Floating Dip Tube - Which One?

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VikeMan

It ain't all burritos and strippers, my friend.
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I see there are a few floating dip tube devices for corny kegs available nowadays. If there are significant differences, can anyone who is familiar with them weigh in on which is the best option? TIA!
 
I have the Clear Beer floating dip tubes, got 8 of them and I love them. Absolutely draws the best quality beer from the top. I also have screens on some of them so I can dry hop in the keg, fruit additions, or what ever you want to add to the kegs. I would totally recommend them and your beers will taste even better than when drawing from the bottom. Never have to dump any cloudy beer on the first few pours. You can even drink the beer earlier than the bottom draw dip tubes that come with the keg.

I also bought a couple of the cheaper ones from MoreBeer they are called the Torpedo Keg Buoy, for two of the kegs that I make cider in for my wife. They work really well also, and both will do the job. I have both, have used both, and I can speak from experience, as I actually have used both types. You can't go wrong with either one, but I like the Clear Beer ones a little more as I started with these and they have the screen option for the other types of beers that I like to make as well. I love the floating dip tubes and will never use the standard keg dip tubes again. Get one and try it out. Once you use it you will buy more. Hope this helps.

John
 
I've only tried the Buoy one from Morebeer. With 6 kegs, I didn't want to go with the more expensive versions. Overall, I think it's terrific. A screen would be a nice addition, although I don't dry hop in the keg so it wouldn't help me much.

The one thing I don't love about it is the dip tube that comes with it. The top of it seems to be bent on a few of mine, just from the process of tightening and untightening the liquid post. I also had a few gas leaks out of the liquid post when I first bought them. So I'll likely cut down my original dip tubes and attach the floating dip tube to it.
 
I use the ones from Williams Brewing, which look to be pretty much identical to the ones from MoreBeer. They work great.

I have read a few reports of an unusual situation where the tip of the tube wasn't fully submersed, due to gas/air in the line which made the line float (don't remember what brand it was, or if it was a DIY). Their solution was to add a stainless steel machine nut slipped over the tubing, to weight down the end of the pickup line. I did that on all of mine before I ever used them. I have had zero problems so far.
 
Thanks All!

I also bought a couple of the cheaper ones from MoreBeer they are called the Torpedo Keg Buoy, for two of the kegs that I make cider in for my wife. They work really well also, and both will do the job. I have both, have used both, and I can speak from experience, as I actually have used both types. You can't go wrong with either one, but I like the Clear Beer ones a little more as I started with these and they have the screen option for the other types of beers that I like to make as well.

I went ahead and ordered one form MoreBeer, as I don't need the screen option, and it's less expensive. If it's not great, I suppose I won't have lost much.

The one thing I don't love about it is the dip tube that comes with it. The top of it seems to be bent on a few of mine, just from the process of tightening and untightening the liquid post.

Hmm. I'll watch out for that.

I have read a few reports of an unusual situation where the tip of the tube wasn't fully submersed, due to gas/air in the line which made the line float (don't remember what brand it was, or if it was a DIY).

I fill via closed xfer through the liquid post, so I don't think this should be an issue for me.
 
I use the ones from Williams Brewing, which look to be pretty much identical to the ones from MoreBeer. They work great.

I have read a few reports of an unusual situation where the tip of the tube wasn't fully submersed, due to gas/air in the line which made the line float (don't remember what brand it was, or if it was a DIY). Their solution was to add a stainless steel machine nut slipped over the tubing, to weight down the end of the pickup line. I did that on all of mine before I ever used them. I have had zero problems so far.

I wonder if that happened due to the way it was installed. When I first bought mine, I would install the silicone to the stainless steel dip tube first, and then I would tighten the liquid post. I had a couple instances where I was pulling gas because the dip tube wasn't fully submersed - turns out it was because I was twisting the silicone tubing around, and it got stuck.

Now I fully tighten the liquid post before installing the silicone. I haven't had any problems since then.
 
I have 3 keg bouys and a cheap ebay no brand one.

Keg bouys work fine. I'm considering rigging a screen to them just because, but I really don't need to if I cold crash long enough.

The el cheapo ($10) ebay one needed more flexible tubing as it had vinyl tube that was stiff and didn't allow the float to, well, float free. I replaced it with flexible silicone tube and it works as good as the others.

I do want to get the clear beer system one just for comparison purposes to see if it is worth the extra money..
 
...I fill via closed xfer through the liquid post, so I don't think this should be an issue for me.

