Tubing for my new system

wps-hbt
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bixter1

Bixter1

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
149
Reaction score
0
Location
Philadelphia, PA
I have all 1/2" fittings on my kettles and pumps. Im worried if I use 1/2" ID tubing and barbs that the barbs will restrict the flow too much. I was considering 3/4" ID so I can use a fatter barb. Thoughts? Does anyone know where I can buy 3/4" ID tubing that can take temps over boiling?
 
1/2" with barbs is what I use along with 1/2" id tubing - no restriction. I would think - depending on your set up - 3/4" might allow more air to enter and leaks, even with hose clamps.
 
The ID of a 1/2" hose barb is quite a bit smaller than 1/2". I've seen a few people here that use 1/2" silicone tubing and 5/8" barbs. The 5/8" barbs have a larger port, and the 1/2" tubing will fit over them with a little stretching.
 
FWIW, I use 5/8" ID tubing with 5/8" barbed fittings. This configuration provides a minimum 1/2" ID throughout for minimum restriction.
 
Bentpirate said:
1/2" with barbs is what I use along with 1/2" id tubing - no restriction. I would think - depending on your set up - 3/4" might allow more air to enter and leaks, even with hose clamps.
Click to expand...


Except that the 1/2" barbs have only about a 3/8" ID which is a large reduction in the cross sectional area and does increase the restriction considerably. Using larger diameter tubing would be no more prone to air leaks than the smaller tubing. Why would it? IMO, some type of clamp should be used on all connections, for safety if no other reason.
 
Sorry for the hijack, but I need to redo all my tubing as well.

Would these QD's work fine together?
Body
Insert

I'm not planning on using pumps for the foreseeable future (2 or more years) so I don't think I need to worry too much about flow restriction. Or is flow restriction a problem even on gravity systems?
 
I machined the threads off of some 1/2" NPT pipe nipples. They work amazingly well as barbs. You have to use silicone tubing and stretch it over a little bit, but you get a real 1/2" ID. My flow rates doubled from when I was using barbs.
 
The 3/4" silicon tubing get expensive; the difference in price is significantly higher than 1/2".

You can get a good deal on norprene hi temp food/bev tubing at USPlastics.com.....best deal I've seen. Mcmaster-carr is also a nice place to check.
 
I purchased the 1/2 ID temp tubing at $2.10/ft also. I purchased the 3/4 ID diameter tubing at a much higher cost on McMaster. I couldn't find it anywhere else for a reasonable price. Luckily I'm only using 10 feet of 3/4 tubing.
 
I use 3/4 in my brewery. I had to buy a 50 or 100' roll, can't recall, I think 50'. How much do you need? Maybe I can just sell you some...
I got it from: sani-techwest.com
 
I'm curious - Why is a high flow rate important?
You certainly don't need full throttle for sparging, and is it necessary to drain the BK really fast? If you cool on the fly, you're limited by the chilling system flow rate.

Would help with whirlpooling I suppose.
 
I have searched U.S. Plastics website can you get silicone o-rings from them or no?
 

Similar threads

sibelman
Small plumbing challenge: peristaltic pump for controlled fly-sparging
Replies
30
Views
958
sibelman
sibelman
shoengine
It's those little details about hose barbs that'll get you
Replies
7
Views
819
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
Nagorg
Help with Sizing - Oetiker (Ear Clamps) with Eva Barrier Tubing
Replies
21
Views
786
Deadalus
Deadalus
hilljack13
Keg tubing and fittings
Replies
23
Views
955
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
TKB21
Need help finding an adapter for my cold plate
Replies
2
Views
549
TKB21
TKB21
wps-hbt2

Latest posts

Back
Top