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co2 and beer line QD's

Discussion in 'Equipment/Sanitation' started by juvinious, Aug 4, 2008.

 

  1. #1
    juvinious

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 4, 2008
    I'm in need of quick disconnects for my co2 lines and beer lines, so I went over to mcmaster and spec'd these out. Man did it come out to be pricey.

    5012K712 - Acetal Quick-Disconnect Coupling Plug, 1/4" Size, for 5/16" Tube ID, with Valve - $6.45 Each
    5012K672 - Acetal Quick-Disconnect Coupling Socket, 1/4" Size, for 5/16" Tube ID, with Valve - $6.67 Each
    5385K24 - NSF Gray Polypro Quick-Disconnect Tube Cplg Socket, 3/8" Size, for 3/8" Tube ID, with Valve (Same as 5385K1) - $12.50 Each
    5385K54 - NSF Gray Polypro Quick-Disconnect Tube Cplg Plug, 3/8" Size, for 3/8" Tube ID, with Valve (Same as 5385K1) - $9.62 Each

    Multiply each by 4 or 5 and I'm close to $200 bones on just pairs of QD's. :drunk:

    Does anyone know of a cheaper solution? Or am I just going to have to bite the bullet on this one?

    Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks.
     
  2. #2
    WortMonger

    United States Mashtronaut  

    Posted Aug 4, 2008
    Try usplastics.com They have a ton and I bought my hotside and cold side QD's from them.
     
  3. #3
    juvinious

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 5, 2008
    I checked them out and compared a bit today. They roughly have the same prices depending on the material and manufacturer. I guess I'm just going to have to wait a bit (like next paycheck :p) before I go ahead and get them
    Thanks for the heads up though. :mug:
     
  4. #4
    GearBeer

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 5, 2008
    Yeah, QDs are expensive.
    Why do you want QDs for the beer/CO2 lines? I understand using them for brewing, but it sounds like an unnecessary expense for a kegerator/jockey box.
     
  5. #5
    WortMonger

    United States Mashtronaut  

    Posted Aug 5, 2008
    I love mine in the kegerator, very easy to trade out kegs or anything.
     
  6. #6
    Bobby_M

    Vendor and Brewer  

    Posted Aug 5, 2008
    There are some applications for using them, like if you need to convert your lines between keg types (specifically Sanke and Corny). If you want to just switch between ball lock and pinlock, your best bet is to just use flare fitting keg QD's and barb/nuts on the lines.

    You DO know that corny connector ARE quick disconnects right?
     
  7. #7
    juvinious

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 6, 2008
    Well that's mainly the reason, I have 4 taps (5 down the road) that more than likely will be rotating between sanke and corny connections until I get to brewing more than I can drink :cross: ... hence my dilemma.
     
  8. #8
    jfrizzell

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 6, 2008
    Have you considered going with 1/4" MFL fittings all around? You can get ball lock / pin lock disconnects that have a 1/4" MFL fitting on them and you can get a sanke tailpiece that has a 1/4" MFL fitting on it. Then you would just need 1/4" FFL barbed swivel nuts on all your lines.

    http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=k027&x=0&y=0
    [​IMG]

    For the disconnects: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_40_271_129_371

    Then to swap, you'd just loosen the swivel nut and swap the lines. Maybe not as fast as a QD, but definitely cheaper! :mug:
     
  9. #9
    juvinious

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 7, 2008
    Excellent, that seems like it is a way cheaper solution than I was going for and should do the trick.
    Thanks again for the info.
     
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