Cam Locks

Had a question about the cam locks for those who have purchased them.

Budzu stated in an earlier post that it appeared the 1/2" couplers that had a hose barb restricted the flow, maybe down to 3/8". My question is, has anyone bought any of the other coupler types? Like the Type B coupler with male pipe threads?

Was curious if they also narrow down, because if they don't, I would probably just buy them and attach the barb separately.

For those who haven't seen them, here is the site:
http://proflowdynamics.reachlocal.com/coupon/?scid=1476480&cid=469435&tc=10010519135239959&dynamic_proxy=1&primary_serv=proflowdynamics13.reachlocal.net

Thanks,
Jeff

Well, any barb meant for 1/2" ID tubing will have an ID of less than that itself right? So, you COULD thread on a 1/2" female NPT to 5/8" barb and stretch your silicone tubing over it.

That is exactly what I'm thinking about doing, Bobby_M, I probably didn't state it very well.

I just want to verify that the couplers and adapters other then the ones with hose barbs maintain 1/2" ID before going through the trouble of ordering a separate hose barb.

Trying to maintain 1/2" ID throughout the rig, I'll also call Pro Flow Dynamics today and ask, will post the answer I get.

I have them. I have type C and Type F. The type F does constrict down to a smaller ID. I will measure it for you and get back.

The male thread ends on the type f seem to be full sized all the way through. I will measure that for ya too. So I am sure the female type A should be full as well. I am sure it is the same for type B too.

Thanks Brewmoor. I think my ideal setup would be to use Type A or Type F on the valves and bulkheads, and use Type D plus this on the 1/2" ID hoses to maintain 1/2" throughout the rig, just jam the tubing on the 5/8" hose barb, but unless I can find a better price on that 5/8" SS hose barb, I think I'll just go with the flow restriction.

The type C barbed end also fits 1/2 ID tubing. So keep in mind that most every barb fitting out there is going to reduce the flow a bit. When I get home from work tonight I will measure the fittings and get you a an accurate ID size of the fitting.

I am using the male end on my kettles and the females on my tubing. Sounds like you have the same idea. They are nice fittings. I think I am going to be real happy with them.

I measured the type C barb. It has an ID of 5/16. Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot Brewmoor, that isn't bad at all, pictures make them look a lot smaller then they are.

Really appreciate you taking the time to do that.

Jeff

I was considering buying the 3/4" barb style camlock fittings and stretching 1/2" ID silicon tubing over them. Will this be impossible?

Here's a comparison of the inner bores of Type A (female PT) and Type F (hose barb). The difference is quite noticeable. I do not have any complaints once again, the flow using march pumps is way more than I need anyway.
Cheers!

Does anyone have pics of the cam locks hooked up to their system?

Not a close up but if you look at my build thread in my signature I am pretty sure there is a pic in there show tubes connected.

I can take a pic when I get home and post for you.

Here are some pics from my stand.

Thank you for posting the pics.

5/16" ID is barely over half of the intended 1/2" ID. If you always throttle back and don't plan to whirlpool, etc then the short sections of 5/16" (2 per hose) should not be a problem, but I would not want it on my rig.

Budzu said:

I do not have any complaints once again, the flow using march pumps is way more than I need anyway.
Cheers!

Click to expand...

Wondering if you are still happy with your pro flow dynamics qd's? I'm about to pull the trigger on upgrading from my brass qd's and only the smaller id on the type c coupler is giving me pause. Does it restrict to the degree that whirlpooling during chilling is not possible?

Thanks

bendavanza said:

5/16" ID is barely over half of the intended 1/2" ID. If you always throttle back and don't plan to whirlpool, etc then the short sections of 5/16" (2 per hose) should not be a problem, but I would not want it on my rig.

Click to expand...

Ben, unless i'm warped (don't reply), I get 5/16" ID as 0.390 of 1/2" ID, 1/2" ID has 2.56 times more cross sectional area of 5/16" ID.
5/16" has a diameter of 0.3125", 0.3125 SQ = 0.09765 x .7854 = 0.07669 sq/in of area. 1/2" diameter of 0.500, 0.500 SQ = 0.250 x .7854 = 0.1963 sq/in of area. There's a vast cross sectional area difference called a major restriction if using a weak pump to start with, you know the pump manufactures name.

Yes I am very happy with them. I have very short hoses and I do "whirlpool" with a march pump. It works fine for forming a hop cone in my kettle. It does not make anything like a vortex, but it accomplishes what I need it to.
That said, my biggest bottleneck is the pumps, not the QD's. I could chill MUCH faster if I had a higher flow. During chilling I am pushing liquid through 100' of copper 3/8"ID, and about 20' of silicone. THAT is where my bottlenecks are, and what is significantly affecting flow rate, much more so than the hose barbs.

My suggestion is go with the female couplers with male threads. You will be able to attach silicone hose directly to it. Another HBT member a couple miles away is now using the couplers with threads (1/2" silicone tubing stretched over the threads) and march pump and the difference is small but noticeable.

Budzu said:

My suggestion is go with the female couplers with male threads. You will be able to attach silicone hose directly to it. Another HBT member a couple miles away is now using the couplers with threads (1/2" silicone tubing stretched over the threads) and march pump and the difference is small but noticeable.

Click to expand...

