How to get 1/4" Beer Line Onto 3/16" Barb :)

[NLBrewer]

The subject is correct, I'm trying to get 1/4" beer line onto a 3/16" barb. Of course the line is too big so I'll fill you in a little

When I built my kegerator last year I ordered basically everything other than the kegs and the fridge online as a kit. It came with the beer lines and c02 lines already installed. I found a bad vinyl taste (and smell) from the lines but figured this would disappear with time. It never has and the online store I bought it from hasn't been of any help.

I researched and found out a lot about beer lines, including what seems to be the best - the Bev-Seal Ultrafllex 235. I was surprised to find that my local store had it in stock and in my excitement I just took 30 feet. It wasn't until I got home and tried to install it that I discovered that it was 1/4" line and my original beer lines were 3/16". It's no problem on the keg disconnect end, that's a 1/4" barb that fits perfectly. It's my tower shank/gooseneck nipple that is 3/16" and of course is too small and line will obviously not be able to seal on it.

So, my question is what's the best thing I should do here? Try and find 3/16" Ultraflex (maybe hard)? Replace shank/gooseneck with to one with 1/4" nipple (haven't been able to find one yet, not at any of the canadian stores)? Maybe even use some type of 3/16" to 1/4" splicer and have a couple of inches of 3/16 line at the shank going into the 1/4" line?

In the meantime, I have ordered some Bevlex200 3/16" just in case I can't get the Ultraflex 235 to work.

Help!

 

[Frozen]

I'm not guaranteeing this will work, but you can dip the ends of the line into boiling water to heat up the tips. Then just do your best to force it onto the barb. Who know it might work.

 

[iaefebs]

Heat up the end of a Philips head screwdriver that is slightly larger than the ID of the tubing and insert into the bev line to flare the end of the bev line. Then apply heat to the fitting you are installing on, not the Bev line. You are heating the fitting, not the bev line.....start pressing the bev line on the fitting allowing the heat to transfer to the end of the tubing. Once the tubing is started on the fitting apply a little heat to the tube. You do not want to heat the bev line beyond the fitting or it will crumble. It is easier than it sounds, but it will work. I use the wife's "home craft heat gun" It works extremely well. The joint will look professional, and no clamps needed.

 

[day_trippr]

Wow.

Either I'm not reading the OP right (which is totally possible, I'm 2.5 sheets to the wind ) or everyone else missed that his beer line is actually larger diameter than his tail piece barb.

Aside from the loose fit, 1/4" ID tubing is going to be hugely problematic due to its dramatically lower restriction. For example, the only beer line length calculator I trust says a 10 foot length of conventional 3/16" ID tubing will provide a good pour for a dispensing system set for 12 psi. The same calculator says it would take almost 40 feet of 1/4" ID tubing to handle the same pressure.

Try to exchange it, but be prepared to eat it...

Cheers!

 

[NLBrewer]

Day_trippr, you are correct, the line is larger than the barb. Since I have the 3/16 line ordered ill give that at a go first...hopefully no bad vinyl flavors off the line....

 

[NLBrewer]

I found an online store that has the Accuflex Bev-Seal Ultra 3/16" I.D. line in 50' rolls so I went ahead and ordered that as well. I'm getting this beer line problem solved once and for all!

 

[outside92129]

so what are you going to do with the 1/4" line? You could make a whip...

 

[Indian_villager]

I use 3/16" ID POLYETHYLENE line from Lowes (WATTS BRAND). It is rated for use with Icemakers and such. They are sold in 10ft rolls and no plastic flavors detected.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

If ya' get where you HAVE to use it, get some heat shrink tubing, shrink it onto your hose barbs as needed to reach the O.D. you desire.

 

[NLBrewer]

Stealthcruiser, that's quite brilliant...never even crossed my mind but would work perfectly as you could just build it up by layers until the right thickness is reached. Almost wish I hadn't gone and ordered the new stuff so quickly

 

[Bobby_M]

Except that whole 1/4" ID being way too big for short serving distance thing.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

I have my moments...........Just not enough of them.........:cross:

 

[Azurecybe]

The reason it doesn't fit nicely is that this line type should not be used with a barbed fitting.

The proper way is to use John Guest fittings. They are made for this line type. It's like a compression fitting and takes literally seconds to install.

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-2502-female-adapter-bspp-516-x-58-bspp.aspx

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-2574-female-adapter-flare-516-x-14-flare.aspx

 

[zachattack]

Are you going to dig up every post about the Accuflex and paste that same reply? Plenty of us use them with barbs. It's a PITA but it gets easier the more you do it. There are a few advocates of the John Guest fittings on here, it definitely looks like an easier solution but I'm not about to go out and buy all the fittings at this point. For the budget-minded, stubborn brewer (this applies to many of us on here ) it's not that bad to use them with barbs.

 

[Azurecybe]

That's an excellent suggestion, perhaps I should. If you want to take the hard way and be stubborn about it then no one is stopping you. I'd much rather use the proper tool for the job and save time and frustration. Fittings for 4 taps cost about $20, small change considering the cost of kegging and making a kegerator.

 

[zachattack]

Fair enough. I do agree that they're easier, and the cost isn't that bad. Like I said, I'm stubborn. If I were setting up a new system I'd almost certainly go with the John Guest fittings, but when swapping over my existing system to upgrade the lines it wasn't that bad to just use the barbs. It does seem like most people don't know about the JG fittings, so the PSA is probably a good thing.

I guess my strong reaction was because lots of us use barbs with no problem, and your post gives one the impression that this will never work because the lines aren't meant to be used with barbs. Chest freezers aren't meant to be used as kegerators either, and water coolers aren't meant to be used as mash tuns

 

[Azurecybe]

I follow that logic, and I didn't mean to be preachy. I'm just glad a guy in our club put together a group buy on the JG fittings a bit ago or I would be using a vinyl line with a nipple instead of a nicer product.

Putting together a keezer is hard enough. This just eliminated a potential headache. It really is remarkably easy to use the proper fittings. I can change out a line in literally 10 seconds. No muss, no fuss.

 

[zachattack]