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Main
Date: 16 Dec 2006 14:34:06
From:
Subject: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
tower.
I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
have set at 12psi.
When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
flat) - yet the foam continues.
I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
Any idea what I can do??
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Date: 16 Dec 2006 17:50:14
From:
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
Great suggestions, thank you! The line is 3/16", yes. I am going to
re-check for air leaks as suggested, and if that doesn't appear to be
the issue, I'm going to lengthen the beverage line. After reading some
other good archived information after posting, I started realizing that
"balancing" may very well be my issue.
thanks for helping a newbie with this!
Bill
Tom Biasi wrote:
> <boz232@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:1166308446.122027.182140@16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
> > I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
> > to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
> > had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
> >
> > I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
> > ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
> > a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
> > to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
> > 1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
> > insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
> > came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
> > feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
> > tower.
> >
> > I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> > fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> > have set at 12psi.
> >
> > When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> > pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> > As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> > more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> > is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> > is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> > glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
> >
> >
> > The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
> > flat) - yet the foam continues.
> >
> > I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
> > keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
> > from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
> >
> > Any idea what I can do??
> >
>
> Make sure your faucet isn't pulling in air somewhere. Check the valve
> assembly.
>
> Tom
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Date: 17 Dec 2006 15:04:53
From:
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
In rec.crafts.brewing boz232@comcast.net wrote:
: Great suggestions, thank you! The line is 3/16", yes. I am going to
: re-check for air leaks as suggested, and if that doesn't appear to be
: the issue, I'm going to lengthen the beverage line. After reading some
: other good archived information after posting, I started realizing that
: "balancing" may very well be my issue.
From what you described, you are almost certainly over-carbonating the beer. That's why it worked fine initially, but
after awhile it's all foam. It takes *time* for an un-agitated keg to absorb CO2 from the headspace.... on the order of days to a
week or more.
You should measure the temperature of the keg, and then do a google for "volumes co2 carbonation" and find a table for
what's an appropriate pressure at that temperature for the style of beer you've got in the keg. Probably on the order of 2.5-3
volumes. If your temp is 35 degrees, 14 psi sounds like a bit much.
-Cory
--
*************************************************************************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
*************************************************************************
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Date: 16 Dec 2006 20:43:20
From: Tom Biasi
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
<boz232@comcast.net > wrote in message
news:1166308446.122027.182140@16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
> I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
> to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
> had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
>
> I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
> ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
> a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
> to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
> 1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
> insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
> came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
> feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
> tower.
>
> I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> have set at 12psi.
>
> When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
>
>
> The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
> flat) - yet the foam continues.
>
> I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
> keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
> from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
>
> Any idea what I can do??
>
Make sure your faucet isn't pulling in air somewhere. Check the valve
assembly.
Tom
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Date: 16 Dec 2006 18:42:02
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
boz232@comcast.net wrote:
>
> I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> have set at 12psi.
>
> When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foa
> Any idea what I can do??
>
I run into a similar problem, though to a much lesser extent, dispensing
from corny kegs. The problem appears to lie in the volume of CO2 in the
head space. That volume increases with each beer you pour.
Theoretically this shouldn't create a problem due to the law of partial
pressures, etc., but the beer does seem to pick up carbonation towards
the end.
I pretty much fixed this problem by lowering the pressure to about 10
psi and adding about 2 feet to the dispensing lines to better balance
the system. If you currently have 1/4" i.d. lines, you need to switch
to 3/16" i.d. lines to make the problem go away. If you already have
the smaller lines, then you need to go longer.
Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company
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Date: 17 Dec 2006 15:12:31
From:
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
: I run into a similar problem, though to a much lesser extent, dispensing
: from corny kegs. The problem appears to lie in the volume of CO2 in the
: head space. That volume increases with each beer you pour.
: Theoretically this shouldn't create a problem due to the law of partial
: pressures, etc., but the beer does seem to pick up carbonation towards
: the end.
