Beer out line

I am building my first kegerator with some ball lock kegs. I have never messed with this stuff before. I am just curious if there is an optimum length for the beer out of the keg line. Is any length too short or too long? Thanks.

There are calculators online to help balance your system. You enter some values and it gives you an idea of what length you should use. My first line length was 5 feet and I got foamy pours. Now I have 10' and get solid pours. Everyone's system is different though.

First, you need to decide the temperature you're going to dispense your beer, and the level of carbonation you prefer (hint: middle-of-the-road ale carbonation is around 2.5 volumes).

With that, using our favorite carbonation table, you can determine the CO2 pressure needed at the temperature you prefer to reach that carbonation level. Find your temperature on the Y axis, scan that row to find your carbonation level, then go up that column to find your CO2 pressure.

Now that you know your dispensing pressure, you can use the only beer line length calculator worth using to determine the optimal beer line length to handle that pressure.

Or you can shortcut that last bit and use 1 foot of 3/16" ID beer tubing per pound of CO2 pressure and you'll be in good shape...

Cheers!

I should've done my homework and had those links above when setting up mine

I got lucky and my LHBS set me up. I'm using around 10' of tubing at a serving pressure of 9-10psi and getting great pours.

I use 8' of tubing and get great pours. However I also keep my beer a bit colder.

Awesome info. I just bought 7 feet of tubing as a guess. I'm glad I asked because that is way off. It looks like I will need 12-14 feet!

Bruinpilot said:

Awesome info. I just bought 7 feet of tubing as a guess. I'm glad I asked because that is way off. It looks like I will need 12-14 feet!

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Yes, generally you might be able to get by with 7', but if you want to be able to pour most beers without a lot of foam or headache, 12-15' is probably the way to go.

The only disadvantage to a line that may be a bit too long is that it takes an extra second or two to pour a beer, so it's definitely worth doing.

so with the beer line it looks like it is better to err on the side of being too long rather than too short...

Are there any similar rules of thumb for the length of the gas line?

Bruinpilot said:

so with the beer line it looks like it is better to err on the side of being too long rather than too short...

Are there any similar rules of thumb for the length of the gas line?

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None at all. That's the one dead simple aspect of kegging - you pretty much can't screw up your gas line length or diameter

Cheers!

I used one the calculators and it got foam, I read on one the post about doing 10 feet of beer line. Did that on all 4 of my taps and it has been smooth sailing since.

Will the fact that at least 15 feet of hose is now coiled in the bottom of my kegerator and has to come back up to the tap effect the calculation at all?

No - the rise is still the same.

That said, you may want to follow the lead and coil the tubing atop the keg...

Cheers!

Does the temperature of the gas line need to be the same? Ie does the gas line have to be in the kegerator at the same temp as the beer or can it be outside?

Inside, outside, doesn't matter...

Cheers!

At 10-12psi and 38F a 10' length of 3/16" ID beer line should let you carbonate and serve at the same pressure, using a 3/16" ID disconnect and a 3/16" ID nip shank on the faucet end. At least that is what works best on my setup.