Extreme foaming problem - please help

[marshalls]

Hi everyone,

I bought a kegerator a few months ago. It's a insignia brand kegerator from best buy. The first few kegs worked great then I started getting foaming issues and it has never been the same since. I cleaned it and the issue persisted so I thought maybe there was a faulty part. I also wanted to expand to 2 taps so I just bought all new parts. I have perlick faucets, and a micromatic regulator. Still the problem persists. I have two kegs that will dispense nothing but foam. At first the foam was just blasting out so I replaced the 8 foot lines with 35 feet as per the calculation on this website: http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17...our-kegerator/

It actually says I should have 40 foot lines since the line diameter is .25". All the line is coiled above the keg. The foam comes out at a normal speed now but it is still all foam. I have cleaned everything and the temperature setting is at its coldest. The beer looks like its liquid in the line but turns to foam right as it comes out of the tap.

Here is the only thing I can think of. When I took everything apart to clean the kegerator I couldn't remember where these things (pictured below) came from. I put regular washers in all the fittings. Could that have caused the problem? Also, one of the kegs, when I pull the pressure relief valve on the coupler beer sprays out. Any theories here? What is wrong? I don't know that I can take the beer temp because it's just foam. I guess I could try to take the foam temp. The pressure is set to 12 psi, per my local brewer's recommendation, and when it worked it was fine at that pressure.

Please help. Thx.

[djc]

Whatever you are calculating for line length is waaaaaay off. You should be using 3/16" diameter line. Most you want to see is around 10'. To combat foam you need to understand how to balance, the first part of which is knowing the temperature of your beer using a calibrated thermometer on your second pour. The. You need to know the volumes of CO2 for the beer, and adjust your pressure according to a force carbonation chart. The left over parts are gas check valves and go between the coupler and the gas line. Pointy part into the coupler.

[marshalls]

the kegerator came with 1/4" line. It was 8 foot lengths. The tower and connections are all set up for 1/4 inch line. The point is that I have tried different lengths of line so that is not the problem. It didn't work when I had a short line either so does anyone else have any suggestions? I would try 3/16 line but the hardware is not set up for 3/16" tubing. I will take the beer temp but I don't think any of that is the problem. It works great when I install a new keg, then in a day or 2, nothing but foam.

[djc]

Ok, you need to take time to listen. There are three main things that balance your system. Temperature, volumes of CO2 and applied pressure. Your quarter inch fittings will be fine with 3/16ths. Put the tubing in hot water and it will flex and go right on. The three variables are not disputable, if you choose not to consider temperature you will get nowhere.


Best of luck.

[marshalls]

Ok, so I took beer temp and it is 30 degrees. What now? (I'm going to get 3/16" tubing soon).

[djc]

Calibrated thermometer? Way too cold IMO. You are going to freeze the water component and over carb the beer. Hard to come back from that. I'd raise the temp, it will take some time. You will also likely have to turn off the CO2, vent and shake the keg, and vent some more and shake some more to take out the excess carbonation. This can be done a number of times over the course of a day. Once at a stable and more reasonable temperature to balance you need to find the volumes of CO2 for the beer you are pouring - what is the beer? Then we go to a force carbonation chart and figure out the applied pressure and turn the CO2 back on.

[marshalls]

Calibrated thermometer? Way too cold IMO. You are going to freeze the water component and over carb the beer. Hard to come back from that. I'd raise the temp, it will take some time. You will also likely have to turn off the CO2, vent and shake the keg, and vent some more and shake some more to take out the excess carbonation. This can be done a number of times over the course of a day. Once at a stable and more reasonable temperature to balance you need to find the volumes of CO2 for the beer you are pouring - what is the beer? Then we go to a force carbonation chart and figure out the applied pressure and turn the CO2 back on.

Ok so I changed to 3/16" tubing, 10' foot length and I am still having the same problem. Beer dispenses great for the first day after I install keg then it turns into nothing but foam. My brewer said the proper psi for this beer is 12. I don't know what I am doing wrong. Beer temp is 40 degrees. I am in Durango, CO where the altitude is 6,500 ft.