I also fill through the liquid post in my closed transfers. The report I read about the guy with the floating tube problem also filled through the liquid post. That's why I went ahead and slipped on a SS nut to make sure the pickup is always fully submerged.
 
Thanks All!



I went ahead and ordered one form MoreBeer, as I don't need the screen option, and it's less expensive. If it's not great, I suppose I won't have lost much.



Hmm. I'll watch out for that.



I fill via closed xfer through the liquid post, so I don't think this should be an issue for me.
 
I’ve installed the Clear Beer Draught System in 10 of my kegs. They work extremely well. The short dip tube replacement that comes with the CBDS is easily installed & the fit has never been an issue. The CBDS also comes with a SS screen that filters out hop debris for those dry hopping in the keg.
 
Are you cutting the silicon line to the approximate length of the full size metal dip tube, or is the extra slack desired for some reason?
For the CBDS, my understanding is that the tubing will contract a bit when cold, so the length that is sold with it is the proper amount.
I have a bunch of CBDSs with the screen and love them. I just got one of the more beer versions to try out
 
I'm looking to grab one of these to use with a sanke keg fermenter to do closed transfers. How big are the floats on the ones from Morebeer? I'm particularly looking at the fermentasaurus pressure kit because I could use the carbonating caps anyway.

I know the William's one is 1.75", but are the other floats the same size?
 
Thanks All!



I went ahead and ordered one form MoreBeer, as I don't need the screen option, and it's less expensive. If it's not great, I suppose I won't have lost much.



Hmm. I'll watch out for that.



I fill via closed xfer through the liquid post, so I don't think this should be an issue for me.

How did the morebeer version work for you?
 
How did the morebeer version work for you?

So far, so good. I have 3 of them now, and will probably get more. It's a little bit of a PITA to install the tubing over the dip tube , but I imagine that's the same with any of the designs. The opening in the keg isn't going to get any bigger.
 
Yes it does take a little doing to get the tubing on the dip tube, but it's the same with both versions. Worth it though!

John
 
Anyone have an issue with smell from the tubing? I have the morebeer ones and it was strong. I'll try the clearbeer next but in the meantime any replacement tube suggestions?

Thanks......
 
I have 2 of the keg buoys. No smell, but I have had to add weight to keep the tubes submerged in the beer. Pouring a pint at a time genrally wasn't a problem. It seemd to fail more often when pouring a larger volume like a growler. The tubing is just stiff enough to prop the tube end out of the beer when it's pushed up against the side of the keg. Maybe newer versions have tubing that is less stiff. You can test this in a keg half full of water by pulling the tube above the liquid to see if you can get it to stay there.

I posted my experiences earlier here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/torpedo-keg-buoy-floating-dip-tube.671126/#post-8777235
 
I use the CBDS, the original, in most of my kegs and have never encountered this problem no matter what I'm filling.
It must be the tubing used in the CBDS.
 
I have 2 of the keg buoys. No smell, but I have had to add weight to keep the tubes submerged in the beer. Pouring a pint at a time genrally wasn't a problem. It seemd to fail more often when pouring a larger volume like a growler. The tubing is just stiff enough to prop the tube end out of the beer when it's pushed up against the side of the keg. Maybe newer versions have tubing that is less stiff. You can test this in a keg half full of water by pulling the tube above the liquid to see if you can get it to stay there.

I posted my experiences earlier here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/torpedo-keg-buoy-floating-dip-tube.671126/#post-8777235

What material is your tubing made of? The torpedo buoys I bought from MoreBeer came with silicone tubing which is quite flexible. I haven't experienced the issue you reported.
 
What material is your tubing made of? The torpedo buoys I bought from MoreBeer came with silicone tubing which is quite flexible. I haven't experienced the issue you reported.

It's silicone as well, but maybe slightly thicker-walled?

I use the CBDS, the original, in most of my kegs and have never encountered this problem no matter what I'm filling.
It must be the tubing used in the CBDS.

The CBDS appears to have much more mass to keep the input tube submerged.
 
I have one CBDS and have experienced some flavor carrying over from the hops in IPAs to more mild flavored beers. I suspect it affects mainly only the ounce or two of beer that is sitting for some time in the tubing (not sure how long it takes for this to happen), but it was noticeable enough to me that I bought extra tubing to have some dedicated to beers with heavy amounts of the pungent US/Aus/NZ hops and another piece of tubing for the rest. Soaking in PBW doesn't seem to be enough to get remove all the flavor/aroma taken up by silicone from those hops.
 
