4mm ID Beer Line (EVABarrier)

[Summa_Brewologica]

5.5 works a treat on my system. I run about 11psi at 36-38F.

I’m at 40F. I don’t know what the deal is. It’s been sitting at 12 psi for a couple weeks, carbing. Never shook it or anything. I cranked it to 20 psi for a night to give it a head start so I don’t think it’s over carbed.

 

[marc1]

I’m at 40F. I don’t know what the deal is. It’s been sitting at 12 psi for a couple weeks, carbing. Never shook it or anything. I cranked it to 20 psi for a night to give it a head start so I don’t think it’s over carbed.

Maybe your regulator gauge is not reading correctly?

 

[camonick]

I run all my lines at 10ft. I can serve high PSI beers without issues and I don't worry about a slower flow on low PSI beers.

I agree with this. All my lines are just shy of 10 feet long. I bought a 39 foot coil from MoreBeer and cut it in fourths. If I had it to do again, I’d cut them even longer. I don’t mind the longer time to pour a pint. A few extra seconds isn’t worth the heartburn for me. I’m not in the business of pouring as many pints as I can in a day. I’m in Colorado and my regulator pressure is 15-16 lbs to carbonate to the ≈2.5 volumes I like in most of my beers. YMMV. I’ve never had good luck with the length calculators and tend to add several feet to any of their suggested lengths. As stated before, you can always trim it shorter if need be, but adding length doesn’t work without replacing the entire line.

 

[Beavis740]

fwiw, I run four kegs @11 psi on 6.5 foot 4mm ID EVAbarrier lines (pales/ipas/neipas), one keg @15 psi on 9.5 feet (usually a wheat beer), and the last keg @35 psi on 6.5 feet (my stout on beer gas). Reliably solid pours on all, year 'round. The "half-foot's" are the short sections to splice in my flow meters atop the kegs. All lines connected with PTC fittings from either John Guest, DMfit or Duotight...

Cheers!

Couldnt you accomplish the same thing with same-length beerlines and a regulator on each line?

 

[day_trippr]

No.

 

[Shenanigans]

I'm looking into investing in some of this type of beer line.
Any of you using DuoTight push fittings instead of heating the tube and pulling it over the barb?
I've seen them for the ball lock connector on the keg end but need to check if I find the right one to fit my larger tap barbs.
Do they work good?

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings
Edit:

I see now the best option is to remove the barb from the tap and connected this to the shank instead.

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings?variant=20717947682919
Still wondering if they are a good option or not though

 

[sibelman]

There are many Duotight enthusiasts. Ease of use is big. Some downsides: must take care to avoid overtightening and consequent cracking; and stress on the lines (as in a crowded kegerator) can cause leaking.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I'm looking into investing in some of this type of beer line.
Any of you using DuoTight push fittings instead of heating the tube and pulling it over the barb?
I've seen them for the ball lock connector on the keg end but need to check if I find the right one to fit my larger tap barbs.
Do they work good?

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings
Edit:

I see now the best option is to remove the barb from the tap and connected this to the shank instead.

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings?variant=20717947682919
Still wondering if they are a good option or not though

I love them, so far. I don’t have any line stress and no leaks that I can tell. You can over tighten them. An easy solution to this is to, well, not over tighten them. I tightened by hand and then added a 1/4 turn with a wrench. No issues. There is a mental aspect to them. Because of how easy they come together and how many connections there can potentially be, I always feel like it’s leaking even though it isn’t. I am constantly looking at my regulator when I’m at the kegerator to see if the high pressure gauge has dropped significantly. It just feels too good to be true, if that makes sense.

Edit: I see you’re referring to the liquid side of it. Same deal except no worries about leaks because you can see if it’s leaking really easily.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

Update: must have been a fluke that day because I poured a couple pints this evening and didn’t have foam issues. Don’t know what the deal is. I added 2 stouts last weekend set to 10 psi and they both poured perfectly.

 

[Shenanigans]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I still have 75 feet of 6mm silicon tubing so I'll use that up first but when the time comes to replace it I think I'll go for the 4mm EV Barrier with DuoTight and just be careful not to close it too tight.

