Beer and gas lines

Well, since my beer backup I've had to toss some lines and replace some fittings. Rather than go back to the big box for more vinyl hose, I was wondering if there was Something Better.

The vinyl gets very stiff and unruly when it's cold. Anyone find anything a little more user-friendly, like silicone? I don't mind paying for it, since I really hate fighting with hoses I also have very limited space on top of my kegs, so pliability and durability are Good Things for my setup.

Thanks!

-Joe

the lines from micromatic are very nice... that's what I am currently using....

The commercial beverage line like FOX is way more flexible than that Home Depot stuff. (I'm going to upgrade someday).

I've used silicone car vacuum lines on the low pressure side for my shizzle cooler. They work nicely!

+1 on micromatic lines, work great for me! As for the silicon hosing, I don't think I'd recommend those... In fact, I think i saw a post recently of a silicon tube being used as a liquid line, and it looked like a gigantic condom about to burst.... Enough said.

Got my new lines from Micromatic yesterday, and all I've got to say is WOW. The quality of the big box vinyl hose isn't even in the same league as this stuff. The Micromatic lines are FAR heavier, but at the same time softer, easier to bend, easier to get on barbs, and just plain worth the extra money.

Top row left is the 5/16" line I had been using. The next two are the red and clear 5/16" Micromatic lines. Bottom row left is the 3/16" beer line I had been using. Bottom right is the Micromatic 3/16" line.



I replaced all four of my shutoffs with Micromatic check valves. Again, just a class up from the BeverageFactory shutoffs that came with my regulator.



I left the line closest to the front of the fridge extra long to make it easier to do force carbing or purge kegs.



I've learned from my mistakes. I hope this helps someone else Morals of the story:

Be ABSOLUTELY SURE the shutoffs you buy have check valves. I thought mine did, I was wrong, and I paid for it.

The "real" beer lines are well worth the money.

-Joe

Be ABSOLUTELY SURE the shutoffs you buy have check valves????

what does this mean and how would i know? i just bought:

Beer Regulator - Double Gauge - CO2 Primary - 1 Pressure - 2 Kegs

wstandis said:

Be ABSOLUTELY SURE the shutoffs you buy have check valves????

what does this mean and how would i know? i just bought:

Beer Regulator - Double Gauge - CO2 Primary - 1 Pressure - 2 Kegs

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Those are the same ones I had - they do not have check valves.

The check valves prevent backflow of beer into the regulator or between two kegs hooked up to the splitter on the bottom of your regulator. How can this backflow happen?

Let's say you just filled a keg and it's full to the point where beer is touching the gas dip tube. You pressurize the keg with 30PSI to seal the lid. If you now drop the pressure on the regulator quickly without depressurizing the keg, the pressure in the keg will push beer back into the regulator (or the other keg if it's at a lower pressure).

If you don't fill your kegs all the way such that the beer never reaches the gas dip tube, it's not a problem, which is probably why I never encountered it before. But it's pretty cheap insurance against disaster.

-Joe

where would i find said check valve?

wstandis said:

where would i find said check valve?

Click to expand...

Just put "check valve" in the search box. Here are the ones I bought:

Micromatic linky

If you want them, maybe you can get them to upgrade the ones that come with the regulator before it ships.

If you decide not to get them, you can just be super careful not to overfill your kegs. Having had to disassemble my regulator and clean beer out of it, I'm not going to chance it again.

-Joe

Glad you like the lines- love mine as well. It's kind of like perlicks- not necessary, but d@mn nice! Make's it so much easier

Everything I have ever purchased from micromatic has been excellent quality. Their not always the cheapest, but it's not always worth it to skimp on kegerator parts. And they have fast shipping.

wildwest450 said:

Their not always the cheapest, but it's not always worth it to skimp on kegerator parts. And they have fast shipping.

Click to expand...

Yupper. I sent a help request to Beverage Factory the day of the beer backwash. The next day I ordered all of the parts from Micromatic. Two days later I have the parts, and a completely re-plumbed kegerator.

And still no reply from Beverage Factory's "Customer Support" department. At least I know where and where NOT to shop now.

-Joe

Wow, FAIL on Beverage Factorys' part. Other vendors sell micromatic lines as well, too lazy to do a price comparison. Just FYI.

nostalgia said:

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so, i'm gonna have 3 kegs set up eventually ... 2 to drink and one carbing. so ... where did you get those splitters? i plan to use one coming of the regulator, and then from that one one side will go to the carbing keg, and the other side will go to another split ... which will go to both drinking kegs.

also ... with those splitters ... does it have a shank type thing that will go through the fridge so i can connect a hose outside?

and finally ... i'm going to get a drip tray with a drain on the bottom, i'd like the drain to run back into the fridge through the door so the bucket it drains into doesn't have to be visible ... where can i get a shank type deal to put into the fridge door and connect hoses on both sides?

Hi Nanik. Most of your questions should be answered by my kegerator build thread.

The splitter I picked up at Beverage Factory, but you can get them anywhere.

-Joe

so yeah, yours is pretty much what i have visions of in my head ... and i never saw yours until just now ... just need to get my hands on a fridge on the cheap now and i'll be mostly there.

Another option that I'm considering if I ever decide to change things around is using the Acetal John Guest push-lock fittings. They're supposed to be good for CO2 and much easier than barbs and pipe threads.

Link to US plastics

Link to a bulkhead union to go through the fridge wall

-Joe