I have CBDS and two Morebeer floats. No problems with the CBDS but with the Morebeer ones the tubing gets stuck above beer level or water level when purging kegs. I just ordered these and think the extra weight will fix the problem. For 4 bucks its worth a shot. Gonna try one in All Rounder in next dry hopped brew to avoid clogging posts
 

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Extra weight definitely fixes the problem cheaply. My s-hooks aren't probably the best means of adding weight because it's hard to close the gap completely to avoid having them fall off the ring I attached them to. But any kind of weight will work.
 
The CBDS has a heavy float and metal bracket, so it is heavy enough to keep the pick up tube submerged in the beer. I also use the below fitting where the stem/barb side is attached to the tubing and the ball lock side gets attached to my recirculating kegerator/ keg cleaning pump, and I pump PBW through it and it gets the smell of the hops mostly out of the tubing. It doesn't effect the next batch of beer if you clean it and then sanitize it. Here is a link to the fitting I use:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/carbonatorssbarb.htm

John
 
I use the Torpedo Buoy from MoreBeer in my kegs - fermenting and serving. I’ve replaced the silicone tubing with 24 inches of 1/4 ID when needed. Also, a stainless swivel nut slides right over the tubing and onto the liquid pick up just right. Extra weight keeps the tip below the surface with purging.
 
I have CBDS and two Morebeer floats. No problems with the CBDS but with the Morebeer ones the tubing gets stuck above beer level or water level when purging kegs. I just ordered these and think the extra weight will fix the problem. For 4 bucks its worth a shot. Gonna try one in All Rounder in next dry hopped brew to avoid clogging posts

How did these work for you? Was considering the same for weighting the tubing + dry hopping.
 
How did these work for you? Was considering the same for weighting the tubing + dry hopping.
Worked great in keg was able to purge entire keg without it hanging up. Also used 2 oz dry hops in keg and poured clear. Haven’t used it in fermenter yet but think it will be fine.
 
I had two from Morebeer (same as the ones from Williams) and I had issues with the hose end floating, until I added a SS washer to the end to weight it down. I bought my other 4 from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Keg-Floating-Dip-Tube/dp/B07ZWFQXWK and they are plenty heavy at the tip to work without adding weight. I don't dry hop in a keg without using a hop canister so the screen would not be needed for me. It looks like they also sell on their website. www.ballandkeg.com
 
Can vouch for the floating dip tube from www.ballandkeg.com. They are inexpensive and work right out of the box without added weight like the Torpedo ones.
 
I have CBDS and two Morebeer floats. No problems with the CBDS but with the Morebeer ones the tubing gets stuck above beer level or water level when purging kegs. I just ordered these and think the extra weight will fix the problem. For 4 bucks its worth a shot. Gonna try one in All Rounder in next dry hopped brew to avoid clogging posts

This seems like it would be a great idea in the fermenter in theory? I hook up an inline Bouncer currently, and not only is it another potential source of infection, and leaking, in the 3 times that I've used it, it also doesn't appear to be picking up anything.

I've got a couple that I believe are the Torpedo and a couple that are from Williams. In the most recent use of it, I was under the impression that the keg had kicked went it was spitting out foam and this was despite the fact that I had added a SS nut to the end of the tubing. There was still over 5L left.
 
Bumping this...

Looking to ferment in a corny with floating dip tube then pressure transfer to serving keg. No need for floating dip tube in serving keg.

Looking for best floating dip tube for fermenter. Suggestions/experiences?

FLOTit, Buoy, CBDS......

Thanks!
:mug:
 
I see there are a few floating dip tube devices for corny kegs available nowadays. If there are significant differences, can anyone who is familiar with them weigh in on which is the best option? TIA!
I’ve been using the Clear Beer system ( the original floating dip tube) for a number of years. They’re easy to install & the support from the manufacturer (US based) is outstanding.
I have them in 6 of my kegs.
 
Bumping this...

Looking to ferment in a corny with floating dip tube then pressure transfer to serving keg. No need for floating dip tube in serving keg.

Looking for best floating dip tube for fermenter. Suggestions/experiences?

FLOTit, Buoy, CBDS......

Thanks!
:mug:
The Clear Beer system is the Cadillac but you do pay for it. The Torpedo Keg type sold by Williams, Morebeer and others needs weight added to the end to keep it submerged. Otherwise the tube end floats and sucks gas instead of liquid. For the inexpensive units, I use and have several of the Ballandkeg units. They work great right out of the box without adding weight and I believe their silicone tubing is thicker and never kinks on me.
 
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