The volume of CO2 in the headspace is irrelvant. There are a number of reasons why it might *seem* to make a difference,
but it doesn't. For instance:
- If you don't leave the CO2 connected, but rather top it off once in awhile, having a smaller volume of headspace doesn't allow for
as much CO2 to be "stored" there. If the equilibrium carbonation of the beer is lower than the headspace pressure, some will
dissolve in, the pressure will drop to where they're equal, and that's it. Smaller headspace means less to dissolve in (and more
beer to dissolve it into).
- The time factor... by the time the keg is getting emptier, it's been under CO2 pressure longer. More will have dissolved in.
- The surface area/volume ratio. If the keg is almost empty or almost full, it's got the same surface area exposed to the CO2. If
the headspace pressure is higher than the equilbrium carbonation pressure, it can carbonate the smaller *volume* of an empty keg
much quicker than if it's full.
: I pretty much fixed this problem by lowering the pressure to about 10
: psi and adding about 2 feet to the dispensing lines to better balance
: the system. If you currently have 1/4" i.d. lines, you need to switch
: to 3/16" i.d. lines to make the problem go away. If you already have
: the smaller lines, then you need to go longer.
The 10 psi is what did it (although the longer lines didn't hurt the pour, probably). Bottom line is if you know what temp
you're at and what carbonation level you want, if the headspace pressure stays at that pressure the beer will *NOT* change it's
carbonation level. If anything, the pour should have less pressure when the keg is empty because the distance from the top of the
beer level in the keg to the tap is less (i.e. less pressure drop due to gravity).
-Cory
--
*************************************************************************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
*************************************************************************
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Date: 18 Dec 2006 20:37:07
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
["Followup-To:" header set to rec.crafts.brewing.]
On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:12:31 +0000 (UTC), <papenfussDIESPAM@juneauDOTmeDOTvt.edu > wrote:
>: I run into a similar problem, though to a much lesser extent, dispensing
>: from corny kegs. The problem appears to lie in the volume of CO2 in the
>: head space. That volume increases with each beer you pour.
>: Theoretically this shouldn't create a problem due to the law of partial
>: pressures, etc., but the beer does seem to pick up carbonation towards
>: the end.
>
> The volume of CO2 in the headspace is irrelvant. There are a number of reasons why it might *seem* to make a difference,
> but it doesn't. For instance:
What he said. Pressure is important, not necessarily volume.
John.
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Date: 16 Dec 2006 18:32:24
From: DragonTail
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
boz232@comcast.net wrote:
> I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
> to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
> had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
>
> I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
> ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
> a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
> to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
> 1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
> insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
> came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
> feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
> tower.
>
> I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> have set at 12psi.
>
> When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
>
>
> The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
> flat) - yet the foam continues.
>
> I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
> keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
> from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
>
> Any idea what I can do??
>
I'm not exactly sure on this, as I only have cornies, but you could try
to turn the CO2 down a bit. I force pressurize at about that psi and
then drop to ~5psi to dispense. It could be that you are "over
carbonating".
Cheers,
--
Michael Herrenbruck
Dragon Tail Ale
Drunken Bee Mead
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Date: 17 Dec 2006 06:44:51
From: imrocky
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
I had a similar problem, although I was using 2-stage regulator. I
discovered that the pressure delivered to the keg was erratic. Moving
the CO2 cylinder/regulator to outside the frig. was the best solution
for me.
Tom Biasi wrote:
> <boz232@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:1166308446.122027.182140@16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
> > I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
> > to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
> > had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
> >
> > I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
> > ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
> > a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
> > to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
> > 1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
> > insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
> > came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
> > feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
> > tower.
> >
> > I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> > fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> > have set at 12psi.
> >
> > When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> > pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> > As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> > more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> > is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> > is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> > glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
> >
> >
> > The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
> > flat) - yet the foam continues.
