Line Length

Alright, I am sorry but I did not search this.

I am doing my first kegging this weekend and have a question ont he length of my line. I bought a two tap tower from kegconnection which came with two 5 foot lengths of 1/4" ID tubing. I also have ten feet of 1/4" and ten feet of 3/8" tubing. The guy from kegconnection said that the 5 feet of 1/4" ID tubing would be enough because of the smaller ID. Is this right? Should I use the ten foot length and if so, what diameter?

Thanks in advance.

Ten feet seems long, more beer than you might want will just be sitting in the line waiting to be served. As long as the whole length of line is refrigerated, then I would think you'd be just fine with either. My suggestion is the five foot 1/4"ers.
Just my two pints.

5' of 1/4" tubing is nowhere near enough, and the 3/8" will be even worse. For normal uses you want 3/16" tubing, and usually 8'-10' or so depending on your carbonation level.

Scimmia said:

5' of 1/4" tubing is nowhere near enough, and the 3/8" will be even worse. For normal uses you want 3/16" tubing, and usually 8'-10' or so depending on your carbonation level.

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Yeah, I don't understand the original rationale at all. I use 3/16" line, and find that with my kegs at 39 degrees, 12 psi gives me the perfect carbonation. In order to get a foam free pour, I need 8-10' of line.

Are you sure the kegconnection guy wasn't talking about 3/16" line, and not 1/4" line? They are usually great at knowing their stuff, and setting you up with a great system.


1/4" line is WAY too big. It'll come out like a fire house with 5 feet of line, I think.

You might be interested in a document that I received from Brad Amidzich a while ago. He is the inventor of forward seal faucets. I think the document covers a lot of issues with dispensing beer.

How can I get a better pour out of my Kegerator
It is a PDF document.

I absolutely agree that 3/16" line should be your choice.

Don't bash me please. I was referring to the fact that he might wanna use the existing hose and not spend more loot. Just got home and checked mine. I have 9 or 10 feet of 3/16" hose, and I got that from my LHBS. So its seems that the vets are on the right as usual. Sorry for the misinformation, I'm learning also.

pubwilson said:

Don't bash me please. I was referring to the fact that he might wanna use the existing hose and not spend more loot. Just got home and checked mine. I have 9 or 10 feet of 3/16" hose, and I got that from my LHBS. So its seems that the vets are on the right as usual. Sorry for the misinformation, I'm learning also.

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Oh, I hope you don't think we are bashing you! Not all all! Just a simple disagreement on line size/length.

pubwilson said:

Don't bash me please. ...

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Absolutely NOT from my corner. The whole issue seems to be a huge mystery even in the commercial environment. i.e. - Go to a local bar and order a draft beer. They dump a pint for every pint that they draw. Hey, it's good business for the distributor. No?

In that case, your local bars aren't on their game....they should know how to balance a system better than we do!

Like others said, 8-10 feet of 3/16" line is the best way IMHO. I have 10, and love it. Wouldn't ever have any less, (serve at 38F, 10 PSI).

My apologies....I am an accountant and look at numbers all day long. I got screwed up with this one.

I have 5 feet of 3/16" on the tower already. I also have ten feet of both 3/16 and 1/4.

I also have another question. I tried to take off the tap in order to change the line already and it doesnt seem like I can get a wrench around the nut inside the tower. How do I go about getting the line off?

I had the same problem. I didn't want to take the line off the shank inside the tower. I have a triple faucet and it is pretty darn tight in there! I instead bought the epoxy mixers discussed here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/cure-your-short-hose-troubles-100151/

smmcdermott said:

... I also have another question. I tried to take off the tap in order to change the line already and it doesnt seem like I can get a wrench around the nut inside the tower. How do I go about getting the line off?

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Tools needed:




Hit the screwdriver handle with the pliers to loosen the shank nut:


Get it loose enough so that you can spin it with your fingers:


Once the nut is off the threads, you can pull the tower shank out and replace the hose:


Just reverse the process going back together:


Hope this helps.

P-J said:

Tools needed:

Hit the screwdriver handle with the pliers to loosen the shank nut:

Get it loose enough so that you can spin it with your fingers:

Once the nut is off the threads, you can pull the tower shank out and replace the hose:

Just reverse the process going back together:

Hope this helps.

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Is there cause for concern in ruining that nut doing it that way? I will have to try that.

They sell special wrenches for taking the shank nuts off too.
Here is the link:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/combo-hex-faucet-wrench.html

smmcdermott said:

Is there cause for concern in ruining that nut doing it that way? I will have to try that.

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Not at all. I just tap the screwdriver handle until it comes loose. Don't beat it. Sharp taps work best.

The problem is that I want to keg this weekend...I will try the screwdriver method. Thanks.

So I will put the 10 feet of 3/16 on, but would the ten feet of 1/4 be good to use as well? Or should I wait to get 3/16? I would rather not have to get more tubing because there is no LHBS around me. Nearest one is nearly an hour.

smmcdermott said:

The problem is that I want to keg this weekend...I will try the screwdriver method. Thanks.

So I will put the 10 feet of 3/16 on, but would the ten feet of 1/4 be good to use as well? Or should I wait to get 3/16? I would rather not have to get more tubing because there is no LHBS around me. Nearest one is nearly an hour.

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Well, I agree that longer is better. BUT, why not go ahead and try it with the 5 feet anyway, just to a) save yourself some work, and b) see what happens. Some people have done ok with shorter lines, and you may find that 10 feet is a mess in your kegerator. If you have a colder temp, you can set the psi lower, so that would mean less foaming probably. I'd probably try as is first, and either change the lines later, or do the "cure for your short hose troubles" rather than taking apart the tower right now.

Oh, and DON'T use the 1/4"! Think firehose. Seriously.

Roger that! I will try with the five feet first and if it is all foam I will try those epoxy things and then the longer line. Thanks for your help!

What length lines come in a preconfigured set up?

There is five feet of 3/16 hooked up to the two tap tower now.

Five feet seems to be a standard length on the faucets.

Yea but have you used just five feet and know how the foaming was?