EVABarrier - Is it really that great?

[Clint Yeastwood]

Wait...other tubing lets O2 into CO2? Is this a real problem? I seem to have a vague memory of hearing about this earlier this year. I still have vinyl on my CO2 tank. My manifold has a big barb. My beer gas line is all Kegland.

I once kept a big beer for many months on a system with a vinyl gas hose, and it got better and better. Not sure how much impact a gas hose can have. Let's see. Seems like the only O2 you get is whatever makes it into the tube. It can't get into the tank or the keg from the tube unless you're pouring, I believe.

As for EVAbarrier and Duotight, all I can say is that these things have made a huge difference in the amount of aggravation I've dealt with. Taking things apart and putting them back together for cleaning and so on are way faster than they were with older systems, so I have no excuse not to keep things sanitary. The disconnects were a pain because they were so hard to unscrew when they came from the factory, but I decided to try a pair of Japanese faucet pliers with plastic-covered jaws, and they pop the tops right off.

The flow control disconnects are great. I have short tubing in the keezer, and I don't measure it. All the beers come out the way they're supposed to. I know some people don't think highly of them, but I have them on everything but stout, and they seem to be getting it done. They also disassemble more easily than the regular disconnects.

I had Perlick flow-control faucets, and they failed to impress. They're in a box now. The Kegland disconnects allowed me to get rid of them and install Nukataps while keeping flow control.

I wish the disconnects were not so tight. Sometimes they really don't want to move on and off the keg posts. I actually unscrewed a keg post by turning a disconnect. I've also found it a little difficult to attach Duotight stuff to gas valves. I followed the directions, but I found I had leaks unless I tightened them more than the literature said to, and if you overdo it just a little bit, you wreck the threads.

While I'm on the subject, the chrome hand faucet is a winner, too. It would benefit from a different shape to make it easier to grip, though. It likes to spin in the hand.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thinking this over. There are check valves on my tank's regulator and the secondary regulator. I assume they would make it hard for a significant amount of O2 to go into the tank. The valve on the keg is open all the time, though, so I suppose the tube is like part of the keg as far as the gases can tell.

 

[day_trippr]

Unless you have hard-plumbed your manifold to your kegs, there will be tubing between them and that is where the O2 ingress becomes a potential problem.

fwiw, back in 2019 I replaced every bit of tubing in my shop with EVABarrier tubing and nearly 50 PTCs. Beer lines, CO2 lines for my keezer and the two fermentation fridges and the conditioning fridge, beer gas to the keezer, even the keezer's glass rinser water supply And I'd do it again in a heartbeat, because all of that helps keep my kegged beer in good condition - longer...well, except for that rinser

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks to you brewing degenerates, I am replacing the line right now. Can't you ever just leave me in blissful ignorance?

Now I can't remember whether the fittings really need nylon washers.

 

[day_trippr]

lol!

PTCs do not need fisheye washers. They have a bevel inside that will deform easier than the nylon washers do and make a tight seal.

Cheers!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks for the help. But why didn't you remind me that check valves work? I thought the only fitting I had that would go into the manifold was a gas valve, and guess what happened when I tried to pump CO2 through it backward.

Thank God I overbuy fittings. Had a bunch of Duotight stuff lying around, so now I'm ready to go.

 

[Bassman2003]

I am just happy that EVA tubing is affordable or the pressure to spend up would be there. As for your question about O2 getting into the gas lines and how does it get around? Well, the O2 will get into the line. Once it gets into the line, it has an open path either direction. I am learning about gases myself but you have to separate the way gasses mix together from any kind of "flow" we associate with liquids. Gasses penetrate and go everywhere. Sort of like sound. The problem with the poor tubing is that there is a constant supply of new oxygen around. So it keeps on coming in...

Some styles seem to benefit from some oxidation flavor. I brew a version of Jamil's Scottish Ale from "Brewing Classic Styles" and I notice it tastes better as time goes by. Too clean and it is not as interesting.

It is not fun speaking out the realities of O2 ingress and how much it damages beer. Many folks have thrown up resistance and some quite rude. But it is there whether one want to deal with it or not. Might as well learn about your adversary so you can triumph. Or not if one desires.

 

[Yesfan]

EVA Barrier is like that Frank's Red Hot commercial....