Would that be - Type B 1/2" couplers for all the Silicone Hose connections? Did the other HBT member report elevated wear in the hoses from being stretched over the threads?

I will direct him to this thread, he's on his way over for yeast right now As far as I know he has had no problems with it after 3 brews.

southpawbrew said:

Would that be - Type B 1/2" couplers for all the Silicone Hose connections? Did the other HBT member report elevated wear in the hoses from being stretched over the threads?

Click to expand...

I'm the HBT member in question...

The hoses become a bit more pliable, but I don't foresee them splitting or anything. I have 1 that I remove each time to attach it to the whirlpool attachment of an immersion chiller.

I've not run 1000 batches through it yet, but I've had no issues and no hose clamps are needed with the MPT. Good luck!

+1 going with the B type female camlock couplers. The 1/2" silicon hose fits over the 1/2" mpt fitting snugly and needs no clamps. I have been testing my new rig set up and had no leak problems so far.

I noticed a major improvement in flow rate going from the right angle brass QD's female that I was using from McMaster.

Here's some pics from my set up

Scroll down and you can see the camlocks on the MLT and March pump

I'm going to be going with the street elbow idea Bobby M had on one of his videos. If you grind off the threads (or just thread the silicone tubing onto them, you won't restrict the flow and you'll have an elbow. However, I am not sure about the price comparison between hose-barb fitting and a street elbow. Would be worth looking into.

[/QUOTE]
Old post but seeing this pic made me think that using a full bore 1/2 hosebarb that brewershardware carries and a fpt camlock fitting would increase flow significantly. To bad I just got standard camlocks as pictured.

Or just stretch the tubing over the 1/2" NPT threads.

Has anyone had any problems with the camlock B's stretching over 1/2 silicone hose? I was thinking of getting camlock D's with a 5/8 barb. The B's are cheaper and seem to achieve the same results of high flow. Any thoughts?

The 5/8" barb into the type D is the best situation for a straight connection, especially going into the suction side of a pump. If you want an elbow at some point, the new fittings I have are the tits. The ID of the barb is almost 5/8".

Great idea as usual!

Wow, really wish I saw these before I ordered my camlocks. Will keep these in mind if I run into flow issues.

Thanks for the reply. Those look awesome. I appreciate the help!

Bobby_M said:

The 5/8" barb into the type D is the best situation for a straight connection, especially going into the suction side of a pump. If you want an elbow at some point, the new fittings I have are the tits. The ID of the barb is almost 5/8".

Click to expand...

Figures - I just ordered street elbows from you before these came in

My setup is a SS Center Inlet Chugger Pump. On the BrewHardware site, I've read that you don't want to put an elbow on the inlet of your pump ("When you are feeding the input of a mag drive pump such as the Chugger, it's best to avoid an elbow and go straight in."). Do you think this elbow barb would cause flow issues?

EDIT: The reducer and the inlet are 3/4" threads, not 5/8" as the picture shows.

barrooze -- Since 5/8 NPT doesn't exist, I'm assuming this is just a typo. But the chugger center inlet is 3/4" MPT, so the female reducer needs to be 3/4" to 1/2".

As for the elbow barb, it's not ideal, but if it's more convenient on your setup than a 5/8" barb, go for it -- it won't make or break your setup.

I figure this is no worse than the thousands of people out there who are happy with inline pump heads. I try to reduce restrictions on the inlet side as much as possible, but I force myself not to get worked up about it. The optimal thing would be to go straight into a 3/4" ID hose and use 3/4" full port ball valves on the kettles, but that's complete overkill.

What I do is somewhat similar to your picture. I have a March 809HS with an 815 impeller and a chugger SS center inlet head. I use a 3/4" tee on the inlet so I can put a thermometer in line with the pump - the wort makes a 90 degree turn in the tee then reduces to 1/2". With this setup I'm able to prime the pump without problems, am happy with the flow rate, and haven't had any cavitation problems.

March Pump's guidelines say avoid elbows closer than 5x the inside diameter of the plumbing. Not sure which diameter would apply on the center inlet models - 1/2" or 3/4"...

Cheers!

Interesting, I didn't know they had a specific recommendation, day_trippr. I wonder if it there are similar gains to reducing from 3/4 to 1/2 further from the inlet...

tophmck said:

barrooze -- Since 5/8 NPT doesn't exist, I'm assuming this is just a typo. But the chugger center inlet is 3/4" MPT, so the female reducer needs to be 3/4" to 1/2".

Click to expand...

You're right. I totally meant 3/4", not 5/8".

Since I already have the reducer and a 1/2" barb on my inlet and the flow is fine for me, I'll go ahead with the 5/8" barb + Type D to let the fluid go straight in. If the vendors and manufacturers advise against using an elbow there, who am I to disagree?

Is the regular Type C & Type E (hose barb) camlocks ok for outlet and the other side of the inlet hose? Is the main concern flow restriction in the area immediately before the inlet port?

Thanks for all the info/help!

Restrictions on the inlet side are more serious (particularly when the restriction is close to the pump head), since they can cause cavitation, which is bad for the pump. If you care about maximizing your flow rate, then you also want to avoid restrictions on the outlet side.

Personally, I'd avoid type C and E throughout, and especially on the inlet side -- but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. You can always swap out some of the fittings later if you run into flow problems.