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DRAFT BEER TROUBLESHOOTING GLYCOL SYSTEMS
co2 cylinder pressure gauge
Keg pressure gauge
This toggle switch is in the off position.
Stuck Check Ball- Remove coupler from the keg. Using something thin (dial thermometer works great) poke the check ball located in the probe of the coupler and make sure it's not stuck. Pro tip - point the coupler away from face when performing this task. Access the check ball from the bottom of the couple.
Untapped- Sounds silly but make sure the keg is tapped. Lines in the cooler can get mixed up. Untap every line and re-tap one at a time and confirm nothing is mixed up.
Gas out or shut off – Generally this will cause the beer to flow slowly or eventually not at all. Remove the coupler from the keg and engage the handle as if you are tapping it. You should hear gas coming out of the coupler.
Check you have gas in the co2 cylinder and nitrogen cylinder if on a blender. If you think you may have a damaged regulator you can remove it from the gas cylinder and slowly open the wheel valve on the cylinder. You will hear gas and it should be fairly loud. Confirm all ball valves (toggle levers) are parallel with the gas lines. Most draft systems will have a ball valve (shut off) on the regulator and often will have ball valves on air distributors or secondary regulators inside the cooler. The gas blender will have shuts offs also. They get accidentally bumped in the off position often. Follow the gas line up from the coupler to the gas cylinder to confirm all the ball valves are in the on position.
Empty Keg- This is a common issue. The keg is stuck to the floor so it appears full or the lines are mixed up. Untap every line and tap one at a time and confirm what line beer is coming out of.
FOB not floating - This is a common issue. There is a float in the FOB and it should be floating at the top of the FOB. If it is not you may need to change the keg, bleed the line through the vent or troubleshoot why it is not floating.
Frozen- Inspect the beer line in the cooler and confirm the beer is not frozen in the line. If your system has FOB's confirm beer is coming out of the vent and the FOB float is floating. A very common issue with glycol systems is beer froze in the lines between the cooler and the bar. It is not common that all lines freeze but it can happen. A line that has a beer with less alcohol can freeze before beers with more alcohol in them. If you have checked all the steps above then chances are good you have a frozen draft line. I recommend turning off the glycol chiller. If the beer line starts dripping leave it open. Never leave an unattended faucet open as you can make a huge mess. Once it breaks free make sure you turn the chiller back on. Turning off the chiller during peak service times may not be the best option as the beer in the lines can get warm and foam. You may want to check glycol temp before shutting the chiller off. Most beer wont freeze until 28 degrees. Ideal temp for the glycol chiller is 29-31.