Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Keg suddenly pouring too fast

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Keg suddenly pouring too fast

    Good day everyone,
    I am looking for a bit of advice. I have an insignia kegerator from best buy. It's hooked into a temp controller. That is set to 34 degrees which results in a nice pour of 37 degrees, verified in glass number 2 by my trusty thermapen. About 2 weeks ago I got a keg of oskar blues pinner, and hooked it up. Everything was fine, perfect pours for days. Then all of a sudden a couple nights ago my pour got really fast and was all foam. I've poured probably 20 to 30 perfect beers out of this keg before it did this. Maybe more, I dont exactly keep track. So I figured I must've overcarbed it, and turned off the gas and pulled the pin several times a day, then hooked it back up. I have 15 ft of 3/16 beer line (long, I know, but I had foam issues before and this fixed it. I have run several kegs of beer with this line length without issue). I also clean my lines after every 2 weeks or at keg change. I use blc, and a homemade pump system to clean it. No nicks or cuts in my coupler seal. No gas leaks that I see. Initially I had the psi set to 16. I'd read ob's dales pale ale should be at 14, and I usually plus 2 because of my elevation above sea level, mile high in CO. I called the brewery and they said it should be at 40 psi!!????!!!??? No way, right? What went wrong? Any Ideas?

    Tl;Dr poured fine for 2 weeks, then all foam and too fast. Circulating fan and tower cooler installed.

  • #2
    40 PSI ? Way to high. Check the seal on top of the keg for any damage
    Colin Harrison
    Dbi Beverage Chico

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by spdbump View Post
      40 PSI ? Way to high. Check the seal on top of the keg for any damage
      Yeah, I never went near that. No damage to the seal on the coupler or keg that I see. I even tried replacing the coupler. I wanted I stainless one anyway. Still shooting beer out like lightning. Just poured a pint, took about 4 seconds, all foam. I'm at my wits end. Only thing I can think of now would be a regulator? Its holding its psi just fine, but maybe it's pumping too much in there? But I always thought that psi didn't affect pour speed?

      Comment


      • #4
        Pressure most definitely effects pour speed. The CO2 fills the head space of the keg and keeps the carbonation in the beer, and also is what pushes the beer out of the keg. I'd look at the regulator, at 14 psi and 15 feet of line you should be pouring very slow.
        What I have: Haier two tap, 525 faucets, tower cooler, 10' lines

        Comment


        • #5
          Scott their are 2 things you must be certain of at this point, the pour temp. and the present psi, and a 3rd the v/v (pressure it was kegged at) this you would be best to know to save you the work of doing a line bubble test. Please post current for 1 & 2. As per the 3rd the brewery surely didn't understand what you were asking them because #40 psi has got to be wrong. It's common that phone calls and probably Emails about products questions get direct to the the Sales Dept. and these guys don't always know the technical details that well.

          If you can't get a v/v pressure that you are confident about you then can isolate it yourself within ballpark range of +/- 2# through utilization of the line test. Basically the test involves removing Co2 pressure and venting the keg when the slow measured application of increasing 1# of psi until the gas stops forming bubbles in the beer line. Their are complete details of this test in past post here or I can explain it later.



          Your temp controller is highly suspect. Set at 34F. but cools to 37F. If it's that vague it may be cooling below the beer's freezing point.

          In fact your symptoms are exactly the same as those of a freezing keg. Shake the keg and listen for sounds of slush. Also put a thermometer in the bottom of the unit and leave it in there for a few hours with the door unopened. Then check the temp. inside shortly after the compressor shuts off.
          Last edited by pvs6; 04-27-2016, 08:10 AM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Awesome advice, thank you. Currently my psi is set to 14. That's per my micromatic premium regulator. I don't have a tester or anything to verify it's accuracy. But 2 days after changing the coupler, it seems to be better. I still have pockets of air in my co2 line though, so I think 12 must be too low. The pour temp of a beer is 37 degrees, checked repeatedly using my thermapen. I suspect the thermometer on the temp controller must be the culprit for why it's set lower than it pours, or possibly just the sheer mass of liquid and steel in a half barrel insulates it just a bit? I don't know, but I get rock solid pour temps, so I don't worry too much about what the controller says. Onto the volumes of co2, I emailed them and called them, but can't get a response to that answer. I did find online that one of their other beers, dales pale ale, is brewed at 2.6. Which I thought by looking at charts translated to about 16 psi, which is where it started for the first few days when it poured fine. I usually add a pound or two of psi due to being a mile high. I just don't get why it was fine for a while, then all of a sudden, bam! Shooting out like lightning.

            Comment


            • #7
              Where do you have the 15' of line, is it by chance against the cold plate?
              What I have: Haier two tap, 525 faucets, tower cooler, 10' lines

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by djc View Post
                Where do you have the 15' of line, is it by chance against the cold plate?
                No, it's coiled up on top of the keg.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Since you can't get a definitive v/v level and if there bubbles and or gas pockets in the beer line there will be foam.
                  This link will help you to being balancing you beer and abate the foaming.

                  http://www.micromatic.com/keg-beer-b...ashlight-test/

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I would take the line and move it down low in the box, being careful to keep it away from the cold plate. By coiling it on top of the keg you are keeping it in the warmest part of the unit. To maintain consistent temperature from the bottom of the keg to the faucet you will be better served by having that 15' as closely matched to the bottom of the keg as possible. This should solve any dynamic breakout from temperature change.
                    The flashlight test will solve the static breakout.
                    What I have: Haier two tap, 525 faucets, tower cooler, 10' lines

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by djc View Post
                      I would take the line and move it down low in the box, being careful to keep it away from the cold plate. By coiling it on top of the keg you are keeping it in the warmest part of the unit. To maintain consistent temperature from the bottom of the keg to the faucet you will be better served by having that 15' as closely matched to the bottom of the keg as possible. This should solve any dynamic breakout from temperature change.
                      The flashlight test will solve the static breakout.
                      I'd always heard to keep the lines above the keg, as a drop in height could cause the co2 to come out of solution. But, certainly worth a shot. Thanks for the tip!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Stop that. Elevation change over a 2' height doesn't cause breakout, not being properly balanced causes breakout. Bad advice from someone who doesn't know what they are talking about.
                        What I have: Haier two tap, 525 faucets, tower cooler, 10' lines

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I just wanted to come back and thank everyone who chimed in here and helped me. No idea which step actually solved my problem, but my ob pinner is now pouring nice and slow, perfect pint after perfect pint.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X