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  • Keg partially Iced over

    Ok this is a follow up to the post below (no responses) so I am starting one with an update and a problem identified. I thought I'd clean out the tap and so I took the keg out. I discovered when moving the keg that it was icy inside. The beer was still mostly liquid and moving but there was still a large chunk of ice in there. Over the last two days I have lowered the temp but I guess the ice needs to melt fully.

    What should I do? Turn off the kegerator altogether overnight and let the beer thaw? How long should I turn it off for? I don't want to ruin the beer. Can this issue be fully resolved? Please help folks, this is a full keg of beer.

    Thanks

  • #2
    Remove the keg from the unit to warm at room temp. Periodically shake it till the sound of ice goes away. Then shake the keg vigorously to mix the separated water back in. Re-tap and take temp. of beer. Set temp and pressure accordingly and monitor it for the next 2 days till it stabilizes making psi adjustments as needed. The beer will be okay once it's been stabilized. We've all froze a can of beer before and once it warmed up there was no off taste, you just froze a really big can this time.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by pvs6 View Post
      Remove the keg from the unit to warm at room temp. Periodically shake it till the sound of ice goes away. Then shake the keg vigorously to mix the separated water back in. Re-tap and take temp. of beer. Set temp and pressure accordingly and monitor it for the next 2 days till it stabilizes making psi adjustments as needed. The beer will be okay once it's been stabilized. We've all froze a can of beer before and once it warmed up there was no off taste, you just froze a really big can this time.
      Thans pvs6! My concern is now why the temp was so cold that it basically was able to partially freeze over a full keg, when the setting on the thermostat was set at its usual setting (about half way between full and off). I guess it happens? I've pulled the keg out and will let it sit at room temp overnight and put it back in in the morning. Thanks for the tip, really appreciate it.

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      • #4
        What kind of beer was it?


        Some beers with lower alcohol content will freeze easier than those with higher % of alcohol

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        • #5
          Originally posted by PremiumVADraftTech View Post
          What kind of beer was it?


          Some beers with lower alcohol content will freeze easier than those with higher % of alcohol
          Its Bitburger Pilsner, and yes its a lower alc content. However, I only tap pilsners and lagers and have never had this issue at this temp setting.

          And I just checked the keg which has been sitting out for near 24 hours and I can still hear chunks of ice in there. I may have to leave this think out over night again.

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          • #6
            Yes something is off with your T-stat. Replacement or external temp. controller. While waiting for the keg to de-frost put a half full 5 gallon bucket of water in there and check the temp in a day at your normal setting. Also does the compressor cycle off or is it running full-time?

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            • #7
              Originally posted by pvs6 View Post
              Yes something is off with your T-stat. Replacement or external temp. controller. While waiting for the keg to de-frost put a half full 5 gallon bucket of water in there and check the temp in a day at your normal setting. Also does the compressor cycle off or is it running full-time?
              So after a day and a half outside (2 nights), I think the ice was gone. So I cleaned the lines again and hooked it back up, but this time at a lower temp. I am going to check the beer temp daily until I can bring it up to the correct balance. I hope the keg is still good.

              Thanks

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              • #8
                Yeah your beer will be just fine once you achieve balance again. I would be like a newborn's overly protective mother with that T-stat for the next week or 2. I'd check 2nd pour beer temp regularly and monitor the cycling times of the compressor too.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by pvs6 View Post
                  Yeah your beer will be just fine once you achieve balance again. I would be like a newborn's overly protective mother with that T-stat for the next week or 2. I'd check 2nd pour beer temp regularly and monitor the cycling times of the compressor too.
                  Yep, will be monitoring it daily. I tested temp after work today and the beer poured better but still a good amount of head at first. At 12 PSI, the temp was 50 on the second pour so lowered the stat a bit as I would like to achieve 45. Will test again tomorrow. Of course I drank the beer I poured out during the test and it tasted great again Hopefully we are on the road to recovery.

                  Oh, and although I am not home all day, the compressor does not seem to be cycling weirdly in any way. Not scientific, just based on maternal instinct

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by pvs6 View Post
                    Yeah your beer will be just fine once you achieve balance again. I would be like a newborn's overly protective mother with that T-stat for the next week or 2. I'd check 2nd pour beer temp regularly and monitor the cycling times of the compressor too.
                    This gets more interesting. I get home today and pour to measure temp. Beer is at about 43, could be a little cooler so I adjust the thermo accordingly. I check the pressure and its at 10 (instead of 12), and tried turning up the pressure and it won't happen. Left gauge says the co2 is out. Looks like the CO2 emptied out, but was increasing/decreasing pressure normally until yesterday. Did I lose my CO2 to the keg as it recarbonated or was it just end of life? Anyway the beer tasted fine, now I have to get the Co2 tank filled. Baby steps...
                    Last edited by BigKutta; 06-25-2015, 03:29 AM.

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