Cam n' Groove vs. Tri-Clamp

[plinythebadass]

Well yea one's more expensive than the other of course but what do you guys really think about cleaning and maintenance wise? I'm about to go ahead and get ALL of the fittings for me rig and I'd like some real world opinions!

 

[BugHunter]

They're both good but, if you've got the budget, I'd go with tri-clover fittings every time. They're a lot easier to sanitize and, if you have a pump, you can clean them in place with just a little planning. I've got tri-clamp on order for my system I'm building and we use small tri-clover fittings in the lab I work at, so I'd pick them every time.

 

[GoodDogShelby]

I went with Cam-Locks. If I were to completely start over, I'd spend the extra $$ and go tri-clover.

 

[AmandaK]

I have the tri-clovers on my BrewMagic. If you have the opportunity to CIP, then they are the way to go.

 

[BadNewsBrewery]

I've never used the tri-clover, but I've been very happy with my Cams. They go on / off very quickly, which seems like a possible draw back of the tris... Maybe I'm wrong, but in any event I don't think you can go wrong with either option.

 

[acidrain]

I have both and like the cam-locks for ease of use.

 

[jcav]

I went with all one inch tri clovers in my build, half inch tri clovers are very small and more expensive than the one inch. It costs a lot more for the tri clovers over the cam-locks but in my opinion it was well worth it. More sanitary, easier to clean, no air or fluid leaks, and very strong connections. The cam-locks are well built and a step up from the garden hose connections that some people use. It all depends on the budget though in the end. I would go tri clover if money is not an issue.

Hope this helps a little,

John

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

My last brewery was cam lock, which I liked for the most part. Low flow rate through the barbs, but bobby_m figured out a fix to that.


Just got my stout tanks in the mail, which is all TC. I like that I can take everything apart as far as heating element, sight glass, valves, etc... I am considering getting a few TC to MPT to use my old cam locks for the hoses still though, but I'll wait and see how the TC hose changes go during a brew.

 

[lpdjshaw]

Somewhat depends on your setup. I've got a two pump single tier setup and I think it would be a lot harder with all the hose changes that I do during a brew to have tri clamps. The tri clamps are definitely nice but for the money and ease of use I can't complain about my cam locks.

 

[kevink]

If you sanitize with heat, the sanitary aspect of tri clamps doesn't even matter. Any type of connection will be sanitized after pumping boiling wort through the system whether you use cam lock, threaded, barbs with silicone hose, etc. If you don't sanitize with heat then you might benefit from tri clamp, but what a pain in the butt that is. No thanks! I guess it comes down to your brew and cleaning process.

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't consider TC to be a quick disconnect system. It's a disconnectable system much like pipe unions are, but by no means would I like making and breaking connections with them during a typical brew day.

The claim that TC connections are more sanitary or easier to clean in place is a bit misguided. If you don't convert everything to sanitary welded TC everywhere in your system, it's only as sanitary as the dirtiest threaded fitting in your system. If you keep regular ball valves and not butterfly, forget it. If you use any kind of TC to threaded fitting, forget it. Not only that but you'll need to convert all your pump heads and chiller ports to sanitary welded TC flanges too.

If you are not willing to do all that, the benefits will only go as far as your preference for how TC looks or how they couple together.

I can see TC on cold side components like a conical fermenter or for those brewers who aspire to run a production brewery some day, but it's a stretch on the homebrew scale.

 

[BugHunter]

I don't consider TC to be a quick disconnect system. It's a disconnectable system much like pipe unions are, but by no means would I like making and breaking connections with them during a typical brew day. The claim that TC connections are more sanitary or easier to clean in place is a bit misguided. If you don't convert everything to sanitary welded TC everywhere in your system, it's only as sanitary as the dirtiest threaded fitting in your system. [...] I can see TC on cold side components like a conical fermenter or for those brewers who aspire to run a production brewery some day, but it's a stretch on the homebrew scale.

I run TC because, from a sanitation maintenance position, every TC connection is one less part to manually clean after a CIP cycle. If I can get my hands on a decent TIG welder I may convert everything to hard piping but, for now, a partial system is still useful.

 

[Bobby_M]

How many people are actually breaking down threaded connections on their hot side vessels anyway?

 

[kevink]

Yeah, that is of no benefit. I bought a 3 piece ball valve for the outlet of my kettle so I could clean it but quickly realized that it is completely unnecessary. Recirc some PBW after a brew and it's clean. Recirc boiling wort at the end of the boil and it's sanitized. Why would you want to hard pipe everything? I have a TIG welder and I would never hard pipe everything! You are so locked in at that point that you would never want to change anything. Plus you would have to sanitary weld everything if you're going for that, which I think you are.

 

[heckels]

I just started using my new system with TCs. I have to make several hose changed throughout the brew day and it's a pain. I foresee buying more hose and three-way ball valves to eliminate the extra connections.

 

[atoughram]

Camlocks here - best thing I've ever done... TC's look like a PITA.

 

[BugHunter]

3-way valves and TC here, no need for hose changes during brewing. Frankly I'd never go back to a setup that requires hot-side hose changes.

 

[orangehero]

It doesn't even end there...for triclamp to be truly sanitary you also need a polished surface finish. Modifying a pump head with welded flanges doesn't necessarily make it sanitary either. For example the inside of a stainless steel chugger pump is far from it. I believe hoses need to be specially made to be considered sanitary as well. The triclamp to barb fittings sold to homebrewers are not.

 

[AmandaK]

Perhaps I can take off a TC fitting faster than your average brewer, but I can't really see "time savings" being a factor in this.

1) Moving hoses/fittings around on the hot side should be a non-issue in a well designed brewery.
2) Who here is taking more time to remove a TC than a barbed hose fitting with a hose clamp on it?

In the end, OP, do what you can afford and works best for your system, not ours.

 

[Bobby_M]

Absolutely. I always suggest people get a mated set of various disconnects before deciding. It's much cheaper doing that than reworking an entire system of QDs.