Slow Pour, But Checked Everything?

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iralosavic

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G'day, I've got a tall bar fridge with 2 pin lock kegs tightly squeezed in and a pair of bronco taps.

I used the balancing spreadsheet, set to 2.4vol @5.5c, so 85kpa. I cut the lines back to the high pressure length of 1.1m. Would the gas line lengths matter?

The pour is frustratingly slow. I cleaned out the lines and broncos and hooked up a fresh keg (which was already at serving temp and confirmed to be completely unblocked - I even blasted a 180kpa pour through, which was obviously very fast).

I'm stumped. Any ideas?​
 
G'day, I've got a tall bar fridge with 2 pin lock kegs tightly squeezed in and a pair of bronco taps.

I used the balancing spreadsheet, set to 2.4vol @5.5c, so 85kpa. I cut the lines back to the high pressure length of 1.1m. Would the gas line lengths matter?

The pour is frustratingly slow. I cleaned out the lines and broncos and hooked up a fresh keg (which was already at serving temp and confirmed to be completely unblocked - I even blasted a 180kpa pour through, which was obviously very fast).

I'm stumped. Any ideas?​
Is there a kink in the line?
 
The keg isn't semi frozen? I had one that was slow and worked Out it was semi frozen. Once it warmed up it was fine.
Cheers
Robbo
 
No kinks. The keg that was already in there could be partially frozen, but the fresh keg couldn't be!
 
beer line frozen ?

gauge on the reg is wrong = turn it up a bit ?


do both kegs pour slow or just one ?
 
Check Valve wrong way around or blocked? I got been in mine (did its job well) but then it got clogged and caused the problem your having.

Good luck.
 
I'll count next time I pour, but I've had a few too many already tonight. 5 cat and dogs a schooner at a guess.

Both pour slow. I'll check the check valve isn't clogged, but I assume it isn't installed the wrong way around. There is an arrow pointing in the direction of flow, which I've aimed away from the gas source.

Maybe I should let the kegs warm up, defrost the freezer above (about 15cm clearance from the top of the posts) and re chill to serving temp. I have my temp sensor taking a reading from a glass of water sitting behind the kegs on the compressor hump.

Oh and the level of carbonation seems right for a pale ale.
 
I haven't checked the check valve yet, but I did raise the temperature of the fridge temp controller to 8c (I also re-calibrated it against a lab spirit thermometer and corrected it by -1.1c). I raised the pressure to 100kpa to maintain the same level of carbonation. FAST POUR! Half a glass of head, but my lines are half a metre too short now. Sigh... At least I know that I can get a good pour at 8c - a temperature I have no problem enjoying a lager at on all but the hottest days.
 
might be a silly question - but the kegs were carbed up originally weren't they? (ie. you didn't just hook up the gas and try to pour 5 min later)


The temp and pressure change doesn't seem like enough to make that much of a difference.
 
Glen. Yep, one had been precarbed and left at cellar temps before being hooked up, the other has been on tap for a few weeks.

You're right though - I did try a pour yesterday at 100kpa and it was still slow, so I suspect that beer must have been Icey lines. I still have some testing to do.
 
Maybe it was icing up in the pickup tube/QD at the top.
If you tried putting a fan in there... Maybe. I suppose bumping it up to 8 would've done the trick to unclog it.
 
Maybe it was icing up in the pickup tube/QD at the top.
If you tried putting a fan in there... Maybe. I suppose bumping it up to 8 would've done the trick to unclog it.


A fan is a good idea. I've got a couple of spare PC fans, but I have no idea how to go about powering them.

I have a molex to IEC power adpator, which I use for my stir plate, but it gets hot and I wouldn't run it 24/7 with any confidence.
 
After the first fast pour and putting the bronco back on the fridge, I came back an hour later to a few liters of beer on the floor. It appears to have come from the tap. It's fine again now. WTF?

Is there a way to disconnect the unbuilt freezer shelf?!
 
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