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Troubleshooting



Beer is Foaming too much! 
And no one wants that!


There are a host of issues that can go into draft system problems, but they all boil down to cleanliness, temperature, and pressure.

#1 Make sure your beer is 38 degrees
#2 Make sure the CO2 is around 12 psi
(if using straight CO2)
#3 Everything must be very clean!

If your beer has been slowly foaming more and more over the last few weeks and
now it is bad enough that you are looking for answers, check for cleanliness!

A. The beer lines MUST be cleaned; dirty beer lines create foam.
      a) Lines should be cleaned between each keg or weekly, but at the very least every 2 weeks industry recommendation is a minimum of 120 cleaning ounces pushed through every 2 weeks. 
      b) Lines should be REPLACED every 5 years, or sooner if the cleaning scheduled was not followed.

B. The glasses must be "beer clean" which is much cleaner than any other kind of glass. 
The slightess oil, grease, lipstick, or stains in this glass will cause foaming.

C.  The faucets (taps) and couplers  must be cleaned as often as the lines! 

dirty beer faucet plunger
That is bacteria built up inside the faucet that creates foam and can make people sick. 


Beer foams at the end of a keg, and that is normal but it should not be so bad that you can't serve 99 percent of the keg!  If the last part of the keg is foaming Contact Service

Beer will foam at the beginning of a keg if it has recently been jarred (moved just before being tapped).  It will definitely foam if the keg is still warm from delivery!

It can take up to 36 hours to cool a warm keg down if it has been delivered hot!

HOT BEER!!!

If your beer is pouring out over 38 degrees it's just too hot and it will foam.
If you want to contact our Service Department, we can see about insulating or making adjustments so that your beer pours 38 or below.

TONS OF FOAM SHOOTING OUT!!
Your beer might be overpressured. 
Beer should be "pushed" around 12 psi of co2(varies slightly by beer brand). 
12 psi doesn't apply if you're using mixed or blended gas, though.

Misc Problems

  • Your beer might have the wrong nitrogen/carbon dioxide mix! 
  • Darker, thicker beers (like guinness) require a specific mix to pour correctly.
  • There are a host of other issues that could cause foaming;
  • Your bartender could be pouring incorrectly,
  • The glass could have ice crystals in it,
  • The trunk line could have hot spots,
  • The pressure could be set too high,
  • The regulator might not be holding pressure consistently,
  • The coupler or the keg port could have a damaged seal or O-ring
If you can't track it down, just give us a shout and we'll come fix it!

The above is good information, but what can YOU do about it right now?

1. If your beer is more than 42, then you must make it colder before anything else. Do that first.

2. Once you have 36-40 degree beer, if you still have foam, AND it is NOT from filthiness, then check your FOB.



The FOB above is FAR TOO DIRTY,
and has a gap at the top that's not going to help you at all. Knowing how to work the FOB properly is important to preventing foam from getting into your beer lines in the first place.  Once foam enters your beer line, it takes more effort to get it out!

If you are seeing clear beer pour out,
then a bit of foamy beer, followed by
clear beer, then you have an air pocket
trapped in the line. 

Give us a call and we'll come fix that problem for you.

  

Call 713-944-7900 during regular business hours to schedule a Service Call.

      

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