How Often do you Change Tubing?

I've done around ten batches of beer now over a 6 month period. I've noticed that the tubing in my kit has turned yellow from iodaphor and sometimes smells beery or stays wet even though I rinse it right away after use. I'm starting to get afraid of infection. So my question: how often, if ever, do you change your tubing? Have you had infections because you were unable to clean tubing thoroughly?

I change it if it starts looking gross even after typical cleaning/sanitizing. I buy it at home depot, it comes on reasonably-sized rolls (15 or 20 feet I think?) and is pretty reasonably priced, so it doesn't cost much to replace one of my pieces of tubing.

I replace it every 8-10 batches or if I'm in doubt if it looks clean enough. It is so cheap to replace why take a risk!

When it looks like a hamster died in it. Otherwise, I run hot water through it before and after each use.

Ive made about 11 batches so far. I rinse with hot water right after usage so mine is still nce and clear. I imagine once it starts getting a weird color though ill replace it.

I am going to start changing mine more regularly. I infected my pumpkin ale with dirty tubing that I only caught post-racking I now have a nice sized roll of it that I cut lengths off of Where do you guys store your tubing? I have a batch of star-san that I reuse and have considered storing it in there to protect it a little more... Ideas?

ZWood15 said:

I am going to start changing mine more regularly. I infected my pumpkin ale with dirty tubing that I only caught post-racking I now have a nice sized roll of it that I cut lengths off of Where do you guys store your tubing? I have a batch of star-san that I reuse and have considered storing it in there to protect it a little more... Ideas?

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That's what I do.

The tubing from Home Depot stays pretty rigid until warm liquid flows through it...then it gets hard again

Damnit, I'm not going to bother editing that....someone will enjoy it

Wait, I don't understand... Change tubing?

I change it once a year.

Funkenjaeger said:

... I buy it at home depot, it comes on reasonably-sized rolls (15 or 20 feet I think?) ...

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Is it food grade/safe? I got some tubing once at Home Despot and with my hard water, the inner wall clouded up in no time. Later, I found it wasn't food grade tubing, so I tossed it.

If B*L*C (beer line cleaner) can't get the line looking new, I pitch it.

Rhoobarb said:

Is it food grade/safe? I got some tubing once at Home Despot and with my hard water, the inner wall clouded up in no time. Later, I found it wasn't food grade tubing, so I tossed it.

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The stuff I bought at home depot is Watts SVHF20, 7/16"x5/16" ODxID vinyl tubing and it says "food/water uses" on the label, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. It's 20 feet and I seem to remember it being something like $5-7.

I change my tubing out every 4-5 batches. If your tubing is no longer clear it's usually time to replace it.