Pouring like Nitro?

[relisimo]

I have a standard home kegerator adapted for ball lock keg... the beer always seems to pour with a large cascading head (but I have CO2). I have troubleshooted countless times and cannot resolve. Here is everything I know:

Insignia 5.6 cu. ft. Dual Tap Beverage Cooler & Kegerator
Model: NS-BK2TBS8

1. Temperature is good and consistent (38F)
2. Gauge set to 8 PSI which is already on the lower side (the lines are about 5')
3. I've cleaned the lines and took apart the faucets
4. It happens more on one line than the other. CO2 is split with a "T". The manufacturer had a short piece of hose entering the T from the regulator, then one equally short section to the first coupler, and one long section to the second coupler. This didnt make sense, so I switched the long section to the regulator, and now both short sections to the couplers. Due to a lack of tools though, the regulator is hooked up to one of the 2 opposing/parallel connections of the T, with one coupler connected directly across, and one at a 90 degree angle. Can this cause uneven CO2 distribution?
5. The faucets have a spring in them to automatically close when released. Can these cause foaming? There's also a rubber gasket in the
6. I am using an adaptor (https://www.brewhardware.com/product...beerthread.htm) to hook up the ball locks to the sanke hex nuts to be able to switch to a sanke when needed. Can these be causing foaming?


The beer doesn't seem over-carbonated or flat. It actually drinks well after the head comes down, but it does somewhat resemble a creamy Nitro pour in mouthfeel.

If you have any ideas or could use more info please let me know.

[djc]

What is 38 degrees, the beer or the air in the kegerator? 8 psi is very low, you likely need to be up in the 12-14 psi range for proper balance depending on the v/v for the beer. Longer lines will help control the resulting flow. Any connection can cause foaming. The spring return in the faucet can also. CO2 distribution is fairly stable, regardless of the interconnections between the lines, the pressure is the pressure. This could be causing you issues on one beer or the other because they might be different v/v's and you are supplying the same pressure. Do you have a tower cooler?

[relisimo]

What is 38 degrees, the beer or the air in the kegerator? 8 psi is very low, you likely need to be up in the 12-14 psi range for proper balance depending on the v/v for the beer. Longer lines will help control the resulting flow. Any connection can cause foaming. The spring return in the faucet can also. CO2 distribution is fairly stable, regardless of the interconnections between the lines, the pressure is the pressure. This could be causing you issues on one beer or the other because they might be different v/v's and you are supplying the same pressure. Do you have a tower cooler?

Thanks a lot for responding.
38F is the beer. There is no tower cooler, but it is very well insulated, and the cooler has a fan. I really think I have ruled out temperature as the issue.
Is it possible that low serving pressure will cause foaming? I just thought it would lower the pour rate. I can test this easily.
Do you have any input on the "nitro" behavior... this is the part that really perplexes me. Like I said, beer is not flat nor does it feel over-carbonated.

[djc]

Low pressure is just as problematic as high pressure. Too low, and there is no reason for the CO2 to stay in solution and it will break out. Too high, and the beer is over saturated and cannot hold any more CO2, and it breaks out. After a pour, what do your beer lines look like - solid beer, or are there bubbles moving in them? The bubbles will move and form pockets of CO2 which when sent to the faucet will become foam. Pouring foam on foam makes more foam. If you pour a second beer immediately after a foamy beer, is it a little better? Your assumptions about an insulated tower and a fan in the box are incorrect, there is no getting away from the need for a tower cooler to fully conquer foam. That's why all commercial and high end residential kegerators come with tower coolers standard.