Beer Line Length

[fordpopular]

Trying to get my bar taps sorted they take 5/16th 8mm OD pipe I only have a couple of meters of pipe
and with the pressure down about as far as it will go 4-5 psi getting quite a bit of foam.
what length of 5/16th pipe do I need ?

[Raize]

I use 20ft of 5/16 OD pipe at 1bar pressure at 5 degrees C and get reasonable pouring results.
Correct pouring technique is critical. Do not hold the tap half-open and do not allow the beer to splash into your glass.

[Fil]

a length of 3/16" microline between the keg and tap will reduce the pressure at the tap point, its probably the dramatic drop in pressure thats stimulating the foam out..

most folk find a length 4-5ft (5ft in my case..) in length works well enough for most styles of beer, the theory iirc is that the microline reduces circa 1-2psi per foot length, and that a target pressure drop or gradient at the tap point is 1-2psi.. so if the beer is at 10 psi you want to absorb 8-9psi of that pressure with a length of 4-5ft of 3/16" microline. microline is easier to coil without kinking, kinking is bad as is sheering pressure on JG seals..

a couple if 5/16 to 3/16 JG stem adaptors is all you need to add the micro line.. I lost the link to a useful site with the metrics but iirc the 5/16" line wont have any noticable restricion until after 12ft or more..

[IPA]

It's not so much the length of the line that counts it is getting the carbonation right that counts . Do you or have you bottled your beer? If you have did it make a loud pop when you opened the bottle? . Have you ever heard a loud pop on opening a bottle of commercial beer no matter what style? They always just make a gentle hiss. All of my beers a delivered to the tap by means of 60 cms of 7 mm line even wheat beers and they don't foam. Give it a try.

[orlando]

It's not so much the length of the line that counts it is getting the carbonation right that counts .

Spot on, mine are standard and no more than the length from tap to keg. Temperature is another factor too warm and that will cause fobbing, you can of course get taps with flow control from Ali Express for around £20 but reducing the carbonation is key. I find that between 49-72 hours at 12-3c is plenty, shorter time for bitters longer for stouts etc.

[fordpopular]

Cheers Guys, just tried bodging in a length of 3/16" line which I bought in error a while ago with massively improved results just need to order some proper reducers and experiment with the length, I usually bottle and use the brewers friend carbonation calculator which is usually spot on for me the cornies however have been force carbed, seems a bit more hit and miss for getting the carbonation just right

[Fil]

there is a conditioning/kegging chart stickied in here,
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=55498
if you have control of the keg temp simply look up the conditioning level desired and set the tep and co2 pressure accordingly.. within a few weeks the beer should be at optimum condition and the pressure/temp set will maintain the condition level till the last pint drawn..

my kegs sit without temp control so its a bit more of a tweaking art, but even so the kegging chart is a useful reference..

if you should over condition you can loose it fairly rapidly with a few shake and vent cycles

[fordpopular]

Thanks Fil, Think I actually contributed to that thread with a chart marked up with centigrade only just started using the cornies after a year of bottling and forgot about that chart I even have one printed out somewhere

[orlando]

Thanks Fil, Think I actually contributed to that thread with a chart marked up with centigrade only just started using the cornies after a year of bottling and forgot about that chart I even have one printed out somewhere

I would be wary of that chart, it is US based and reflects their fondness for carbonation. 1/2 the problems people experience with carbonation issues are due to adherence to "foreign" guidelines.

[IPA]

Thanks Fil, Think I actually contributed to that thread with a chart marked up with centigrade only just started using the cornies after a year of bottling and forgot about that chart I even have one printed out somewhere

I would be wary of that chart, it is US based and reflects their fondness for carbonation. 1/2 the problems people experience with carbonation issues are due to adherence to "foreign" guidelines.

Sound advice. If you do use US charts for priming start with the MINIMUM amount advised and be prepared to add less next time. Another tip is to make sure that you have really reached FG before kegging.

[Fil]

Too true, i should have mentioned it, the charts are all based on US brewers tastes and i think they prefer a bit more fizz in their beers..

[IronBlue]

I've found so much variance due to the type of tap, that tweaking your own setup is probably more effective than a calulator which could be a waste of time.

With cornies at 10C carbed and kept at 10psi - Dalex flow control taps needed >10 foot of 3/16" tube for a foam free but very slow pour. The non-flow control ones are much better. I now use Perlick American style taps and they need just 2 foot of 3/16" tube, fast flow and no foaming at all.

Dalex-style flow control taps seem to do a very good job of generating foam! (The Perlick flow control tap is fine, you can connect one straight to the cornie disco without reducing the pressure, choke the flow and get no foaming at all....)