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I have a new Summit sbc-500 and can't get my keg beer under 48 degrees, even at max cooling. Beer leaving tap is 50 degrees and I'm worried about secondary fermentation. Any ideas?
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try changing kegs sounds like the tube in the keg is broken the keg has a tube that runs to the bottom of the keg inside and u push air into the keg to push beer thru that tube and into a cool glass and down to ur gulletbut it sounds like u have a defective keg or an empty keg
You would need to be a certified refrigeration technician to even buy R-12, since it is a CRC refrigerant. The kegerator probably doesn't have service ports so you would either have to braze a low-side port in or use a piercing valve, and fix wherever the refrigerant leaked out from. Basically, by the time you pay a refrigeration tech to do all this, it isn't worth it and you would be better off buying a new one
It can take a very long time to get a keg of beer down in temperature. The heat transfer from a keg is slow due to the lack of air circulation inside the keg. You should also check your condenser coils, make sure they are clean. Door gasket should also be in good repair. Hope this helps.
Keg's are normally pressurized at 13 psi. If you only set yours at 8 psi then you are going to cause problems. You should always start at least the same psi that the keg is set to. If you can talk to the keg company as they all differ some. Common problem is to lower the psi which will cause foam until you reach about 1/2 full or a little less then you should get less foam but your beer will become very flat. Too much pressure is usually better than too little, even with too much pressure you'll see the beer come out fine but will start to foam when hitting the glass/pitcher. Also note that the coupler's that Danby use are very cheap, check the CO2 vale (between CO2 line and coupler) to see if there are any cracks or anything.
Keep a thermometer handy. (adjust temperature control knob accordingly)
Periodically monitor temperatures inside your cooler. (adjust as necessary)
Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible to avoid temperature fluctuations
The temperature of the refrigerator compartment is
controlled by adjusting/setting the thermostat control
knob, located on the ceiling of the refrigerator
cabinet.
To start the refrigerator, and achieve maximum
cooling quickly;
• Turn the temperature control knob (using a coin
or screwdriver) clockwise to the furthest
(maximum) setting on the darker blue section of
the graduated control dial.
• Allow the refrigerator to run at this setting for 3~4
hours.
• When maximum cooling is achieved, turn back
the temperature control knob setting to the 2:00
o'clock position on the graduated blue control
dial.
• Correct cooling temperature is a key factor to
consider in storing and dispensing draught beer.
• Optimum temperature for serving draught beer is
between 34ºF ~ 38ºF.(1ºC ~ 3ºC)
• To maintain temperatures ranging between
34ºF ~ 38ºF.(1ºC ~ 3ºC) We recommend the
thermostat knob be positioned at the "2:00
o'clock" setting on the graduated blue control dial.
• To turn off the refrigerator, (no cooling) rotate the
control knob to the "0" position.
There is a check valve inside the coupler of the danby kegs that cause this problem. The valve is mainly there to prevent beer from back-flowing when changing the keg. Next time you change your keg check for a little black plastic retainer and also a small white plastic ball inside the coupler. Remove those (or just smell it) and you should notice that this is the taste/smell your beer has. I removed mine after this discovery, and there isn't any issues with the taste/smell since. I've heard this is a common issue with the Danby D coupler systems. Also, you won't have any issues with beer backflow when you change the keg, provided the line going to the tap is empty (which usually is if keg is kicked).
Draught (or Draft) beer is almost always un-pasteurized and therefore is more fragile. It should be consumed after being "tapped", and is generally truer to the flavors of the ingredients as pasteurization exposes the beer to heat and changes the flavor profile. Always use brewery approved beer line if you want to have foam free fresh tasting beer. Serving it through a plastic tube from the hardware or discount store or the plain vinyl tubing in your beer tap system you will wind up with a foamy, off tasting beer. Real draught beer is not pasteurized. It must be kept refrigerated between 35F. and 44F. A beer will become wild, turn sour and cloudy in a day or two. Below 44F. a keg of draught beer should last 20-30 days before it loses it's fresh brewery taste and aroma. Craft beers (micro brews) tend to have a shorter shelf life and you should contact the brewery for their recommendations.
Why does my beer foam up?
The 3 most often causes of beer foaming up are:
The temperature of the beer keg
The balance of the draught beer system pressures
The cleanliness of the draught beer system
I would suggest that you clean or replace the beer transport tube...
If you are getting foam then finally poors fine you have a temperature problem. If you are getting constant foam then you are probably looking at a pressure problem. First of all make sure that you let your keg sit for at least 4 hours and get down to 38 degrees before you tap the keg. Also ensure that your pressure is set to at least what the pressure is in the keg (generally 13 psi). If you can, try to ask the beer manufactures (if you use a microbrewery) what pressure to set it at. One brew master told me to start at 15 psi and adjust from there.
If you still get foam and you can guarantee that the temperature is correct then you are getting some agitation from something else. Double check all your washers and even check your stop valve on the CO2 line to the coupler. Sometimes the lines are not the correct length or even the correct diameter, when the beer is forced through the line if it starts out thin and then expands or vice versa that gives beer a chance to get agitated and cause foam.
Finally the equipment that is used on these systems are generally not that great. I had a Danby Chill'n Tap and replaced the coupler and the tap and all the lines and that solved my issues, even though my problem was probably a cracked valve for the < $80 it cost me to replace everything it wasn't worth my time to figure out exactly what was wrong with it.
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