Adding a tee to my kitchen water supply for my chiller

[Picobrew]

Hey y’all. Have been away for 5 years doing commercial brewing. Pandemic is killing my brewery. Silver lining: Back to homebrewing!

I just got setup w/ an Anvil Foundry 10.5 instead of my propane super manual rig I had been rocking, and its pretty cool - but lots of room for improvement. I can brew more easily inside now which is really cool. Since I last brewed, I have remodeled my kitchen, and my new faucet has no way to hook up to any other fittings. Things like the water bandit are also not an option. Also the pressure sucks in the faucet itself. So, I thought hey lets tee off and just setup a high flow line for when I need it. This seems bloody simple but finding the right fittings is perplexing me somewhat. Here is what I think I want:

A simple tee like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Everflow-Supplies-73338-NL-Compression-Connect/dp/B00MA9GG1Q

Then a shutoff valve past that... (haven’t figured out this because I can’t figure out what fitting to put on the other side)

Then after the shutoff, something that will get me to a triclamp/BLQD or Camlock fitting from Brewhardware.com . I haven’t settled on which QD style first, but this seems ideal.

Can someone smarter than me at plumbing help me figure this out?

 

[Picobrew]

This thread is close but I don’t want to cut a line, I want to do this by teeing before the supply lines, it seems less leak prone Kitchen Sink Sprayer to Wort Chiller Splice

 

[Ki-ri-n]

Look at your supply lines. See if you could add a dual outlet supply valve, similar to this: Dual Supply Valve
Then, hook one up to your faucet, the other to another in-line-valve, followed by your connection of choice.

 

[Picobrew]

I guess I’m more confused how to hook up to the 3/8” compression threading with a non-compression connection. I’d like to hook up something like a hose barb or a QD to the 3/8” compression - is the compression threading the same as NPT or some other threading? How do I adapt it?

 

[Deadalus]

I guess I’m more confused how to hook up to the 3/8” compression threading with a non-compression connection. I’d like to hook up something like a hose barb or a QD to the 3/8” compression - is the compression threading the same as NPT or some other threading? How do I adapt it?

What I usually do is type in something like 3/8" compression x 1/2" NPT and see what search finds. For instance this one on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LTWFITTING-Female-Compression-Connector-Fitting/dp/B00CHHZ31K
Then get a little more specific about male or female. 1/2" NPT is a pretty common size for brewing QD's and barbs. You also want to be sure you know how to properly connect both types of threads so that you don't get leaks. Sometimes you might need an intermediate fitting if you are attempting a not so common switch, like wanting a specific male or female on one side and the other.

 

[Picobrew]

That exact item you link is confusing to me - the compression side has a compression nut on it, which is for compressing a hose? I feel like I just don’t understand compression connections except when connecting to a hose and compressing it (like braided supply lines). How do I attach a metal adapter to the threads of the compression side (with no compression nut)? I would be trying to screw on to the threaded male side of 3/8” compression, such as that tee I posted or the dual supply that was posted above. I don’t get how to connect something like you posted to that. Thanks for replying and trying to help me out.

 

[Deadalus]

Compression fittings aren't exactly my favorite to deal with because they are expecting a pipe not a male or female fitting. To connect the one I linked to the one you showed, you could just take the nut and ferrule off (my link) and connect with a piece of flexible supply line with ends like this . I'm not saying that's the best way. Another way would be to add the nut and ferrule to your tee and use a solid piece of supply pipe. That's probably better because I think I read that compression fittings are better for fixed applications and a flexible supply line attached to a QD might move around.

I pretty much always use the flexible supply lines myself.

If you have a new faucet it might have a low flow aerator inside is perhaps why it has no flow (water sense).

 

[Picobrew]

Compression fittings aren't exactly my favorite to deal with because they are expecting a pipe not a male or female fitting. To connect the one I linked to the one you showed, you could just take the nut and ferrule off (my link) and connect with a piece of flexible supply line with ends like this . I'm not saying that's the best way. Another way would be to add the nut and ferrule to your tee and use a solid piece of supply pipe. That's probably better because I think I read that compression fittings are better for fixed applications and a flexible supply line attached to a QD might move around.

I pretty much always use the flexible supply lines myself.

If you have a new faucet it might have a low flow aerator inside is perhaps why it has no flow (water sense).

I guess this leads to the ultimate question here: what are the dang threads on the compression side? They clearly aren't NPT (which gets wider). Are they just straight threads? Can I just adapt that without involving something "pipe"-y? I feel a bit lost in the terminology for all this stuff.

 

[day_trippr]

Well they're referred to as simply 3/8" or 1/2" compression fittings. No idea what the pitch might be - or the actual thread diameter for that matter; though I'm sure they could be found it doesn't really matter as nothing else will connect to them anyway.

Faucet flare connections use a straight pipe thread because they terminate with either rubber gaskets or compression rings (avoid the latter whenever possible, btw). The threads are there to compress the gaskets/rings, not to seal the connection like NPT type fittings. No tape or dope required here, the gasket/ring does the sealing...

Cheers!