foaming problem

[zepbrewer]

here's the question brewers- keezer with 3 kegs, 3 tap tower. all things being equal-hose diameter, hose length, pressure, temp, etc.. the two Perlick ss taps always foam the first couple seconds like pressure is building up, the 3rd tap-an el cheapo i added works perfect. all 3/16 id hose, 6 feet, 10 psi from tank.
fan blowing cold air into tower. tired of wasting a 1/4 cup of brew every time i pour a glass! any ideas?

[russki]

What temperature is the beer at? I have pretty much the same setup (all Perlick 525SS) and don't have any foaming issues - I keep my beer at 38F. Longer beer lines (10') may help reduce foaming, but they are a pain to replace inside the tower.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I was just wondering if you had carbonated the three kegs the same way using, rock and roll, set it forget it or crank up the Co2? Using the 12-15psi set it and forget it method would provide the most consistent results as long as the kegs were pressurized for the same length of time as well.

[zepbrewer]

temp is 35. i use the rock and roll-12 psi while rocking back and forth for 15 min. then 10 psi ( my usual pressure) and wait a couple days to start drinking. built the keezer about 8 months ago. have always had the foaming issue. added the 3rd tap a few weeks ago. one of those tower topper additions and just got the cheap $15 tap, and much to my suprise, it has not foamed yet-right now drinking a moose drool clone thru that one

also, to help clarify-its the initial 1 to 2 second blast, which seems highly pressurized, then it pours fine. if pouring another glass right after, it pour good. wait 10 mins or so, and foam again.

[Dawg LB Steve]

Is the hose the same type? The tap hose you added may have a thicker wall and expand less.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I'd just start swapping kegs and taps and see if the foaming switches to another tap.

[BigPapaG]

Screwy's point about switching kegs and lines is valid.

It's all about balancing the system.

If we can ASSUME that everything is equal... (probably not realstic in real life but...

Same beer in all three kegs, same keg styles, same connectors, same hoses, same pressure to all output ports on the dstribution manifold, same temperature for all kegs and lines...

Then the only difference woud be the tap styles...

IF it can be determined that is the case, then I fall back on balancing the lines...

That is, try using a line that s a couple of three or four feet longer on one of the offending taps.

If that works then adjust the second offending tap...

Hopefully that won't throw the third one off but yu should be ok.

[zepbrewer]

thanks for the input. next time i open it (its in a hard to open place) i will check the lines. the lines came with the two perlick taps. i ordered line for the 3rd tap, and it was definately thick walled-will compare to the other two that foam. the ipa is almost empty, so i will report findings when i change it out-have a cream ale in the secondary now.

[Kealia]

Did the two Perlicks foam before you added the third tap into the equation?

[zepbrewer]

yes, they have always foamed for the first couple of seconds. doesn't matter what style of beer.

[Kealia]

I would lay bets on the lines being different, too.
Maybe the Perlicks have 1/4 instead of 3/16? Or maybe they are just different.

I agree with the approach of swapping lines to isolate the issues.

[zepbrewer]

just to update- after comparing, the lines that came with the perlicks are 3/16, but wall is a little thinner. i'm going to replace them the next time i order supplies and see if that helps-also may go to 10 feet.

[BigPapaG]

Have a look at this too, in case you haven't seen it yet...

Designing a Draught System