Accuflex bev seal ultra tubing problem

I read all about all of the techniques for getting this stuff over my barbs before starting and I am still having trouble. After about an hour tonight I only have 3 out of 4 of the keg side connections on and none of the connections off the tail piece. Two of the 3 that I actually have on are only on about half way and pretty crimped. I really only have 1 connection on to the standards I want. I have probably trimmed 6-12 inches off already of tube that has been totally destroyed trying to get the barb in the tubing.

I tried heating a couple inches of tube, just the tip of the tube, heating the connection, using golf tees, using needle nose plyers. Anyone have any other tips to get this tubing on? I dont want to waste a couple more feet just trying to get this stuff on.

I think we've all been there, but really it sounds like you're using the right techniques. Maybe do a little more searching/reading, and you'll find a method that works for you.

Here's what I do:

I don't have a heat gun, but boiling water's worked fine for me. Get a small, shallow pot of boiling water going on your stove. Keep the water level fairly low so you can rest things on the bottom.

Heat up the end of the tube for 20-30 seconds in the boiling water then stretch it with needle nose pliers. Run under cold water so it takes a set. Then put the tailpiece or FFL in the boiling water for 30 seconds or so to heat it up. Dunk the end of the (now stretched) tube for just a couple seconds (it'll start to lose the stretch you just put on it), then place it on top of the hot tailpiece and firmly push down, grabbing the tubing as close to the fitting as you can. Try to push straight down or you'll kink the tubing. Thick gloves help a lot here. That should be enough to get it started over the barb.

Then take the entire assembly (tailpiece + tube) and put it upright into the boiling water. Keep a consistent downward pressure on the tube, as everything heats up it should slide down further. If you don't keep pushing down, it'll pop off the barb and you have to start over.

Make sure to get your Oetiker clamp onto the tubing first, if you're using one. I like to clamp it while the tubing's still a little warm.

Spent another half hour trying to get this tubing on today. Bought some small needle nose pliers today to better stretch the tubing and tried to follow the directions exactly as stated above. At this rate ill get everything attached sometime next month. Not sure how this tubing can be worth the trouble. After the kegs I have had to dump and now this tubing, I am getting really frustrated with the amount of time and money I am wasting. This is the best I have done with the tubing so far after spending about 2 hrs working on it.

It is the Bentley of beer lines, but the constant stream of "How the heck do I get this on that?" threads makes it questionable to this observer whether it's really worth that much more than Bevlex 200 - which you can work with in your sleep...

Cheers!

Get a heat gun it makes it easy. Even home depot has cheap one but harbor freight has a super cheap one. It is really good beer line. It rinses clean every time and does not get stained.

I think using a QD with the barb is adding to your frustration. It's much easier using a QD with a flare fitting, then you can throw the stainless FFL barb into the boiling water. Plus then you can easily switch between Sankey, Corny, etc. So if it's not too late for you to make the MFL switch I'd recommend it.

I had a really hard time for the first couple, once I got the technique down it wasn't bad.

Push-lock fittings

beaksnbeer said:

Push-lock fittings

View attachment 94753

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This is the smartest thing i've seen on here ever. What specific john guest fittings are those?

I changed out my kegerator to bevlex over the weekend and with a heat gun its pretty easy. I put a golf tee in the end the tub then heated it. Used the tee to open it once it was heated then the barbs went in easy.

Those pushlock fittings look even easier though

This is the best I have done with the tubing so far after spending about 2 hrs working on it.

gregkeller said:

This is the smartest thing i've seen on here ever. What specific john guest fittings are those?

Click to expand...

They fit a mfl QD which is a 1/4 flare x 5/16 which fits 3/16 Bev-Seal

I just purchased some John Guest fittings for my keezer last week. I'm not sure why more people don't use these fittings being that they are designed for this type of tubing. You simply slip the tubing into the fitting and you're done. I purchased the fittings from freshwatersystems.com, below are the part #s:

Here's the fitting that connects to a flared 1/4" MFL keg disconnect:
- John Guest Female Adapter Flare - 5/16 x 1/4 Flare - Part # PM4508F4S

Here's the fitting that screws directly onto the end of the beer shank (this replaces the tailpiece):
- John Guest Female Adapter BSPP - 5/16 x 5/8 BSPP - Part # PI451015FS

SirMoik said:

I just purchased some John Guest fittings for my keezer last week. I'm not sure why more people don't use these fittings being that they are designed for this type of tubing. You simply slip the tubing into the fitting and you're done. I purchased the fittings from freshwatersystems.com, below are the part #s:

Here's the fitting that connects to a flared 1/4" MFL keg disconnect:
- John Guest Female Adapter Flare - 5/16 x 1/4 Flare - Part # PM4508F4S

Here's the fitting that screws directly onto the end of the beer shank (this replaces the tailpiece):
- John Guest Female Adapter BSPP - 5/16 x 5/8 BSPP - Part # PI451015FS

Click to expand...

I won't need to worry about this until I change my lines, and with this tubing that won't be for a long time. But in retrospect, I really wish I had known about these when I was setting up my system.

