Chiller Line Material?

[matt_m]

what does everyone use. I got some silicone lines with my fermenters but may need something longer depending on how I decide to lay everything out. That 3/8 id / 5/8 od silicone line is a couple bucks plus a foot plus shipping (out of stock on Amazon, apparently not available locally). Is vinyl beer line too stiff at cold crash temps?

 

[IslandLizard]

IIRC silicone is the preferred material for flexible cold connections like those. I'd use the thick, 1/8" wall hoses to prevent kinking. Although you could splice them, Amazon is not the only source, if their limit is 10' per order. Expect to pay around $2 a foot, you probably don't need the clearest of the clearest hose either.

 

[matt_m]

I found 100' of NIB surplus Dow tubing on Ebay for 45 cents/ft. Well past its expiration date but from what I read, silicone tubing is pretty shelf stable so I'll take the risk.

 

[mongoose33]

The lines Spike uses are vinyl. They come already "wrapped" in a neoprene tube so they're insulated to some degree from ambient. The cost for a 6-foot section--which is composed of input and output tubing--is $22. That's just under $2/foot.

https://spikebrewing.com/collections/conical-accessories/products/insulated-tubing

And I'm going to throw this out there as well, some connectors @Morrey showed me and I've since ordered and installed. They seal when disconnected:

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=118175&catid=743

Shown here on mine: