• Shank outside of fridge: FOAM

Kegerator Forum: Shank outside of fridge: FOAM

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Kegerator Community Home  »  Draft Beer Dispensing at Home » Kegerator Problems & Troubleshooting » Shank outside of fridge: FOAM
Posted:  24 Aug 2012 23:27

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I have a side-by-side fridge setup w/ a 1/6 barrel of Southern Tier 2X IPA. Last time I checked serving temp was between 48-50 degrees. PSI is at 10. After dealing w/ numerous CO2 leak issues from my regulator, I got that replaced and things appear to be running smoothly. Except for the fact that I get a good deal of foam (about half the pint glass).  Having said that, once the foam dies down the beer tastes good and the carbonation seems fine.

I have a setup where the shank leaves the back of the fridge, goes through a totally hollow wall, and enters out the other side (in my man cave) where the faucet attaches. The shank has about 6.5" of distance between the back of the fridge and the tap.  5 of those inches the shank has wrap-around insulation covering it. The other 1.5" the shank is going through a 2x4 that is secured to a wall stud (so that the faucet could be held up; again, it's going through a hollow wall) and it is not insulated for those 1.5".  But, the beer faucet is quite cold to the touch.

I talked to an "authority" who said that in a perfect world, the shank would have a PVC pipe around it with a fan blowing cold air on it but that shouldn't be causing my problem.  Then what is?  Ideas?
Posted:  24 Aug 2012 23:28

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Before anyone mentions temperature, I just want to mention that I brought the serving temperature all the way down to 36 degrees and had the same problem
Posted:  26 Aug 2012 22:20

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I have a friend that has a similar setup in his basement. His cabinet that houses his keg fridge is about four feet from his bar setup where his tap comes out, so there is always that first four feet or so of "room temperature" beer in the line. If he doesn't use the tap for a day or more, he always draws the first mug(which is usually half foam) and pours it down the sink in order to purge the warm beer. The very next glass/mug that he draws from the tap is perfectly fine, and low on foam.
Posted:  27 Aug 2012 03:09

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Thanks for the response; I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one!

After this last keg I'm going to take out the shank, insulate it like there's no tomorrow, put a PVC pipe around it, possibly insulate around that, seal up everything with spray foam, and then put it back.  Hopefully that will cut down on the foam issue.