will be able to have everything good in both the camp and the house. There isn't enough time for things to stabilize. Many threads here regarding the relationship, any thread on foam will talk about it.

[raymillsus]

Thanks I have looked at all of that and I am not sure what I am doing except removing the "head space" maybe that is what I need to do here and then let it sit for a few hours that I am not doing. I am bringing it home let it sit in the kegerator for about 3-4 hrs then I tap it. Maybe 3-4 is not enough either. Not sure. The beer I am using has about a 2.7vv and only pours good at about 8-9psi if I go with the 12 not even a ride works for that. I just get foam.
Considering a longer beer line.
Thanks for your insight.

[djc]

You need the temperature to evaluate whether 8-9 is the proper pressure. I assume it is not, and what you are doing is underpressurizing to compensate. Over time you get flat beer. If you are pounding the kegs away it doesn't have time to take effect. 3-4 hours is not enough to cool any significant volume. A longer line will slow flow and help with dispensing if you are balanced and the foam is coming from turbulence. If you aren't balanced, all it will do is create more CO2 pockets that in turn create foam. Without a tower cooler, you will always have first beer foam. 2.7 volumes at 30F would be using 9 psi to balance. You aren't at 30F. Bet a beer on that. As temp goes higher, the pressure required also goes higher.

[raymillsus]

So will higher pressure actually cause less foam? the calculator says 13 I think it was but it comes out so fast that it really foams. I think I am going to go the longer hose route. Now I just need to get fitings that will work on a 1/4" that is what the local home brew store recommends. I have 3/8 I think. He said that 10' of 1/4" Commercial quality line will make a world of difference. it is only .50 a foot so I think this is what I am going to do. I just have to figure out how to get the smaller connectors first.

[djc]

Bad advice. 1/4" will pour like a fire hose. You need 3/16". The calculator is right if your beer temp is right, you need to figure that out first. The proper pressure for the temp and v/v will keep the CO2 in solution. When the CO2 breaks out, it creates gaps in the beer line which in turn are bursts of foam when they get to the faucet. You pour foam on foam or on beer, you get more foam. Very easy to see this effect, what do the high points in the beer line look like after sitting for a little while? Gaps mean you are not balanced. Longer line will help after balancing, but will not replace balancing. You most definitely do not have 3/8" connectors. Take the temperature of the second pour - use a calibrated thermometer and a room temp glass. Pull a beer, immediately chug or pour off, and pour another. Take the temp of the beer, not foam, without touching the side of the glass.

[raymillsus]

My connectors and beer hose are 3 times the size of the 1/4 inch hose that I was shown at the Home brew store. It was the smallest one that they had. Very thick walls very small orfice. I wonder if he actually showed me 3/16? It was very small ID. But the largest OD of all of the hoses he had there.

[djc]

OD doesn't matter. ID should be 3/16".

[raymillsus]

I am going to order the parts for the change.

[memding]

Are you dispensing at the camp ground with a hand pump?