3/8 silicon tubing

[ziggityz]

I need some new siphon tubing and was looking at the silicon tubing here:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_59_549&products_id=10645

it has 3/8" inner diameter, and my auto siphon is the 5/16" will this tubing work being off 1/16"??

 

[ChandlerBang]

You'll have to use a hose clamp. And you may get an air bubble where the two come together. Can I ask why you want to use silicone for racking? Typically silicone is more expensive and not really necessary for racking.

 

[ziggityz]

my siphon tubing is already starting to keep odors and is getting off color, i was going to get silicon because it doesnt degrade. I need a couple lengths of it for other things so I was just going to get 5 ft for siphoning too

 

[DeafSmith]

I use 3/8 silicone tubing with my large size (1/2 inch) autosiphon and it works great. I don't need a hose clamp, the tubing slips on and off pretty easily, and can be sanitized by boiling. If you have the smaller size autosiphon, I don't know whether you will be able to get by with not using a hose clamp, but you certainly won't have any problem getting the tubing onto the autosiphon.

 

[ziggityz]

I actually found some 5/16 silicon tubing on an auction site, it will fit my siphon perfectly, just need some of that for my siphon and some 3/8 for my kettle!

 

[DeafSmith]

Silicon tubing is stretchy - my 3/8 silicon tubing easily stretches to fit over my 1/2 inch autosiphon cane. In this case, using smaller tubing than the cane OD is desirable because it makes an airtight seal without needing a hose clamp.

 

[ziggityz]

thanks for the tip, I'll order 3/16" instead of 5/16" for the siphon. Should I order 1/4" for a 3/8" barb for the ball valve on the kettle?

 

[DeafSmith]

thanks for the tip, I'll order 3/16" instead of 5/16" for the siphon. Should I order 1/4" for a 3/8" barb for the ball valve on the kettle?

I don't have any experience with any sizes except 1/2 and 3/8 inch tubing. All I can say is that the 1/2 inch silicone tubing slips over my 1/2 inch autosiphon cane easily and seems like it probably would form an airtight seal if slid far enough onto the cane. The 3/8 tubing requires a bit more force and can't be forced as far onto the cane, but makes a very tight (airtight) seal, so that is what I use. I just now tried some 3/8 silicone tubing on a regular 3/8 OD racking cane and it goes on very easily, but still seems like it would probably make an airtight seal if you shoved the cane a couple of inches up into the tubing. If your autosiphon has 5/16 OD, then I'd say you don't want tubing with an ID larger than that, but I think I'd use either 5/16 or 1/4 inch ID rather than going all the way down to 3/16.

As for the 3/8 barb, I just tried sliding some 3/8 silicone tubing onto a 3/8 barb and it seems like it would work fine with a hose clamp to secure it. Remember that the smaller your tubing, the slower your flow rate.

 

[audger]

thanks for the tip, I'll order 3/16" instead of 5/16" for the siphon. Should I order 1/4" for a 3/8" barb for the ball valve on the kettle?

it would work, but i wouldnt use 1/4" for transfering unless you have a lot of time on your hands to wait. thats the same reason i wouldnt put 3/8" tubing on a 1/2" racking cane- just because it will slow it down quite a bit. i just put a zip tie on the end instead of a hose clamp. that has more than enough pressure to make the seal air tight if you are using the thick-walled silicone.

 

[DustBow]

I use silicone tubing on my auto-siphon - both are the 1/2" size. I've got some 3/8 silicone tubing for a SS cane that I never use, never thought about stretching it over the 1/2" cane...Hmmm.....
However, as was mentioned above, it will slow down the transfer speed. The 1/2" tubing on the 1/2" auto-siphon makes for some quick kegging

FWIW, these things are the best for silicone tubing - whether it be racking canes, auto-siphons, hose barbs, etc.:

Buy them here or in bigger quantities from McMaster or Grainger. Very handy and easy to use

 

[ziggityz]

I may just save some hassle and buy a 1/2" auto siphon and 1/2" barb and just order 3/8" tubing and be done!

 

[DeafSmith]

I would not recommend 3/8 tubing with a 1/2 inch barb - you may not be able to get it all the way on. If you are going to buy a 1/2 inch autosiphon anyway, I think you could use 1/2 inch tubing OK - at worst you'd need a hose clamp or zip tie, but probably not even that if you slide the tubing a couple of inches up onto the cane.

EDIT: I just checked the 1/2 inch barb - max OD on the barbs is about 0.55, whereas the OD on the 1/2 inch autosiphon is really 0.50.

 

[ziggityz]

deaf thanks for all the info... greatly appreciated!