Clean or replace beer lines?

[geepmaley]

Just bought a used Frigidaire FRC445GM based homemade kegorator on Craiglist. Cooling well, so one hurdle has been cleared.

It has tower kit with standard cheaper (non perlick) taps. It also and copper pipe running into the tower that the beer lines run through to cool the beer lines (that's what the guy who built it said, not sure on effectiveness??). Anyway, the guy I bought it from said it hasn't been used in 9 months. The the lines still have beer in them. Taps stuck, etc. Got the taps "loose" by squirting iodophor solution into the tap spout, but need to give everything a good cleaning.

Question is, should I clean the lines or just replace them?

If clean, whats the best stuff to use since there in liquid beer in the lines now (for at least 9 months) and likely beer stone, etc. from it sitting.

Also, I am new to kegging in general, so what is the procedure for cleaning lines? Pressure pump from an empty keg with solution in it? Other?

Thanks
Geep

 

[ResumeMan]

Anyway, the guy I bought it from said it hasn't been used in 9 months. The the lines still have beer in them. Taps stuck, etc.

Yuck. Throw 'em out, beverage line is pretty cheap. Tubing with 9-month old beer and god knows what else, gross. There's a bunch of threads about cleaning lines, which will be useful for cleaning your beer lines in the future.

 

[Butter]

Replace. Years ago I got a beermeister for a trade. It was still being used, supposedly, so just pumped some beer line cleaner thru it. Hooked up my first keg of homebrew, and me and 3 of my drinking buddies practically got into a fistfight trying to get to the toilet. Replace the lines dude. It's cheap insurance.

 

[Hammy71]

Replace! Hell, it might have had BMC in them!! But seriously, no brainer....replace those nasties.

 

[geepmaley]

Replacement was the plan unless the all knowing of this site suggested otherwise. Plan is to do 5 ' of 3/16 for each tap (dual faucet tower). Sound about right?

 

[Golddiggie]

Replacement was the plan unless the all knowing of this site suggested otherwise. Plan is to do 5 ' of 3/16 for each tap (dual faucet tower). Sound about right?

10' per tap, as a minimum. That's if your serving pressure is about 10psi. You could go longer if you'll be serving at higher psi. Typically, it's 1' per each psi you're serving at. Oh, and you don't want to reduce pressure each time you'll be serving (to 5psi so you can get away with 5' lines)...

 

[day_trippr]

Replacement was the plan unless the all knowing of this site suggested otherwise. Plan is to do 5 ' of 3/16 for each tap (dual faucet tower). Sound about right?

Do yourself a big favor and start with 10' of 3/16" ID good quality beer line (ie: not something you'll find at Home Depot or Ace Hardware).

Otherwise you'll soon be starting one thread about "Foamy Pours" and another thread about "Beer Smells Like Plastic"...

Cheers!

 

[thargrav]

Do yourself a big favor and start with 10' of 3/16" ID good quality beer line (ie: not something you'll find at Home Depot or Ace Hardware).

Otherwise you'll soon be starting one thread about "Foamy Pours" and another thread about "Beer Smells Like Plastic"...

Cheers!

I agree with everything but the 10' statement, but 10' won't hurt, you will just get a slower pour. Just make sure you use 3/16" beer line or BIB tubing. You need 3/16" for the restriction & beer line or BIB tubing because both are really the same thing and the tubing is food grade.

And BTW, here is a good article on kegerator troubleshooting.
Kegerator Troubleshooting

 

[Golddiggie]

Use Bevlex tubing (3/16 ID, 7/16 OD). 10', at ~10psi will give you a decent flow rate (you don't need fast pours) with less foaming into the glass (better so that you get more beer into your glass). Personally, I don't mind if it takes me a few more seconds to pour a pint, if it means I get a better pour.

I have 10' beer lines connecting my kegs to each faucet. I get really good pours as long as I've set the pressure properly. You can get the CO2 volumes you desire by leaving the pressure the same, but lowering the beer temperature. Just be careful to not go too low on the temperature.

 

[geepmaley]

I agree with everything but the 10' statement, but 10' won't hurt, you will just get a slower pour. Just make sure you use 3/16" beer line or BIB tubing. You need 3/16" for the restriction & beer line or BIB tubing because both are really the same thing and the tubing is food grade.

And BTW, here is a good article on kegerator troubleshooting.
Kegerator Troubleshooting

Sorry, what's BIB?

 

[thargrav]

BIB is Bag In Box tubing. The same tubing is sold to the beer industry as beer line and to the soda industry as BIB tubing by the same manufacturers.

But there is one difference - BIB tubing sells for less. It's all about volume - for every foot of beer line sold over 100 feet of BIB tubing is sold, this means that BIB tubing moves through distribution at less cost.

 

[geepmaley]

BIB is Bag In Box tubing. The same tubing is sold to the beer industry as beer line and to the soda industry as BIB tubing by the same manufacturers.

But there is one difference - BIB tubing sells for less. It's all about volume - for every foot of beer line sold over 100 feet of BIB tubing is sold, this means that BIB tubing moves through distribution at less cost.

So where do you get it? Never heard of it

 

[thargrav]

I buy directly from my distributor but I have a long history in the soda industry and I'm a reseller.

Here is my on-line listing, for reference.
Clear 3/16" ID Beer line (BIB tubing) - by the foot: www.kegkits.com

I call it beer line (BIB tubing) and what we sell depends on what we happen to have in stock. Right now it happens to be mostly Bevlex but we also have some Eaton BIB tubing.

The Bevlex is a little stiffer because it has a PET barrier. Some homebrewers like the barrier because it keeps the oxygen out of their beer - and it probably does if the beer sits in your beer line for 6 months. Bevlex was really designed for bundled tubing used by the the soda industry. Undiluted Root Beer and Cherry flavors are so strong that they will permiate regular BIB tubing if used in a bundle and will cross contaminate the other flavors. Now Bevlex sold as beer line. Send me your address and I'll send you a short piece of each so you can compare the two.

 

[day_trippr]

Sorry, what's BIB?

"Bag In Box" soda syrup dispensing - what replaced the whole Cornelius Keg syrup paradigm...

Cheers!

[jeeze, that's the second time tonite I didn't see any replies yet there were a bunch already extant]

 

[Brewerforlife]

Here is my on-line listing, for reference.
Clear 3/16" ID Beer line (BIB tubing) - by the foot: www.kegkits.com



Look's like 3/16" vinyl??

 

[thargrav]

Here is my on-line listing, for reference.
Clear 3/16" ID Beer line (BIB tubing) - by the foot: www.kegkits.com



Look's like 3/16" vinyl??

It is 3/16" vinyl, both BIB tubing and Bevlex are 3/16" heavy wall vinyl tubing.