Beer line length

[matc]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I 'm planning to use the fridge in the basement for my first corny keg ! This fridge will also be used for food storage so there will be no drilling whatsoever on the door/body of that fridge.

I will be using a cheap plastic faucet as a dispenser so I will have to open the door each time to pour a glass. Now, I've seen a few formulas to determine the proper length of beer line you need. Since my keg will be at the same height or maybe higher than the faucet, will this cause a problem ?

 

[nubrewer82]

It shouldn't. There are a couple calculators you should be able to google to figure out how much line you need based on several factors. The PSI of the keg you are serving from, the pressure drop from the size of your beer line, and the height above the keg where you will be serving (sounds like 0 in your case)

I actually just had to trim both beer lines on my kegerator because I made them too long. I mistakenly sized them based on 3/8 ID hose but I'm actually using 3/16 ID vinyl tubing. The shorter length made a surprising difference in the quality of my drafts.

I'm on my IPad at the moment, but I will edit this post with a few links in a bit. In the meantime check in the kegging FAQ sticky and look at some of the links under balancing.

 

[Golddiggie]

Rule of thumb for line length is 1' of 3/16" ID tubing (Bevlex) per 1 psi of CO2 pressure the beer is under. Longer lines typically just makes for a longer pour. So, if you plan on having the keg at 10psi, then 10' lines will do the job.

I would advise going with the longest you'll need for the lines initially. It's far better (IMO/IME) to have longer lines than too short (glass of foam). We're not pouring for money, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few seconds longer to pour a pint.

I would also advise getting a solid way of taking a temperature reading of the beer in the keg. Use that information, and this chart, to figure out what PSI you need to have the keg on. The air temp in the fridge is less important since that will fluctuate more widely than the actual beer temp in the keg.