This is my “Beaver Keezer.” The orange and black are Oregon State University’s school colors. I used the NB how to video and the many helpful threads on this forum and HBT to help. Thank you for all the great info.
I do have difficulty with foamy pours and am trying to troubleshoot that as we speak. The first pour is always foamy, then after that things pour fine. Is this typical? The CO2 regulator is at 6 psi. Any advice is appreciated.
Regarding foamy pours, I think if you repainted it green and yellow you’d find that it’d pour just right every time. 
But really, what are your line lengths and diameters, and what’s your keezer temp? I run 5’ x 3/16" lines, and keep my temp right at 40 degrees, never had any problems. I know some people prefer 10’ x 3/16", but I’ve never had a reason to go that long.
:cheers:
Mine are also 5’ x 3/16" lines and my temp is at 38-40 degrees. Does the line need placed in any particular configuration? I’ve noticed after a few hrs of no pours the line will sometimes have a couple inch gap with no liquid.
I have mine set a little colder around 36 deg and my psi is set at 10 my hoses are the same as what yours are.
I always get some foam on the first pour and I attribute it to the faucet being warm since it is on the outside of the kegerator.
[quote=“therackman”]:lol: Duck keezer just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Go beavs! :cheers:
Mine are also 5’ x 3/16" lines and my temp is at 38-40 degrees. Does the line need placed in any particular configuration? I’ve noticed after a few hrs of no pours the line will sometimes have a couple inch gap with no liquid.[/quote]
Your beer lines should never have air, regardless of configuration. I would think this means you have a leak, but that’s odd because in a pressurized system a leak would push beer out, not suck air in. Unless you’re pushing air in from the keg side. Lube your beer out posts and o-rings. The only explanation I can figure is that maybe your out post is leaking co2 into your beer line. Pushing co2 bubbles through your beer line would definitely give you a foamy pour until the co2 clears.
I’m definitely a rookie at this, but I’ve done two things that seem to help a little with the foamy first pour issue.
#1. Longer shanks on the faucet - might be snake oil but I’ve read here and on other forums that more metal inside the keezer than outside keeps the faucet a little cooler and lessens the foam a little on the first pour. Of course it does add a little obstacle on the inside of the keezer for lifting or lowering the kegs.
#2. On the first pour I run about a half to an inch of the pour in the glass and then hit it (drink it) and then go back and finish the pour. This isn’t really solving the problem, technically the first pour is a bit foamy and I’m just drinking it, but after I do this it is really easy to get a downright purdy looking pour with just the right amount of head on it. There’s definitely more need for this in the summer when my garage is warmer.
:cheers:
I think this just happens once it sits for a bit. The co2 coming out of solution in the line will rise to the top and create a gap or foam, once you pour that bit off it is fine.
CO2 coming out of solution would result from a temperature or pressure change. There should be neither in the system. It’s possible that the top of the freezer is getting warmer than the bottom. Setting a computer fan to move the air may help. If subsequent pours are dispensing perfectly, then the reason for the initial foamy pour is almost surely from the beer in the line or the tap getting warm. How’s the seal on the lid? Maybe warm air is getting in the freezer and settling at the top where the lines and taps are…?
CO2 coming out of solution would result from a temperature or pressure change. There should be neither in the system. It’s possible that the top of the freezer is getting warmer than the bottom. Setting a computer fan to move the air may help. If subsequent pours are dispensing perfectly, then the reason for the initial foamy pour is almost surely from the beer in the line or the tap getting warm. How’s the seal on the lid? Maybe warm air is getting in the freezer and settling at the top where the lines and taps are…?[/quote]
This is probably it. The collar feels warmer than the freezer. I’m going to try putting some weather stripping along the top of the collar for the lid to seal to.
Thanks for the ideas.
The top of the freezer will always be warmer than the bottom (cold sinks warm rises) so the beer in the beer lines are warm compared to the beer in the keg. When you make the first pour the warm beer from the supply lines foams, after the first pour cold beer is in the lines so the foaming stops for the next pour. As has been mentioned a circulating fan could help.
[quote=“CliffordBrewing”][quote=“therackman”]:lol: Duck keezer just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Go beavs! :cheers:
Mine are also 5’ x 3/16" lines and my temp is at 38-40 degrees. Does the line need placed in any particular configuration? I’ve noticed after a few hrs of no pours the line will sometimes have a couple inch gap with no liquid.[/quote]
Your beer lines should never have air, regardless of configuration. I would think this means you have a leak, but that’s odd because in a pressurized system a leak would push beer out, not suck air in. Unless you’re pushing air in from the keg side. Lube your beer out posts and o-rings. The only explanation I can figure is that maybe your out post is leaking co2 into your beer line. Pushing co2 bubbles through your beer line would definitely give you a foamy pour until the co2 clears.[/quote]
Here is a pic of the air in my lines. I was just pressure testing some other kegs and found one that bubbled from the outpost. Would a bad out post or poppet cause this? Any other ideas why so much air is getting into the line? It could be the warmth as mentioned.
Yes, a leak from the out post could cause this. This means that the CO2 is bypassing the dip tub and sneaking into the beer lines. If the out post is properly sealed, CO2 can’t pass between the dip tube and post and the pressure will appropriately force the beer up, which is regulated by the faucet. If it’s not sealed, the fault in your system is at the dip tube gasket. Make sure it’s good and lubed. It shouldn’t be your poppet because that would mean beer would be leaking out, not gas, and this wouldn’t be a problem unless the QD is detached.
It’s also leaking through his poppet. See his pic in Keg Post Bubbles. Could be a combination of leaks.
Ah, I hadn’t seen that. It could be that the faulty poppet isn’t seating and causing a bad seal of the dip tube o-ring. Best to replace both and see what you get.
Followed the recommended steps and still ended up with lines looking like the picture below. I checked to make sure the out post / poppet were holding a seal before reattaching the liquid line and things were fine. Could this really be just temperature related? Seems like an awful lot of of air in lines and the lines feel plenty cool.
No, that’s not temperature-related. My guess is that your keg (and/or liquid lines) is/are not fully pressurized. For example, my liquid lines are completely filled, but if I de-pressurize the keg by pulling on the pressure-relief valve, my lines quickly develop the “bubble” characteristic present in yours.
I’d recommend dispensing a beer (and thereby completely filling the liquid line), and then carefully watching what happens to the liquid line after you close the tap.
