Keezer build question on line sizing for gas and beer.

[JoshInWV]

Greetings,

I'm completely new to kegging and decided to just go in whole hog and convert one of my chest freezers into a keezer. I have a Frigidaire Model FFC15C3AW2 15.6 Cu Ft. 'Commercial' freezer that I am currently using for a fridge for my bottles.

My apologies if this has been hashed out before. I am confident I have a handle on most of the build because it's REALLY not a difficult project, but I have a question on whether or not you have to match gas line sizes to the beer output line sizes. I plan on running 5/16" gas lines to my manifold and to my kegs. My question is with using a larger diameter CO2 line, is there some sort of "line balancing" that needs to be done? Do I have to match the size of beer output lines (5/16") as well or can those all stay at 1/4" with no issues?

Thanks for any and all information!


EDIT: Now that I found http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/kegbalance.shtm I wish I could delete this thread. It seems I've found my answer to the balancing question I have.

- Josh

 

[IslandLizard]

Line balancing on the CO2 side is not needed. Use whatever line you want, 3/16" - 5/16" (ID).

On the liquid side line diameter and line length are very important.

If you read around this forum the consensus is to use 3/16" ID (7/16" OD) beverage line for beer dispensing. The rule of thumb length for 3/i6" ID line is 1 foot per psi of serving pressure.
So at 12 psi you'd need 12 feet per tap, at around 38-40F.

Your beer temp also comes into play, and a bit longer lengths may be needed when keeping your keezer at higher temps (say 46-48F).

 

[odie]

crap...I was thinking 5-6 ft was the general norm for beer lines...did not think about diameter....building my hoses right now and I cut my 3/16 lines to 6 ft guess I just wasted a bunch of hose?

 

[IslandLizard]

crap...I was thinking 5-6 ft was the general norm for beer lines...did not think about diameter....building my hoses right now and I cut my 3/16 lines to 6 ft guess I just wasted a bunch of hose?

Damn!
Lesson learned:
Never do anything, especially beer-wise, before checking HBT!

You can try one and see if it works. Especially if you use flow control faucets, 6' may be just enough.

If it doesn't work, you could put 2 together with a 3/16" stainless barbed splice. They may create a little turbulence, potentially causing CO2 to come out of solution, but if you keep them low in the keezer, where it's colder, the CO2 may reabsorb during the next 6'. Try with one.

If push comes to shove and splicing doesn't work for you, don't scrap the 6' lines! They'll come in handy, you can easily repurpose them:

• I use 6' 3/16" lines on all my picnic taps for when I take kegs to parties and events
• Or to connect kegs to a jockey box
• They're also good as utility lines to purge kegs (together with a picnic tap)
• Or make "jumper hoses" from by putting a liquid QD on each end. Use them to push clear beer from one keg to a pre-purged other, leaving the settled yeast cake behind in the first one.

I still wonder why all kegerators that are being sold come with short 4-6' lines...

 

[day_trippr]

I still wonder why all kegerators that are being sold come with short 4-6' lines...

Because 99% of purported "beer line calculators" still think 3/16" solid pvc beer line has an equivalent resistance of 2-3 psi per foot.
That was never true at the flow rates we use for dispensing beer...

Cheers!

 

[odie]

I'm used to seeing larger ID lines on the old kegerators...

I had always heard...back in the day...that smaller id lines run faster, have higher restriction and cause more turbulence...meaning foamy beers...

guess that wisdom was all wrong? My last keger, circa 1996, there wasn't much to chose from...I bought draft towers that were already plumbed with about 4ft lines of unknown ID... direct from Rapids wholesale, they only dealt with commercial/corporate/business accounts but the guy on the phone (no internet back then) hooked me up anyway cause he was intrigued, I bought 3 plus a regulator.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm used to seeing larger ID lines on the old kegerators...

That too, 1/4" to as much as 5/8" ID!

 

[JoshInWV]

Oh man thanks! I highly appreciate the info. I'm trying to have everything laid out and ready to go first before I start building the keezer out. Thank you kindly.