 

[McMullan]

I'm looking into investing in some of this type of beer line.
Any of you using DuoTight push fittings instead of heating the tube and pulling it over the barb?
I've seen them for the ball lock connector on the keg end but need to check if I find the right one to fit my larger tap barbs.
Do they work good?

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings
Edit:

I see now the best option is to remove the barb from the tap and connected this to the shank instead.

https://ikegger.eu/products/duo-tight-8mm-push-fittings?variant=20717947682919
Still wondering if they are a good option or not though

They're fine generally. As long as the tubing is compatible and prepped properly (with the correct tool) push fittings are fine. Very reliable in my experience. I haven't had any failures so far with duo-tight fittings, after a couple years. Quality wise they're not quite John Guest and I suspect my JG fittings are going to last a lot longer. I'm not quite sure about the Eva-Barrier line, though. It's more flexible that other brands of push-fit beer line, but it does seem to stain quickly at the cut ends for some reason.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]
I still have 75 feet of 6mm silicon tubing so I'll use that up first[...]

You and your beers would be better served throwing all that silicone tubing in the trash immediately.
Silicone is the absolute worst when it comes to O2 permeability...

Cheers!

 

[camonick]

I still have 75 feet of 6mm silicon tubing so I'll use that up first

Silicone tubing is the worst possible product to be using for both sides of a draft system.

Edit: my page hadn’t refreshed and I didn’t see @day_trippr post above.

 

[McMullan]

I just assumed he was pissed and momentarily confused 6mm silicone with 6mm LLDPE or some other suitable tubing. It's easily done. If you're pissed. Worse would be actually using silicone tubing for beer lines, in my honest opinion

 

[Nagorg]

Bubbling this thread up... lol I can attest that ~7.5ft lines using 4mm ID EVABarrier tubing at ~11PSI and 38% flows a touch slower that I'd like. I think I'll trim another foot off and see if I like 6.5ft better. I originally made ~9.5ft lines and that defiantly pours too slow at ~11PSI.

By contrast, my 9.5ft lines pour pretty nicely at ~14PSI. Its amazing how just a few PSI can make a difference.

Once I get things dialed in, it seems pretty clear that I need to have some pre-made lines of different lengths ready for different levels of carbonation. Guess this is where the flow-control faucets can maybe help with variance.

 

[sibelman]

lines of different lengths ready for different levels of carbonation

Yes, those of us who don't welcome the idea of swapping beer lines for different brews benefit from flow control.

just a few PSI can make a difference

This is definitely true.

 

[BongoYodeler]

For different carb levels how about the Kegland in-line regulators? They don't have stellar reviews, but they don't seem to be all bad either. Anyone here using these? I was considering attaching one a few inches downstream from my 4-port regulator inside my keezer for the occasional English style mild or bitter that I brew.

 

[MikeCo]

I originally made ~9.5ft lines and that defiantly pours too slow at ~11PSI.

How slow does it pour? I'm not terribly concerned about a slightly slower pour on my home kegerator. If you're frequently pouring a lot them at a time I could understand it would be annoying.

 

[Nagorg]

For different carb levels how about the Kegland in-line regulators? They don't have stellar reviews, but they don't seem to be all bad either.

I've considered those since the idea is intriguing. But the not so great reviews and somewhat high cost tell me I'd be better off adding a secondary downstream of a higher PSI if I wanted a similar outcome. That wouldn't be as clean but would likely be less problematic and less costly.

 

[Nagorg]

How slow does it pour?

Not an exact timing but I'd say about ~20 seconds to pour a pint with my ~9.5ft line and ~11psi.

I'm not needing to win a race or pouring a ton of beer, but with that pour rate it can be hard to get a good head.

I do have a shelf/drip-tray under my faucets and if I set the glass on it during the pour, that helps stir up a head. But it just seems like it would be better with a little faster pour.

 

[day_trippr]

Anything over a second per ounce is lethargically slow imo

 

[MikeCo]

FWIW, I use 6.5 feet of 4mm and it seems like a good balance of speed and head.

 

[day_trippr]

Same here - I need that much length inside my 14cf keezer with tower to make the trip from the furthest kegs

Cheers!