> >
> > I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
> > keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
> > from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
> >
> > Any idea what I can do??
> >
>
> Make sure your faucet isn't pulling in air somewhere. Check the valve
> assembly.
>
> Tom
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Date: 17 Dec 2006 10:50:02
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
imrocky wrote:
> I had a similar problem, although I was using 2-stage regulator. I
> discovered that the pressure delivered to the keg was erratic. Moving
> the CO2 cylinder/regulator to outside the frig. was the best solution
> for me.
Interesting. I would think the temp in the fridge would be more stable
than outside, at least for me. My kegerator is in my basement near the
furnace (only available spot a the moment). During the winter the heat
off the furnace will raise the temp by 4 degrees.
I also noticed more foam towards the end of a keg, usually starting about
1/2 - 1/4 left.
--
Dan
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Date: 18 Dec 2006 10:19:47
From: mreckt
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
To the OP: you said "I don't have a thermostat in the fridge..." I
assume you meant you don't have a thermometer in there. You really
ought to get a thermometer and check the temperature.
If you have been changing the temperature setting on your keg fridge,
that may have lead to over-carbonation. Let's say the fridge was at 35F
and you charged it with 12 psi CO2 and left it for a week. That would
give you 2.73 volumes of CO2. Now you tap your keg only to find it's
too cold for your liking, so you raise the temperature to 40F. The CO2
that's in the beer isn't going to leave very fast, even if you let
pressure out of the keg once. At 40F, the 2.73 volumes of CO2 will have
a pressure of 14.8 psi.
A couple other thoughts:
Have you looked at the regulator lately? If you set it at 12 psi at
room temperature, then put it in the fridge, you will see a change in
pressure due to the different operating characteristics of the
regulator at the colder temps. I leave my tank and regulator in the
fridge at home. If I take it to a party where the keg is in a bucket of
ice and the tank is at room temperature, I find myself adjusting the
regulator throughout the night as it warms up.
Are you sure you have 12 psi in the keg? If the regulator's gauge is
"off", there is no telling what pressure you have in the keg unless you
have a keg pressure tester (
http://www.hbd.org/carboy/kegpresstester.htm ).
Good Luck!
--
Mark Recktenwald
Stow, Ohio, USA
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Date: 18 Dec 2006 20:33:26
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
On 16 Dec 2006 14:34:06 -0800, <boz232@comcast.net > wrote:
> I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
> to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
> had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
>
> I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
> ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
> a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
> to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
> 1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
> insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
> came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
> feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
> tower.
>
> I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
> fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
> have set at 12psi.
>
> When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
> pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
> As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
> more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
> is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
> is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
> glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
>
>
> The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
> flat) - yet the foam continues.
>
> I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
> keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
> from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
>
> Any idea what I can do??
Make sure you open the tap all the way when you pour a glass, partially
opening the tap in an attempt to "slow down the beer" will actually make
the foaming worse.
If that's not it, then your system isn't balanced. Basically, the amount
of carbonation you want, the serving temp of the beer, the pressure
set on your regulator and the length/type of tubing are all related. If
all of those elements are not balanced with each other, then you're going
to have issues (usually foam).
It sounds to me like you are slowly over carbonating the beer. You
should either try making your tubing longer or lowering the pressure on
your regulator. It's not an exact science, but the rule of thumb for
beverage tubing is that you get 2PSI for each foot of 3/16" tubing. If
you're using 1/4" tubing then it's going to be much lower. It's better
to have too much tubing than too little.
IMO, I would either try a 6 to 7 foot piece of tubing with 12PSI at the
regulator, or if you want to keep the 5' then turn your regulator down to
10PSI at the most.
John.
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Date: 18 Dec 2006 17:37:12
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On 16 Dec 2006 14:34:06 -0800, <boz232@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>I've been Google'ing for answers, but haven't found anything that seems
>>to match my trouble, so I thought I'd post here and see if anybody has
>>had this problem before or could lend a suggestion.