Please help! I am really feeling like I wasted my money on this kegerator. How can it be this hard?!

[PremiumVADraftTech]

Did the faucet that came with the kegerator, have a spring in it? Like to let it snap back into place itself after pouring a beer?

The reason I ask is, most of those have shanks that are very wide open compared to most, meaning there is NO restriction where the beer line is connected to the back of the shank, have ran into a few of these and they had nothing but foam issues... if at all possible take a picture of the inside of the shank so we can see the diameter of the opening. Can you (carefully) take a faucet brush and stick it in more than say 1/4 of a inch? Does it have a metal turn down inside of the tower? or just connected to a straight piece right behind the shank?

These accounts that had these wide shank openings had to replace them with ones that didnt

[marshalls]

Did the faucet that came with the kegerator, have a spring in it? Like to let it snap back into place itself after pouring a beer?

The reason I ask is, most of those have shanks that are very wide open compared to most, meaning there is NO restriction where the beer line is connected to the back of the shank, have ran into a few of these and they had nothing but foam issues... if at all possible take a picture of the inside of the shank so we can see the diameter of the opening. Can you (carefully) take a faucet brush and stick it in more than say 1/4 of a inch? Does it have a metal turn down inside of the tower? or just connected to a straight piece right behind the shank?

These accounts that had these wide shank openings had to replace them with ones that didnt

Yes, the original tower and faucet had a spring. But I replaced that tower assembly for one with two perlick faucets. The shanks are set up for 1/4" tubing. I used 3/16" tubing instead as advised. There is a metal turn down the tower on the shank. Attached are the pictures. What do you think?

The beer turns to foam somewhere in the shank or faucet. It looks like great beer in the line. Just a few tiny bubbles here and there, not sure if that's anything abnormal, but it's liquid beer all the way to the shank and from there something happens that causes it to turn to foam as it exits for the pour.

[PremiumVADraftTech]

The opening looks normal from that picture to me, not what Ive seen in the ones I was talking about, hrrrrmmmmmm and the lines inside the tower dont look to be crimped, or bent at all, double hrrrrmmmmm

Is there no insulation in the tower? is there a fan blowing air into it at all \? sorry if you said so in the other posts, ive got to get to bed, my first account tomorrow is at 4am lol cheers

[marshalls]

The opening looks normal from that picture to me, not what Ive seen in the ones I was talking about, hrrrrmmmmmm and the lines inside the tower dont look to be crimped, or bent at all, double hrrrrmmmmm

Is there no insulation in the tower? is there a fan blowing air into it at all \? sorry if you said so in the other posts, ive got to get to bed, my first account tomorrow is at 4am lol cheers

no, there is not much insulation in the tower. The foam is pushed down in the middle of the tower so that the lower part going into the kegerator is insulated better. But if it was just a temp change in the tower you would expect the second or third beer to pour right wouldn't you?

I'm thinking the temp might be too cold in the kegerator. I'm going to leave a glass of water overnight and see if it freezes. It sorta sounded like slush in the keg when I was shaking it around just now, venting off the co2. Hopefully that's it. I have been getting some mixed readings from my walmart grade digital thermometer.

[pvs6]

"Just a few tiny bubbles here and there" no this is not normal and is in fact a marker for a non balanced system. Post the beer in service, 2nd pour temp.

[marshalls]

Ok. I woke up this morning and the glass I had placed in the kegerator was frozen so I'm thinking the temp is the problem. I'm going to let this thing thaw out for awhile and try again. Do you think I'll still be able to use this keg even though some of it froze and was slushy last night?

[djc]

Frozen kegs can be salvaged. You are likely over carbed at this point which isn't helping. You've reported a wide range of temperatures - from 30 earlier, to 40 most recently. Are you changing the thermostat? The glass is a good indicator, but what really matters is the beer temp. The wide range of fluctuation is a problem because the pressure needs to be adjusted to keep balanced. Ideally you want to set the thermostat to the temp you want your beer at, 38 is typical, and then adjust pressure to match. Changing more than one thing at a time will not work.