SirMoik said:

I just purchased some John Guest fittings for my keezer last week. I'm not sure why more people don't use these fittings being that they are designed for this type of tubing. You simply slip the tubing into the fitting and you're done. I purchased the fittings from freshwatersystems.com, below are the part #s:

Here's the fitting that connects to a flared 1/4" MFL keg disconnect:
- John Guest Female Adapter Flare - 5/16 x 1/4 Flare - Part # PM4508F4S

Here's the fitting that screws directly onto the end of the beer shank (this replaces the tailpiece):
- John Guest Female Adapter BSPP - 5/16 x 5/8 BSPP - Part # PI451015FS

Click to expand...

With that second one, you don't need the beer nut, and mfl adapter? Just replace those two parts with this one? That's really awesome if so. One of my shanks has a welded on nipple, just have to cut/grind that off, the others have beer nuts.

Finally got the on the disconnects with a heat gun from harbor freight. I waited until my oetiker clamps arrived today to attach the other end and now my clamps are too big. I bought some 3/8 clamps and for the liquid line and 1/2 for gas. The 3/8 are too big for the liquid and the 1/2 is too big for the gas. I was able to squeeze some of the 3/8 on the gas size. I am just going to stick with regular screw tighten clamps I guess.

If your line is bending like that, then you're over-heating the tubing.

Be patient. Heat a few seconds. Then wait. Then heat again. If it starts to turn clear or glossy, you're overheating.

My tools consist of a #1 and #2 Phillips screwdriver.

Heat the #1 screwdriver. Insert it easily into the tubing to warm it from the inside. Remove it. Pass the tubing over the heat gun to heat the outside. Repeat a few times.

Heat up the #2 Phillips now. Insert it, twisting to work the tubing opening larger. When it tries to stick, remove the screwdriver and re-heat it. You should get a pretty nice 1" long flared bell fairly easily.

Once the flare is done, heat the barb with a glove. I place the base of the #1 Phillips on my thigh, then place the barb on the tip of the screwdriver, then heat the tubing one last time. Immediately take the tubing from the heat and slide it on the barb.

If you did it right, the tubing slides on stupid easily in less than 1/2 second. If you didn't get it flared enough or the barb is not hot enough, you'll have to use a lot of force and it'll still probably never go on.

I'll try to make a video tonight, if I can get the wife to record it for me. Definitely takes two hands, and I don't have a tripod.

gregkeller said:

With that second one, you don't need the beer nut, and mfl adapter? Just replace those two parts with this one? That's really awesome if so. One of my shanks has a welded on nipple, just have to cut/grind that off, the others have beer nuts.

Click to expand...

Right, you do not need a beer nut and actually the John Guest fitting even includes a rubber washer which seals against the end of the beer shank.

Will these fitting mentioned fit with 3/16 ID accuflex bev-seal??

Yes. See the first relate thread in the box below.

I love these things but how do you remove the hose once you have it in? I can't seem to get this thing to release it?
This stuff is serious good!

Are you using the Guest fitting? There's a collet you push opposite the direction that you want to pull the tube...

Cheers!

Thanks, for some reason, the one's I bought are hard as hell to remove.

Are you guys using the same length of Accuflex as you were using with the standard tubing? I've seen a number of posts that say that I should double my 5 feet and use 10 ft of the Accuflex.
With 3 taps in a small kegerator, I'm concerned that the extreme rigidness added to the cold temps will make it hard to work with in the kegerator.
Or is that why they suggest 10 ft?

Where did you see a 10 foot recommendation?

From what those that use it have posted here, you need more like 20+ feet of the Ultra 235, compared to 10-12 feet of a straight PVC tubing like Bevlex-200.

Cheers!

I saw that on some much older, 2012-13 beer forums.
I really think I should be good with 15 feet. I'm going for broke.

Thanks!

Beer-lord said:

I saw that on some much older, 2012-13 beer forums.
I really think I should be good with 15 feet. I'm going for broke.

Thanks!

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I didn't build my keezer yet, so I can't help you on the tube length to control foaming. I would try one at 15' and 10-12psi and see what it gives you, before you end up with all your lines being too short. I've read 15-20' for that pressure works well. Just coil it up and hang alongside the kegs or lay on top of the kegs.

Many hours later, it's done! By far, this was the hardest thing I've done in homebrewing by a longshot. Fitting the pieces from 3 taps into a small tower with big hands and little patience was a chore. And, you have 3 pieces of 15 plus feet of rigid tubing to move around.
The bev tube is on the barbs very tight and I hope that is ok because I couldn't find any worm clamps to both fit the barb and still allow the 2 washers and nut to fit over it. The first test with the 3 kegs all shooken up from moving things around (to find room in that small kegerator for all the hose) was ok but I'm going to wait till the end of today to try it again when they settle down.

Beer-lord said:

I saw that on some much older, 2012-13 beer forums.
I really think I should be good with 15 feet. I'm going for broke.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I'm using 16-17' on mine and it works fine for up to somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.0 vols. I keep my fridge temp at around 36°F.

I tried putting this tubing on barbs. After an hour and burning myself, I said "Screw this" and ordered the Guest fitting. Much easier.

I have the guest fitting on the keg side but I wasn't aware that they made anything to fit the tap/tower side.
I'm glad my troubles are over......at least I hope they are as things are still good 24 hours later except for the cuts on my hand.