"I put that sh!t on everything....."

 

[Broken Crow]

Thanks for the support. Just saw this thread pop up.

In the past we have not often been part of the American forums but we really should be more involved as it's a good way to get feedback from our customers so we can better deliver products that you guys want.
For KegLand as a business the main reason we moved away from PVC tubing is that all flexible PVC contains plasticizers. If you tried to manufacture PVC tubing without plasticizers it would be rigid (and we have no issue with rigid PVC tubing). So quite a lot of plasticizers need to be added to make a beer line that you can coil up and that is flexible. Even though FDA has approved quite a long list of plasticizers we have found that quite a lot of the commonly used "approved" plasticizers" have in recent time become "not approved". This has happened as we slowly learn more about how plasticizers mess with human hormones and I assume as we learn more in this area more on the approved list will also become not-approved.

I should also say quite a lot of the FDA approved products are not approved and can't get approval in the EU which have more stringent requirements in this area. As KegLand also supplies stuff to Europe we had to make sure we were also making products that meet this high bar.

All PVC tubing contains plasticizers and all PVC tubing will have a certain amount of plasticizers leach into your beverage over time. They may leach such small amounts that they keep the FDA happy and be below a pre-defined threshold but it's not really enough to make me comfortable with PVC. I should also say in brewing we use a wide range of chemicals that are likely going to increase the speed that plasticizers are released into the beverage and these chemicals are not part of the FDA testing which makes me more uncomfortable on the whole issue.

So the main reason why EVABarrier tubing exists in the first place is really because of this issue with PVC. There is really no reason why we need PVC and the cost of the PVC tubing is similar to other alternatives so in our opinion we do not see the reason to need PVC tubing. If you are interested we did a video on this subject here 4 years ago.

The thread seems to have run its course, so hopefully not hijaking, but I need to ask:
I love my EVABarrier and want to switch over to the 3mm ID lines but I'm not too sure how well my Duotight tower shanks (in my Series-X) will handle mono-tight fittings as these:
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/monotight-6.5mm-joiner.html..are the only ones I can find in Canada with the correct OD... same with your own website:
https://www.kegland.com.au/products/monotight-6-35mm-female-x-6-35mm-female-push-in-joinerJust looking for certainty.

 

[DuncB]

Won't you need a 6.35 mm to 8mm adapter ? Is it currently an 8mm onto the beer shank?
That's what I use to fit onto the duotight ball lock as I can't get the specific ones for the 6mm EVA barrier. Also I cant get the 5/8 female to 6mm eva that goes on the beer shank in my kegfridge. I don't have beer shanks with tails.

 

[Broken Crow]

Won't you need a 6.35 mm to 8mm adapter ? Is it currently an 8mm onto the beer shank?
That's what I use to fit onto the duotight ball lock as I can't get the specific ones for the 6mm EVA barrier. Also I cant get the 5/8 female to 6mm eva that goes on the beer shank in my kegfridge. I don't have beer shanks with tails.

the 3mm ID EVABarrier EVABarrier 1/8 has a 6.35mm OD.... for the disconnect I'm intending to try and swag it over a 1/4" swivel-nut, but I have the duotight shanks with a 6.35mm tail: Nukatap Stainless Steel Short Shank with 1/4

 

[DuncB]

the 3mm ID EVABarrier EVABarrier 1/8 has a 6.35mm OD.... for the disconnect I'm intending to try and swag it over a 1/4" swivel-nut, but I have the duotight shanks with a 6.35mm tail: Nukatap Stainless Steel Short Shank with 1/4

Can you fit a Duotight 6mm to 6mm coupler, pushed onto the tail and then the 3mm internal should fit in the other end ( which is also 6mm)?
The duotight 8mm fit onto the metal bits of ball lock connectors okay.

 

[Broken Crow]

Can you fit a Duotight 6mm to 6mm coupler, pushed onto the tail and then the 3mm internal should fit in the other end ( which is also 6mm)?
The duotight 8mm fit onto the metal bits of ball lock connectors okay.

That's what I bought, some these: Food Grade Plastic, 1/4 and I'll post back once I put it all together.

 

[DuncB]

That's what I bought, some these: Food Grade Plastic, 1/4 and I'll post back once I put it all together.

That should do it.