Balancing w/ different ID tubes

Hey guys

I am in a pinch and have to set up a tap for this weekend. I have a two tap kegerator that needs to turn into a three tap kegerator for a weekend party. I already have the supplies and time to put it together. But the only beverage line I can find locally is 1/4" ID, and both of the current lines are 3/16" ID. What is a good conversion to use when figuring how much longer the 1/4" needs to be?

DATA from current set up -

PSI @ 12
6 feet of 3/16" thick walled leads to a perfect pour w/ good carbonation.
temp @40

3/16" ID tubing has roughly four times the resistance of 1/4" ID tubing; all other things being equal, you'll need roughly 4x the length, or 24 feet.



http://kegman.net/balance.html

Bike N Brew said:

3/16" ID tubing has roughly four times the resistance of 1/4" ID tubing; all other things being equal, you'll need roughly 4x the length, or 24 feet.



http://kegman.net/balance.html

Click to expand...

Thanks for the linky.. That has some great info on it. 24'.. OUCH..

If you look at the very first post it is a sticky for kegging. There is something like half dozen sites in there about balancing.

Ok, but if this is just a setup in a pinch, just drop your serving pressure down to 3-4 PSI and don't worry about length. Balancing is done for long term convenience of not messing with pressures. You won't lose carbonation in one day of serving.

Bobby_M said:

Ok, but if this is just a setup in a pinch, just drop your serving pressure down to 3-4 PSI and don't worry about length. Balancing is done for long term convenience of not messing with pressures. You won't lose carbonation in one day of serving.

Click to expand...

But if this is just for the third line... if he drops the pressure for all three kegs (assuming he can't set separate pressures), aren't the other two going to pour REALLY slowly (unless he shortens those lines, which I doubt he wants to do since he's got it all balanced).

Tubing's cheap, and you'll find use for it down the road once you get the right stuff. Try the 24' (coil it up with some zip ties), see how that works, then get yourself some of the smaller ID stuff for down the line.