Shank bore size
- Thread starter guldalian
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Given the option I'd match the shank bore to the line ID just on GPs, but unless there's an exceptionally long shank involved there's unlikely to be much difference in pour quality if the shank ID is off by a sixteenth either way of the line ID...
Cheers!
Cheers!
You can't actually use "any line size", you need to use a line size that accomplishes the need to "balance" any dispensing system. 3/16" ID is what nearly everyone uses, 1/4" is for folks with faucets more than say 12 feet from their kegs, and pretty much nobody aside from commercial long-line draft systems (think down-stairs cold room to up-stairs faucets) uses anything wider than that.
My advise is to either use Mike Solty's line length calculator (as I always say, the only one worth using) or just use 1 foot of 3/16" ID tubing per CO2 PSI.
And for that CO2 PSI: refer to our favorite carbonation table to relate beer temperature and CO2 pressure against carbonation level. Hint: 2.4-2.5 is about middle of the road for ales. Use the table to determine the CO2 pressure needed to maintain your desired level of carbonation at your desired beer temperature, then use Mike's calculator to determine the optimal line length.
Do that and you'll never be the author of a "Help! My Beer Is All Foam And Flat!" thread...
Cheers!
There have been quite a few threads started by folks having trouble with FC faucets.
They're evidently not the panacea many believe...
Cheers!
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
Everybody has their own experience. Here's mine. When I first set up my keg system I used 1/4" bev hose and 1/4" hose barbs. Got constantly foaming pours. Read up here and learned the 3/16" tubing was preferable. Swapped out the tubing but kept the same hose barbs. When you fit the hose over the barbs, dip the mating end of hose in a cup of boiling water to soften it. I have been very fortunate to have zero leaks in 2 years. I attribute that to the oversized barbs. The down side is you have to cut the hose off when removing it from the barb. I supplement the connection with a worm clamp but believe they are not necessary. It's that tight.
