Building cam-lock hoses

[SmokingDog]

If you were going to build, or have built cam-lock hoses, which fitting (female vs male) would you put on the hose, and which on the pump/kettle?

Also, if the price between 304 and 316 was the same, would you opt for the 316 stainless?

Thanks.

 

[Demon]

All of my male fittings are on the vessels and pumps, female on the hoses. I set it up this way based on aesthetics, however going the opposite way would make closing the levers on the female pieces slightly difficult as they would be closing towards the vessel.

 

[outside92129]

Having the female fittings on the hoses also protects the parts. The hoses get banged around a lot more than the vessels, and you've got to do something incredibly dumb to damage the female fitting. But the male fitting is exposed and a ding in the right spot can make for a leaky connection.

 

[Bossbrew]

+1 to fixed males ( ) and loose females.

 

[PantherCity]

I work for a hose and pipe distributor and we make hose assemblies all day. If it is an application where the hoses are going to be disconnected and moved around alot (like brewing) you always want to have the females on the hose. This way the sealing edge of the fitting or threads (not in this case) doesn't get banged around or dragged on the floor.

Also in our application if you mount the female to the kettle it will get too hot to handle.

Proflow dynamics has the best prices I have found. And they come with silicone gaskets, rather than the black rubber ones you don't want.
Link:
316 Stainless Steel Cam and Groove Couplings for Homebrewers

316 is a little higher grade so if the cost the same (hard to believe) go with 316.

I use a type "B" on the ends of my hoses. If you use a type "C" the actual I.D. of the barb is nearly 1/4". This is bad for your flow rates and you could have problems keeping your pumps primed.

The ID of the type "B" is a true 1/2" and the 1/2" X 3/4" silicone hose easily fits over the threads. I use a SS street elbow on the ends of some hoses to prevent kinking when the are full of liquid.

Use type "A" on pump inlets
Use type "F" in valves (kettles & pump outlet)

Check this out for visual.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_vzNDM9S5Q&feature=relmfu]Camlock Disconnects Update - YouTube[/ame]

I hope that answered some questions.

 

[SmokingDog]

I use a type "B" on the ends of my hoses. If you use a type "C" the actual I.D. of the barb is nearly 1/4". This is bad for your flow rates and you could have problems keeping your pumps primed.

The ID of the type "B" is a true 1/2" and the 1/2" X 3/4" silicone hose easily fits over the threads. I use a SS street elbow on the ends of some hoses to prevent kinking when the are full of liquid.

Use type "A" on pump inlets
Use type "F" in valves (kettles & pump outlet)

Thanks guys. I was looking at ProFlow.

Panther, do you connect your hose directly to the threads of the "B" or do you use a barb?
I was looking at Derrin's "Full Bore" barbs on Brewer's Hardware, are they needed?

 

[weirdboy]

All of my male fittings are on the vessels and pumps, female on the hoses. I set it up this way based on aesthetics, however going the opposite way would make closing the levers on the female pieces slightly difficult as they would be closing towards the vessel.

This is how I did it, too. And my main reason was that trying to flip back those arms on the various fixed valves and whatnot seemed pretty awkward to me.


Also note that while I agree with Bobby_M's idea about using the street elbows to get a nice "handle" for the female ends, I use straight connections on whatever hose is going into my pump inlet, to prevent any constrictions in the flow.

 

[audger]

+1 to fixed males ( ) and loose females.

+1 to loose females.

 

[Bobby_M]

Also note that while I agree with Bobby_M's idea about using the street elbows to get a nice "handle" for the female ends, I use straight connections on whatever hose is going into my pump inlet, to prevent any constrictions in the flow.

If you look in the video you can see that my pump is mounted pretty low so even if I went straight into the pump, the hose would have to turn pretty quickly and I'd probably end up abraiding the hose on the floor more than necessary. You're right though, an elbow is a restriction that you'd want to avoid if you can. However, if your diptube in the "from" vessel is 1/2" OD, it probably doesn't matter much.

 

[Spartan1979]

Another reason for putting females on the hoses is that they're more expensive and, depending on your system, are likely to have more male connectors than female ones.

 

[Nohup]

Female ends on the hoses.
The female ends have the gasket, and you don't want that sitting on the boil-kettle, plus it's easier to take the gasket out and clean it if it's on the hose.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

Using this configuration we have no priming issues at all, just open the valves and it starts right up. We use the smaller barbs and the flow is still very strong. We get a great whirlpool in the boil kettle. The photo doesn't show host clamps but you'll want them to eliminate any air.

 

[DeNomad]

Good thread, thanks for posting the video. That answered a lot of questions I had. Nice to see bobby puts in the silicon o-rings.

 

[SmokingDog]

Preference of the 3-piece ball valves over 2? Why? Does anyone actually take them apart to clean them (or just for the coolness factor)?

 

[Peter_h]

Preference of the 3-piece ball valves over 2? Why? Does anyone actually take them apart to clean them (or just for the coolness factor)?

I like 3 piece ball valves. It's nice to be able to orient the handles in any location you want. You are kind of stuck with where it gets tight with the regular ball valves.

 

[runs4beer]

So, a 1/2 hose can go right on the threads of "B" type??? Even if the flow isn't restrictrd w/ the "C" at the moment they are out of stock at BF and PF so I'd love to know if this is posible.

 

[BargainFittings]

Yes you can stretch 1/8" thick silicone tubing over a male 1/2" NPT thread.

Alot of people will put a street 90 on the B to keep their hoses from kinking and put the hose on the male end of the street 90.

We have stocked 1/2" NPT x 5/8" hose barbs now that have a .46 inch inner diameter

You could pair these with a D style

 

[runs4beer]

Thanks for the info. BF and you just got my order!

 

[weirdboy]

Yes you can stretch 1/8" thick silicone tubing over a male 1/2" NPT thread.

Alot of people will put a street 90 on the B to keep their hoses from kinking and put the hose on the male end of the street 90.

We have stocked 1/2" NPT x 5/8" hose barbs now that have a .46 inch inner diameter

You could pair these with a D style

For what it's worth, this is what I do and I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Varroa]

Any idea on when the type F cam locks will be in stock? It say the 25th but is that for sure? Also, how do the cam locks compare to the Chrome quick disconnects for flow rate and durability?

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

Chrome disconnects can be brass or pot metal. Go with brass or stainless. The stainless disconnects MoreBeer sells are excellent except for the price.

 

[BargainFittings]

Chrome disconnects can be brass or pot metal. Go with brass or stainless. The stainless disconnects MoreBeer sells are excellent except for the price.

Our chromed disconnects are brass and are very well made.
Selling very well and no complaints so far.

The opening through the hose barb is a little bigger than the C style camlock.

 

[Wyobrew22]

For what specific reason are "F" type fittings recommended for outlets and "A" type recommended for inlets as stated above? Wouldn't you just use the male or female threaded fitting that corresponds to the specific situation? For example, I have a male threaded outlet on my pump which means an "A" could be threaded right on but would need to add another fitting to convert the outlet to female in order to use an "F". Can someone clarify?

 

[JDXX1971]

Can someone clarify?

I am sure when that was posted the type A (female NPT) and type F (male NPT) fit directly to the equipment they were using, like you suggest. The confusion is from calling the connections inlets and outlets. For example most kettles have couplings (female NPT) which would use type F and most pumps have male NPT threaded stubs sticking out which would use type A.

 

[Desert_Sky]

Fixed males, females on either end of each hose is what Ive always had cam lock or QD