FOB issues

[hpalindrome]

Hi there,

Taproom issues! One of our beers is giving us trouble; it will "cough" foam every 1 1/2 pints or so and the FOB will go empty in an irregular fashion. Regulator is reading fine, walk-in cooler temperature doesn't fluctuate, glycol to serving lines is alrght, the lines are regularly cleaned, I've put a new keg on, we've swapped it to pour from another tap, still the same issues. I doubt it's a mechanical issue, as this is the only brand we have trouble with.

Especially frustrating as it's one of our best-sellers and the serving staff are not pleased!

Anything I've missed? Any advice?

Thanks!
Hannah

[TGTimm]

First thing I'd do is replace the keg coupler (AKA tavern head, tap). The gasket that separates the CO2 from the beer is probably bad. There are numerous different couplers out there, so I can't tell you haw to replace the gasket without knowing what style it is.

[beerguy1]

Gotta agree with Timm. If you put a new keg on the foamy tap and still have a problem it must be a mechanical issue. I have had foaming issues because the black ring that goes around the tapper that fits into the keg was bad and it would suck air in as it was drawing beer from the keg. I always have spares around. If one is bad you might start running into more problems

[hpalindrome]

I have replaced...

... ALL the things: regulator, coupler, FOB. All these are brand new pieces, as well. Very mysterious...

[beerguy1]

perhaps a line with a leak and its pulling in air? Put some pressure in the line and see if it escapes over a period of time.

[hpalindrome]

have switched lines

perhaps a line with a leak and its pulling in air? Put some pressure in the line and see if it escapes over a period of time.

We've put the beer on different serving lines and it's the same story. It is most likely the beer, but strange that it will pour normally for a certain volume, then splutter, then continue pouring. I would expect an over-carb issue to pour all foam, continuously?

[TGTimm]

Next guess: the beerline between the coupler and the FOB? Even with regular cleaning, lines can develop a biofilm or deposits that can be enucleation centers for foaming. We replace all lines every couple of years.

Make sure your system is properly balanced. Correct push pressure, choker length, etc. Too low a push pressure will cause "breaking" in the line. I've heard too many folks declare that "12 psi is the standard". There is no standard and you need to determine the proper pressures and chokers for your set-up (our push pressure works out to about 16 psi, and pours beautifully).

Last of all, question the parts you've replaced. New parts do sometimes fail out of the box. I'd suspect the FOB device, just 'cause it's complicated and has failure points.

Oh, and check the seals on your kegs--a cracked or worn seal (the black seal on top of the valve) will always cause the exact problem you've described--it allows CO2 to go directly into the beer line.