>>
>>I have a keg fridge that I've pieced together. The fridge is a 4.2cu
>>ft and hold a 16 gallon keg of a local brew (commercial keg). I have
>>a 5lb CO2 tank in the fridge, and a stainless tower dispenser attached
>>to the top of the fridge with the beer line coming up through about a
>>1.5" round hole that the tower covers. The inside of the tower is
>>insulated with a stero-foam style insulation. The CO2 lines are what
>>came with my tower conversion kit. The beer (beverage) line is 5
>>feet, coiled up in the fridge with just enough left over to run up the
>>tower.
>>
>>I don't have a thermostat in the fridge, but its not freezing, but
>>fairly cold. The CO2 regulator is a single style regulator which I
>>have set at 12psi.
>>
>>When the keg was brand new and had gotten cold and settled, it would
>>pour perfectly. Light head, around a 1/2 to 3/4" on the first pour.
>>As time (and the beer) goes on, each pour has been getting more and
>>more foamy. Fast forward to today, I would guesstimate that the keg
>>is almost half empty, and now in a typical pint glass, the first pour
>>is 90% foam, the second pour is 75% foam, and if I were to keep pouring
>>glasses right after each other, they would never be less then 50% foam.
>>
>>
>>The beer tastes fine, and the carbonation level seems fine (its not
>>flat) - yet the foam continues.
>>
>>I've already let the pressure out of the keg and let the CO2 refill the
>>keg. The beer is fresh, when I bought it, it came was only a few weeks
>>from its born date (no its not Budweiser, its Schell's). Same results.
>>
>>Any idea what I can do??
>
>
> Make sure you open the tap all the way when you pour a glass, partially
> opening the tap in an attempt to "slow down the beer" will actually make
> the foaming worse.
>
> If that's not it, then your system isn't balanced. Basically, the amount
> of carbonation you want, the serving temp of the beer, the pressure
> set on your regulator and the length/type of tubing are all related. If
> all of those elements are not balanced with each other, then you're going
> to have issues (usually foam).
So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
it trickles.
Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
--
Dan
|
| | | |
Date: 18 Dec 2006 22:58:20
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:37:12 -0500, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
>> If that's not it, then your system isn't balanced. Basically, the amount
>> of carbonation you want, the serving temp of the beer, the pressure
>> set on your regulator and the length/type of tubing are all related. If
>> all of those elements are not balanced with each other, then you're going
>> to have issues (usually foam).
>
> So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
> different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
> I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
> it trickles.
Yeah, basically. It's not exact, so you've got some wiggle room in there
for various columes of CO2. However, if you want to serve a real ale at
1.5 volumes and then tap a keg of hefeweizen at 3.5 volumes, you're most
likely going to have to change something in order to make it work.
More tubing is less of a problem than not enough tubing, up until the point
where it slows your pour down to a trickle like you mentioned. Short of
that extreme, it should at least give you a little room for flexibility.
One way you can get around it (if it's acceptable to you) is by varying
the temp instead of the pressure or tubing length. IE, keep the pressure
and line length the same, but drop the temp in order to increae the
volumes of CO2. So, without changing the tubing you could get higher
carbonation in the beer by serving it colder.
> Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
> the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
You could try it. Theoretically, fittings may cause some turbulance which
could knock out CO2, but I don't know what would really happen. It
sounds like a good idea though.
John.
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Date: 18 Dec 2006 19:30:10
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:37:12 -0500, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>>If that's not it, then your system isn't balanced. Basically, the amount
>>>of carbonation you want, the serving temp of the beer, the pressure
>>>set on your regulator and the length/type of tubing are all related. If
>>>all of those elements are not balanced with each other, then you're going
>>>to have issues (usually foam).
>>
>>So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
>>different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
>>I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
>>it trickles.
