Beer line size

[Stallonepanerai]

Hi Everyone,
I currently moved into a different house. My set up was perfect in my previous house thanks to everyone here a few years ago. Now I need help again. The set up in my new house is a little different. Now I will have a longer distance between my kegerator/glycol machine and my beer tap. My new distance is 25’. That’s from the center of the tap to the kegerator. Can someone help me determine which size beer line I will need for the 25’ length? I believe in my previous set up I was using 3/16”. I left about 2’ of that line hanging out the bottom of my beer tower because it’s a custom made copper tower and it’s a pain to take it apart and connect the line to the tap itself. It’s also a trouble tap tower. So I will add the new line to the existing 3/16” wip hanging out. I usually pour lagers, and Pilsners. Thank you for your time as always I appreciate it!
Corey

 

[Stallonepanerai]

Hi, just checking in to see if anyone can provide guidance or a place to go to figure the line size and length. Sorry to be a pain but I want to tackle this soon. Thank you

 

[day_trippr]

I think you may have to solve this empirically as there isn't likely to be a single beer line ID that's going to make a 25 foot trip without making the CO2 pressure untenable. Referring to the only beer line length calculator worth using and playing around with the line ID and CO2 pressure, one solution using 3/16" ID line would require 30 psi at the keg for a 10 second pour. But 30 psi would eventually over-carbonate the keg. Badly.

I would plan on using a length of 1/4" ID line followed by a "choker" of smaller ID tubing before the beer shanks. And as nobody has come up with a multi-diameter line length calculator, you're gonna either need to come up with the math, or wing it

btw, serving establishments with long lines to their cold rooms solve much of this using beer gas to provide the driving pressure without the excess carbonation. You probably don't want to go that route though

Cheers!

 

[Bobby_M]

Is it all vertical distance or
mixed with horizontal?

 

[Stallonepanerai]

It is all mostly horizontal. I will measure and get the exact measurements later today! Also on another note what fittings are recommended to splice 2 beer lines together?

 

[day_trippr]

These work - and you can choose the barb sizes on both sides...

https://www.chicompany.net/barbed-f...bed-hose-splicersreducersexpanders-p-417.html

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

Since you need to start from scratch, I would use EVA barrier line. It's highly oxygen impermeable, which will certainly help keep your beer better while transporting through and sitting in the long lines.
It comes in various (inner) diameters, the 6.3 mm ID should be suitable for your line length. 39' per roll.

 

[mac_1103]

If the run was 100% horizontal, then the answer would be 37 feet of 6.3 mm EVABarrier. MoreBeer just happens to sell 39 foot rolls. I'm sure Bobby would sell you whatever length you need too, but I only found short precut lengths on his website (I'm not always great at searching).

 

[Dland]

I like these line pressure compensators; https://www.morebeer.com/products/inline-flow-control-compensator.html To me it is preferable to coils of line and is easier to clean if needed.

Some quality taps have built in compensators also, if going with a more formal bar presentation.

 

[Stallonepanerai]

Is it all vertical distance or
mixed with horizontal?

It is all horizontal

 

[sibelman]

I like these line pressure compensators; https://www.morebeer.com/products/inline-flow-control-compensator.html To me it is preferable to coils of line and is easier to clean if needed.

Some quality taps have built in compensators also, if going with a more formal bar presentation.

Just wondering how these $55 CMB units compare functionally to these $15 Kegland devices?

Given OP's 25-foot beer lines, no flow control may be required.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Is this a new record?

 

[Dland]

Just wondering how these $55 CMB units compare functionally to these $15 Kegland devices?

Given OP's 25-foot beer lines, no flow control may be required.

Good question, have never tried them. I've got dozens of old but serviceable pin lock kegs, so they would not work for me. I do like the fact that I can see into the type I use. Occasionally I get a yeast clot when a keg kicks, and these are easy to diagnose and clean. Since the way I dispense only requires one, the price is not a big issue.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, using Mike Soltys' line length calculator, with true 0.25" ID line on the left, and 6.5mm ID on the right, and all other inputs equal...

A full roll of 6.5mm ID EVABarrier tubing would probably work ok, but might require a short choker at the end.
The problem, if any, would be the ~13 ounces of beer that line would hold...

Cheers!

 

[sibelman]

the ~13 ounces of beer that line would hold

Yes, but this "problem" inheres in the line length. Narrower tubing would reduce the, er, tidal volume, but might make for rather slow pours.

 

[day_trippr]

Yes, of course, but after "solving" the pour quality issue one cannot simply ignore the full pour of beer warming in the line every night...

Cheers!

 

[Dland]

Another reason I prefer to skip the coils of plastic line is I prefer to minimize the beer in contact with plastics. The idea of the beer warming up in those long lines is not so appetizing, the first few ounces of first draft of the day compromised. Of course one could chuck that bit, as some good barkeeps do, but most likely don't.

My hot side, fermentor and kegs are stainless, with the occasional long haul experiment using a glass carboy. My dispensing rig has less than 3 ft of tubing, which is kept at around 32F and regularly flushed w 3-4 pints most evenings, seems to me to be less exposure to plastic.

 

[mac_1103]

after "solving" the pour quality issue one cannot simply ignore the full pour of beer warming in the line every night...

I had assumed that OP already has a solution for keeping the line cold since the whole point of this thread is the "longer distance between my kegerator/glycol machine and my beer tap."

 

[day_trippr]

Right. I saw that mentioned in the initial post and then forgot it

Cheers!

 

[Closet Fermenter]

If the run was 100% horizontal, then the answer would be 37 feet of 6.3 mm EVABarrier. MoreBeer just happens to sell 39 foot rolls. I'm sure Bobby would sell you whatever length you need too, but I only found short precut lengths on his website (I'm not always great at searching).

I have ordered longer length from Bobby. It is sold in shorter lengths, but you can order multiples and when you check out; add a note to leave to leave the line uncut. You can do this up to 39’, (which seems like an odd number until you realize that it’s close to an even 10 meters). You can also follow up your order with a phone call to make double sure you get the uncut length. I did this and had no problems.