OD of beer line

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pretzelb

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I know that the most common ID for beer lines is 3/16" but what is the common OD? I got a starter keg kit from the LHBS which included short 3' beer line. After reading a ton here I went to Lowe's to grab a bunch more just to be ready to go to 10'. But the Lowe's stuff is 5/16" OD and the LHBS line is a much beefier 7/16" OD. Since I cut the Lowe's stuff to custom length I probably can't bring it back. It's only a few bucks but I hate to waste the stuff. But I'd hate even more to have line problems from the start.

I'm guessing the 5/16" stuff isn't tough enough to handle the connections since it takes quite a bit of stretching to get them into 3/16".
 
My biggest concern is about the quality of the Lowe's line. Beer line out-gasses much less than what you'd get at Lowe's. As far as OD, it doesn't matter much. House pressure, which the Lowe's line can handle, is much higher than serving pressure.
 
While pressure is a concern, I don't think it is the biggest. The tubing from home depot is not necessarily food grade and has a higher chance for off flavors. It may also not be as smooth inside which causes agitation as it pours and therefore foam. I would recommend just chalking it up as a loss. If you're trying to fix line problems, this can cause new ones along the way
 
Yea, I guess this will be a lesson to me to just get all the details first. I'd rather take the loss now then find a problem later. I will either visit the LHBS or make an order online. Though I do hate just trashing the tubing I have. Thanks for the help.
 
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