Serving pressure -vs- balancing the system

[BrewFrenzy]

I just got my first kegging setup and have questions about serving from a balanced system.

Morebeer kegging instructions say to serve with the regulator set to the pressure level appropriate for the style. The example they give is 12 PSI, at 38F degrees (2.57 vol. CO2). I'm guessing an APA or similar.

Then they mention handling line restriction. The example is 5' of 3/16” I.D. tubing at 2 PSI per foot which comes to 10 PSI. They recommend serving at 10-12 PSI.

So, in this example, if I set to 12 PSI am I using proper pressure for both serving and for line restriction? Does 12 PSI essentially accomplish both?

And, if I had a 7' line, balancing would then call for around 16 PSI... isn't that too much for the style?


Instructions at http://morebeer.com/themes/morewinepro//kegging.pdf

[Bugeater]

Yes, 12 psi sounds about right. To get and keep the carbonation level right you need to consult the carbonation charts to get the right combination of temperature and pressure.

Where the length of line comes in is in the speed of the flow coming out of the tap. You want the beer to pour at somewhere around 2 psi. Thus if you have your keg pressure at 12 psi and you have 5 feet of tubing that restricts the flow at 2 psi per foot, you will have the 2 psi pressure at the tap.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the published flow restriction for tubing will vary a bit with different brands of tubing. You need to figure out the length you need and then add a foot or two. Once you get the temperature and pressure stabilized (takes a day or two) check you flow rate. If it barely dribbles out, cut a bit off the beer line and check it again. Do this until you get the flow rate you like.

Keep in mind that you don't need to be exact on these line lengths and pressures so you don't need to be changing line length every time you adjust the temp or pressure. Just pick a temp and pressure in the middle of the range you will use most often and your flow will be about right for most of your beers.

On my kegerator (4 taps on a 9.9 cu ft freezer) I keep the pressure at 11-12 psi and the temperature at 41-42°. My lines are all 3/16" ID and 6-6.5' long. My serving pressures are right with pressures from 10-13 psi and temps from 38-45°. You exact line length will depend on the brand of tubing and the flow rate you like.

In short, don't stress about it.

Wayne

[squirrelpirate]

I have a two-tap kegerator with one regulator. I have 5' lines and keep the PSI from 10-12 and the fridge is generally at 40 degrees. This worked well until I had a porter and a dunkelweizen on tap at the same time. The porter was perfectly carbed but the dunkelweizen was obviously flat in terms of style guidelines. So I shut off the manifold to the porter, carbed the dunkelweizen up, but my lines weren't long enough. I had to pour growlers of the beer and wait for the foam to subside to drink. An inconvenient work-around, but the beer was good.

You should be fine from what you've said, just keep in mind if you brew a wheat beer that you might need some adjustments.