>
>
> Yeah, basically. It's not exact, so you've got some wiggle room in there
> for various columes of CO2. However, if you want to serve a real ale at
> 1.5 volumes and then tap a keg of hefeweizen at 3.5 volumes, you're most
> likely going to have to change something in order to make it work.
>
> More tubing is less of a problem than not enough tubing, up until the point
> where it slows your pour down to a trickle like you mentioned. Short of
> that extreme, it should at least give you a little room for flexibility.
>
> One way you can get around it (if it's acceptable to you) is by varying
> the temp instead of the pressure or tubing length. IE, keep the pressure
> and line length the same, but drop the temp in order to increae the
> volumes of CO2. So, without changing the tubing you could get higher
> carbonation in the beer by serving it colder.
I just dropped my temp down a bit.. I need to let it stablize to get
a better temp reading though. Hopefully that will help.
>>Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
>>the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
>
>
> You could try it. Theoretically, fittings may cause some turbulance which
> could knock out CO2, but I don't know what would really happen. It
> sounds like a good idea though.
It just seems like an easy way to add and remove length.. as long as it
doesn't knoock out too much CO2.
--
Dan
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Date: 19 Dec 2006 16:00:38
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:30:10 -0500, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
>>>Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
>>>the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
>>
>>
>> You could try it. Theoretically, fittings may cause some turbulance which
>> could knock out CO2, but I don't know what would really happen. It
>> sounds like a good idea though.
>
> It just seems like an easy way to add and remove length.. as long as it
> doesn't knoock out too much CO2.
I agree. Let us know how it works if you try it.
John.
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Date: 19 Dec 2006 22:36:51
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:30:10 -0500, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>>>Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
>>>>the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
>>>
>>>
>>>You could try it. Theoretically, fittings may cause some turbulance which
>>>could knock out CO2, but I don't know what would really happen. It
>>>sounds like a good idea though.
>>
>>It just seems like an easy way to add and remove length.. as long as it
>>doesn't knoock out too much CO2.
>
>
> I agree. Let us know how it works if you try it.
I lowered the temp a bit, but the first glass I pour is foamy. The next is
fine. Its annoying, but I can deal for now.
--
Dan
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Date: 19 Dec 2006 14:13:13
From: Bob F
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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"Dan Logcher" <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote in message news:45871819$0
> So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
> different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
> I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
> it trickles.
>
> Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
> the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
I've seen gadgets that clamp the beer line between two metal plates
for several inches to adjust the drop. I don't know how well they work.
Bob
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Date: 19 Dec 2006 20:10:47
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
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Bob F wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote in message news:45871819$0
>> So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
>> different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
>> I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
>> it trickles.
>>
>> Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
>> the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
>
> I've seen gadgets that clamp the beer line between two metal plates
> for several inches to adjust the drop. I don't know how well they work.
>
> Bob
>
>
These apparently do work. By spreading the constriction of the flow
over several inches of the line, it slows the beer flow without creating
turbulence that causes the foaming you would get if you just pinched the
line in one small spot. Listermann sells one of these gadgets:
http://www.listermann.com/Store/Details.asp?ID=1157 but for that price
you can make one out of a large door hinge and a C-clamp and have enough
money left to buy grain for another batch of beer.
Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company
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Date: 20 Dec 2006 15:24:16
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg fridge dispensing troubles
|
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:13:13 -0800, <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote:
>
> "Dan Logcher" <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote in message news:45871819$0
>> So lets say you have a setup with 5' of 3/16" tubing. If you make a
>> different style you may have to change the length of your tubing?
>> I can't dial down the regulator too much or I don't get a good pour,
>> it trickles.
>>
>> Could I have a 1'-2' section of 3/16" with 1/4" fittings to lengthen
>> the line? Will these fittings add to foaming?
>
> I've seen gadgets that clamp the beer line between two metal plates
> for several inches to adjust the drop. I don't know how well they work.
Dan Listermann sells them. I don't use them, but they sound like a good idea. Dan's
talked about them on here before.
John.
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