Connecting 3/16" poly beer line to 1/4" ball-lock disconnect?

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kal

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Maybe I'm fussier than others or my beer drinking style is different, but I've tried 3-4 different beer lines so far and every vinyl line I've tried 'taints' my beer with a plastic taste if I leave it overnight. I did some tests with different tube types left overnight (not connected to anything) with water in them:

Rating system:

0/10 = zero taint (good)
10/10 = Lots'o'taint (bad)

Arrowhose.com type 14 "General Purpose" vinyl hose (3/16" ID): 4/10
Arrowhose.com type 58 Arrow-flo "barrier" poly tubing (1/4" ID): 2/10
Kuritek.com Accuflex Bev-Seal Ultra Series 235 poly "barrier" tubing (1/4" ID): 0/10


Even the Arrowhose.com type 14 general purpose vinyl stuff that one of our city's draft system installers uses (in over 700 installations) I find leave a bad taste in the beer if left in the line overnight.

So I've moved on to what the pro's and soda companies use inside their trunk lines: Polyethylene barrier-type tubing

367.jpg


Poly tubing is that harder plastic stuff so it has very little give. So I can't jam a 3/16" poly line on the 1/4" barbed posts on my keg quick disconnects like I can with 3/16" vinyl beer line. And there's no such thing as ball-lock/pepsi quick disconnects with 3/16" barb!

What's the best way to attach the two?

Kal
 
Interesting idea.... I tried using a heat gun and was able to heat up the 3/16" poly hose enough to get it onto a 1/4" barb! You have to be very careful however as you need to heat it up quite a bit and it gets pretty soft.

I'm worried however that it's hurt the poly such that it might break/crack in the future...

Kal
 
Sorry... I was thinking hot water. That seems like it would have been kinder and less stressful to the tubing than direct heat.

I doubt though anything will let go on you unless you see a definite change in properties such as discoloration or hardness.
 
Hot water definitely won't heat it up enough. That works well for vinyl but poly's just so much harder.... boiling water may work. That would actually be a better idea than a heat gun as you're less likely to create hot spots or warp the poly.

Kal
 
For reference sake, I tried boiling water: Stick the 3/16" poly line into a kettle for 30 seconds or so and you shouldn't have any problems getting it onto a 1/4" barb. Nice tight fit too.

Kal
 
I tried to connect my 3/16 barrier tubing to 3/16 tail pieces today. I attempted this using the boiling water technique and I couldn't get the bugger on. I'm looking at my 1/4 ball lock nipples and can't imagine how I'm going to get the tubing around them.

Any tips/tricks?


Cheers!
 
The before mentioned boiling hot water soak should do the trick... I use a socket wrench to hold the nut against the barb (from the inside of the nut) so that I have something to press against when putting the tubing on. Works really well.

Heat the water either in a nuke chamber, or a tea kettle... You want BOILING hot water for this, not just hot tap water (won't be hot enough)...
 
+1 on boiling water.
I fill a half pint mason jar about 1 inch of the top, nuke for 2.5 min take out caution real hot
only dip the hose but not more then the length of the barb and stuff it on
 
Boiling water is indeed required.I boiled a kettle and then let the tubing sit in it for about30-60 seconds.

FWIW however I used 1/4" tubing so it's not the same stuff as what you used.

Kal
 
Tried the silicone and boiling technique.

I had to boil the end of the tubing for a good minute. To get the nipple started on the tubing I held the swivel nut with vice grips.

I was able to do it in shifts. I'd barely get the tail piece on (just enough to stay on the tubing. And then submerge the tail piece and tubing in the boiling water for about 20 seconds. Remove from the water and complete installation.

*** Be Careful** the tail piece heats up quick and will split the tubing if it gets too hot.
 
You can also use MFLs instead. You can get swivel nuts all the way down to 1/8" and then use MFL disconnects. That's the way mine is setup.
 
I use these whenever possible... http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=13

Of course, I also have some of the stainless (also threaded) QD's to allow me to fit more kegs in my current brew fridge. Once I get a keezer built, that could change.

BTW, nothing against the guy from Chi, but he's extremely slow to respond to emails, and getting him on the phone typically takes hours/days. Due to issues I had getting my first order from him (delayed over a week) I'm extremely reluctant to order again. Especially when I can email the guys at Keg Connection and have a response same day (business day). If I call up, I have someone on the phone quickly and have the info I wanted. IMO, customer service is just as important (or more so) than lower costs.
 
Thanks Eric, I didn't know anyone sold 1/8th swivels.

Golddiggie, kegconnection doesn't have 1-8th swivels listed, have they sold them in the past?
 
You don't want to go smaller than the ID of the tubing. If anything go the same size, or a hair larger. Such as I use 5/16" ID gas tubing, on 5/16" swivel nuts. But my beer line is 3/16" ID (better in many peoples opinions) so the nuts are 1/4". The nuts on the swivel nuts go to 1/4" MFL, which is standard issue on disconnects, manifolds, bulkheads, etc...
 
You don't want to go smaller than the ID of the tubing. If anything go the same size, or a hair larger. Such as I use 5/16" ID gas tubing, on 5/16" swivel nuts. But my beer line is 3/16" ID (better in many peoples opinions) so the nuts are 1/4". The nuts on the swivel nuts go to 1/4" MFL, which is standard issue on disconnects, manifolds, bulkheads, etc...

+1. I wasn't really suggesting using the 1/8" Barbs.. just noting they had them. I actually have some 1/8" line I use for resistance on soda lines. But I would take either the same ID barb as the line or a little bigger, otherwise you are asking for leaks.
 
Sorry to revive this thread, but did you actually get the 3/16"POLY lines on a 1/4" barb?

It's real easy to get 3/16" thickwall vinyl on 1/4"; but this 3/16" poly bevseal is WAY stiffer.
 
Yes. I was able to do it in shifts heating both the tubing and nipple with boiling water and using a needle nose pliers to push the nipple on. Once the nipple was on (barely) I'd submerge both in the water, then push as far onto the tail piece as I could. Rinse and repeat until complete.

A quick and much easier way to do this is with a heat gun. I borrowed my buddy's. Holding the tail piece with needle nose and *briefly* waving the gun by both the end of the tubing and the nipple. Start the nipple on the tubing and briefly wave the heat gun by the tubing to assist with the final push.

Careful with the heat gun though, the first time I used it, I pushed the tail piece right through the wall of the tubing, ripping it open.
 
has anyone actually successfully used the poly tubing? how long did you need?
 
30 ft wow, I was expecting to use like 6 ft since the tube diameter is 0.170"
 
I have 20 feet/line on the bev seal ultra. Works for me. Getting it on those barbs was such a pain in the ass...
 
just confirming that BOILING hot water does work for connecting 3/8 ID hose to a 1/4 fitting. took me 3 tries but i got it on. left tube in boiling water for about 60 secs and forced it on there! i used a skinning pre-school paint brush tip to widen the ID of the hose while it was hot before i forced on the hose onto the 1/4 fitting.
 
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