Anyone have a good link or advice to help me get my keg lines balanced? My pours aren’t horrible but I would like to improve them. Right now I think I am using standard size lines (3/16" ID) that are about 6 feet long. My converted garage fridge is at 38F and my regulator is usually around 9 PSI.
And for a workaround, I find the Kegland flow control ball lock disconnects, available from William’s Brewing, are very handy. They are, IME, far superior to flow control faucets, which can merely exacerbate foaming problems by introducing turbulence right at the point where there ceases to be any further restriction.
To reduce foaming, lengthen your lines, although your line length doesn’t seem completely out of whack. Buy longer lines and trim length to you get a good balance of speed with some foam.
Also you could use epoxy mixers in 1/4" line to get good the proper resistance. I buy mine from McMaster Carr.
No towers. Taps come directly out of the fridge however I do need some better taps at some point as well.
I will have to confirm my line diameter but according to the calculator that Robert shared I should be at about 8.5’ if I bump my CO2 vols up closer to 2.4 which would be preferred. It hasn’t been horrible by any means so hopefully a little extra distance will do it. I have 4 taps so I will probably start with one to see.
I recently learned (after buying some, of course) that oxygen barrier tubing like Bevseal Ultra has about half of the resistance of the traditional vinyl tubing. So, for 3/16" tubing you’d need about 12-15 feet for an average CO2 level. I decided to swap it for EVA barrier, another double wall tubing with a barrier layer, because it comes in a 4mm ID which lets you use more traditional line lengths. Haven’t got it up and running yet but so far I like the push to fit connectors. No more hose clamps!
I’ve switched everything to EVA barrier tubing and Duotight PTC fittings and couldn’t be happier. You’ll love it. (Only need about 3 ft line at 10 psig.)
Where did you get it, Rob? I think the next time I have to replace lines, I might go this route since I have more foaming issues with my IPA’s of if I leave beers in the lagering freezer at 10 PSI for more than a week (I serve at about 8 psig). This might help and yes I did all the calculations to tome up with the right lengths with the vinyl tubing I got from the Grape.
I got everything from William’s Brewing. Well I might have gotten a fitting or two from MoreBeer along the way, but William’s seemed to have the most complete line of stuff. I think the prices are pretty much the same between them. Another plus to the EVA barrier tubing is that it actually costs a lot less per foot than Bevlex vinyl. Can’t beat better AND cheaper!