Beer Foam Up Gas Line

[Samwise Gamgee]

Hi all,

I've read about potential problems from getting beer up the gas line and into the reg but haven't heard about peoples actual experiences with problems.

As you have prob guessed i've just done it, and i pumped up the gas to about 200kpa and pumped all the foam out into a bucket of water and the gas line now looks very clean and there doesn't look like there is moisture or ever had moisture up the gas line.

I know of over time inside the reg could rust and not work properly (would storing the reg in the fridge cause this too due to moisture?) and the possibility of a place for an infection to hide (but if the reg has co2 in it, wouldn't this stop anything growing?).

So i want to hear if anybody has actually had a constant infection between brews which they have put down to being caused by the reg having beer in it at some stage or if they've had there reg rust and/or become faulty due to having beer get into it.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[Hopeye]

Can't say I've ever had the foam all the way back into the reg, though it did come close once. I just blew it out of the line and sterlised and blew some more. No idea what's it's done inside the reg, but, my guess is that it can't be healthy.

 

[Trev]

Unhappily I've done it a couple of times as well, but with the exception of embaressment and having to clean everthing, I've not found any long term problems.

Did you notice straight away and blow out the lines?

All things being equal, if the line only carries CO2 then there is no chance for growth of spoilage bugs as they have no nutrient and no O2.

I'd try not to keep feeding them though

Leaves a few stains though

Trev

 

[Doc]

I've had beer up the gas lines recently due to overfilling the kegs.
This has happened on my gassing lines that don't have check valves on them.
Luckily the beer didn't get as far as the reg so a blow out on the line and all is well.
I think it was JGriffin that got beer back into the reg and didn't do anything about it, then got a bunch of infected beers after they were gassed.
So if it made it back to the reg then I'd be trying to refurb it.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Samwise Gamgee]

Did you notice straight away and blow out the lines?

Yeah, i saw it happen then blew it out immediately.

What do you clean the reg out with?

 

[normell]

am
I got a non return gas valve from GMK for about $25, best thing for fixing this problem.

Normell

 

[Ross]

The cheapest & easiest way, is don't over fill your kegs

There is a weld mark round the keg which sits safely below the gas intake dip tube - Don't fill up above this point...

 

[Uncle Fester]

All things being equal, if the line only carries CO2 then there is no chance for growth of spoilage bugs as they have no nutrient and no O2.

I'm no Biologist, but I would guess that there are a heap of nasties out there that are anaerobic (sp?)

Is yeast itself not anaerobic ?

M