Mini keg foaming problems

[markp]

Hi there,
New to this forum and would appreciate some help.
Just started giving kegging my beer a crack had been bottling up to this stage so thought I would try one of the 8l beerkat mini kegs as at this stage room is an issue as I don’t have a designated keg fridge. As the title suggests all I can pour from the keg is foam! I spent a fair bit of time reading about carbonation and slow carbonated the keg in the fridge (about 3deg) at 12 psi for 7 or 8 days and left the regulator set at this to pour. Am using a 2.6kg co2 bottle and pouring through a tap/faucet connected directly to a ball lock fitting will try to post a pic of setup.
Has anyone else here used these kegs and expierienced issues or had success with them.
Cheers
Mark.

 

[mtb]

Carbonation pressure is just right.. but pouring at 12PSI with a tap connected directly to the keg, is not. You want a flow control tap, or one of those flow control shank thingies, or de-pressurise the keg and re-pressurise to 4PSI when pouring, or install some beer line between keg and tap - there are calculators around to tell you how much to use. All quite a pain in the *** but necessary.

 

[Madscientist86]

Beer line is too short connected directly to the tap...need flow control tap or release pressure from keg and pour at 3 psi.

 

[barls]

the spear isn't touching the bottom causing this issue is it. as in if the spear is only just off the bottom you will get cavitation as it moves from the high pressure to low pressure section creating nothing but foam. i had to trim a dip tube on one as this was the issue.

 

[markp]

Thanks for your replies guys, tried pouring at lower pressure and there is a definite improvement but still some foaming also did try cutting down and lengthening the dip tube with no improvement. Read a bit about balanced systems and flow control devices over the past few days and as you guys have mentioned this may be my best option.

 

[Grott]

Flow control tap or flow control adaptor will work with maintaining carbonation and pressure at the require 10/12 psi and pouring a decent beer. But until then, release most of the pressure in the keg and connect co2 at pressure about 5 psi. Pour a beer. Now if you leave it like this then you will lose carbonation, ie it will come out of solution so to speak and settle at the set 5 psi. This will occur if you are really drinking slow or keeping some for another day. In this case put pressure back to your carbonation level of 10/12psi then repeat process when you use again.
If drinking a few then pump pressure up to the 10/12 psi whilst having your drink, then before the next pour release pressure and pour at 5 psi again and so on. Pain in the arse otherwise tap flow control or beer line to tap, I’d say a metre long to picnic tap in the short term.

 

[bevan]

Flow control adapter from keg king
http://kegking.com.au/keg-couplers-and-keg-disconnects/taps/flow-control-shank-adaptor.html

 

[peteru]

Flow control adapter from keg king

Last time I tried to buy those adaptors, I was told that they were discontinued and no longer available. Ended up buying a flow control Intertap, which is a much better solution than the crappy tap shown in the picture at the start of this thread. I have that cheap Chinese tap too and it's not good.

 

[markp]

Thanks again for the input, I will get a flow control tap. Shame I wasted a **** load of beer in the meantime haha.

 

[Grott]

Last time I tried to buy those adaptors, I was told that they were discontinued and no longer available.

Just purchased one one from Ikegger (no affiliation) for an intertap. Easy to assembly and works a treat. If any con some might not like that it places the tap further out from where it is attached.

 

[Coalminer]

+1 for the flow control Intertap

 

[markp]

Ok, so purchased a flow control inter tap on the weekend, got home and got all excited to connect it up and pour a good beer ! Guess what foamy beer so I opened the prv and released the pressure and reset the reg from 12psi to 10psi and left it overnight and tried again, still pouring foam. Now it has improved marginally but I have the flow control turned right down and it takes ages to pour a 350ml glass of beer and half of it is foam and the remaining is fairly flat. The pickup tube in the keg is about 10cm longer than the keg is deep.
Any other suggestions ?

 

[Grott]

Foam and flat could suggest over carbonation but from what you have stated (set and forget method) it shouldn’t be. (Is regulator accurate?)
Try this, don’t release pressure and have the flow rate turned off. Now have your (cold) glass on a steep angle and slowly open flow rate. The first bit may be foamy, drink this and using another (cold) glass begin to pour a beer increasing flow rate if necessary.
Let us know result, it will be fixable.

 

[markp]

Hi grott
Thanks for your reply, pretty sure reg is accurate it’s a brand new kk mk3 and I tried a mini reg too and that read same pressure. Have tried method you suggested and still really foamy and flat. Re tried it using a plastic picnic tap with about 500mm of line and still foam, I have been reading mini keg thread and everyone seems to be having great results and are happy with things my only other thought is that there is a problem in the ball lock post is this a possibility?
Cheers
Mark

 

[Grott]

Mmmm... let’s check for over carbonation. Disconnect gas, release pressure from keg. Wait about an hour and release again, if a fair bit of pressure then I would say over carbonated and we can work from there.
If not, need to check post. This can be done with gas disconnected, pressure released. Undo, check (I had a bit of dwarf in mine once) sanitise, replace and purge keg.
Then we will go from there x so keep updating, pain in the arse I know but must be solved!

 

[markp]

Mmmm... let’s check for over carbonation. Disconnect gas, release pressure from keg. Wait about an hour and release again, if a fair bit of pressure then I would say over carbonated and we can work from there.
If not, need to check post. This can be done with gas disconnected, pressure released. Undo, check (I had a bit of dwarf in mine once) sanitise, replace and purge keg.
Then we will go from there x so keep updating, pain in the arse I know but must be solved!

Thanks grott will try the carbonation and post later

 

[markp]

So released pressure from keg and then released again an hour later and excess pressure didn’t come out. Have taken cap off keg and put screw on cap that came with the keg back on and stripped the posts and tap and disconnect and soaked in sodium perc to clean, blew everything out with compressed air and reassembled everything with keg lube and sanitized everything. Now how long should I connect the gas up for before I try to pour again and at what psi should I set the reg ?
Cheers
Mark

 

[Grott]

Well not over carbonated so that’s good as it shouldn’t have been. I’d connect up at 12 psi and if keg as remained cold all this time you could try in a couple of hours.

 

[Grott]

How did you go?

 

[markp]

How did you go?

Hi grott,
Just pulled the first beer out of it as we speak, so far so good came out with the right amount of carb and head woohoo will try another later and confirm it is all good. Must have been a bit of **** somewhere in the system, thanks for your help so far.
Cheers,
Mark.