Keg Pressure/carb

[fergi]

hi guys,well ive had my keg setup now for about 3 weeks and i am getting close to getting pressure etc correct,here are a few things happening,pressure set at 100 kp, carbonated at this pressure and temp according to my thermometer is about 4 deg.now when i go to pour my first beer i still get about half a glass of froth,then i top up and the next glass is usually pretty right.my line to the beer tap in the fridge door is about 5 feet long,height from middle of keg to tap is nearly 3 foot,pressure is 100 kp and beer line is 4 ml.andale stainless steel tap.now i am wonderin is it possible to get the perfect pour with my first beer even after it has been a few hours since last pour,its not really a major problem but it would be nice to not waste that beer on the first pour as i top the glass up and have froth running down the drip tray
cheers
fergi

 

[robbo5253]

Hey mate,

I have a similiar problem, what I normally do is start the tap and then drop the glass under once the beer is running, this gets rid of the air lock and you get more beer with less wasteage.

I know its not the best soloution but it works

Cheers

Robbo

 

[buttersd70]

sounds like 2 issues. First is fairly high carb. At this pressure and temp, you're looking at 2.8Volumes. Secondly is length of line. Sounds a bit long for the pressuere and line size, by about a foot, which can cause pressure drop and bubbles forming behind the tap and the keg posts. Crozdogs carb chart (available under the articles) shows 1.2-1.4 m for 3/16" which is just over 4mm.

Check to see if you have bubbles forming in the line.

 

[fergi]

sounds like 2 issues. First is fairly high carb. At this pressure and temp, you're looking at 2.8Volumes. Secondly is length of line. Sounds a bit long for the pressuere and line size, by about a foot, which can cause pressure drop and bubbles forming behind the tap and the keg posts. Crozdogs carb chart (available under the articles) shows 1.2-1.4 m for 3/16" which is just over 4mm.

Check to see if you have bubbles forming in the line.

yes butters there are some bubbles in the line behind the tap.i originally had only 2 foot of line on the tap so i did extend it,so maybe i will cut off a foot and see what happens from there,thanks
cheers
fergi

 

[buttersd70]

No worries, mate. Unless you have some spare line handy, I'd say do it 6 inches at a time, wait 15mins, check for bubbles. I had a similar thing, and cut too much off...no spare line, and heady pour, but this time cos it was out of balance and too short.

 

[Doogiechap]

Bloke, another significant factor is your tap starts out far warmer than 4 so as the first lot of beer runs through it the beer is warmed up and foams and conversely the tap then cools which in turn reduces the amount of CO2 coming out of the solution. The air bubbles in the line are definitely a factor too and for me the addition of a computer fan in my fridge reduced the bubble problem significantly.
Good luck with it all !
Cheers
Doug

 

[Guest Lurker]

Yup, regardless of line length, if you have a nice warm stainless tap, your first pour is gonna be frothy, and there isnt much you can do about it except tip the first couple of hundred mils that come through and cool the tap.

 

[wyatt_girth]

Yup, regardless of line length, if you have a nice warm stainless tap, your first pour is gonna be frothy, and there isnt much you can do about it except tip the first couple of hundred mils that come through and cool the tap.

Don't know much about line length etc cos I use a celli but my first is always big in the head til the tap chills then its smooth sailin from there. My keg fridge is in the shed where its warmer so I have just accepted that it's just the way it is. I use a cold glass from the freezer to try and help but it's still gotta pass through the tap so not really any difference. I dont know that there's a great deal of wastage as I usually just pour that first one down the throat foam'n'all (apart from whatever wont leave the glass or my face) and pour a proper one for a more civilised consumption :beerbang:

 

[crundle]

Depending on the beer you are making, a CO2 volume of 2.8 does sound a bit high, maybe also try dropping your pressure to around 80-90 kpa when you shorten the line by 6 inches. This will hopefully lead to less bubbles forming when they reach the warm tap, and unlike line shortening, can be reversed if it doesn't help.

Everyone has different pressures and line lengths, but pressure is a fairly easy variable to alter, so give it a try first to find your best settings.

 

[muckey]

Warm tap will absolutely cause a heady pour on the first pour until the tap chills but it wont cause bubbles to form in the line - thats definately line length vs carbonation.

 

[andrewg1978]

I have my setup outside and can get direct sunlight late afternoon at the moment so I have 10 times more trouble then anyone inside.

These are a few of the things I have done to limit wasted beer

1/ Keep Glass as cold as possible.

2/ Poor off 1/4 glass and tip out wait a few secs and try again.

2/ instead of poring pressure being around 100, I will set it to 75 or even 50 if having probs (you can always increase if not enough). so even on a 30deg+ day minimal beer is wasted. As night falls and taps cool I turn the pressure up a bit. You just have to be patient when poring like this but the way I look at it I'd rather take a little longer to fill my pint then wast 1/4 of the keg! I discovered this by accident with a leaking keg!

Now I have my gas turned off until such a time that it is coming out of the tap way to slow then give it a quick shot of co2.

Also you can under-carbinate the beer to get the same effect but can be a bit too much on the flat side for me. By my experience length of hose does not matter as much its balancing your poring pressure to your system.

Good Luck


Future plans....

Currently installing shade sails to keep direct sunlight off tap for the 1hr a day it cops late afternoon.

Have also just purchased bigger chest freezer so once collar is built i will flood my font using a pond pump.

Hopefully this will reduce current issues I am facing.

 

[drsmurto]

Bunch of heathens, tipping out froth. Its beer!

 

[wyatt_girth]

Bunch of heathens, tipping out froth. Its beer!

Like i said, if it can pour then its goin into my guts.

 

[BOG]

There is very little you can do about the tap temp.

Re: the gas in the line. Knock the pressure back to 50-70, burp the keg and wait 10 minutes, burp again and pour.
Adjust pressure using the same method until you get a nice pour.

If the pressure is too low for your beer style then adjust the line length.



BOG