For all the guys with long hoses

[EdWort]

Ok, I hear about balanced beer lines and such and recently read where there are lots of members with 10 foot hoses which helps them keep the foam to a minimum compared to us guys with the tiny 5 foot hoses.

My question for the long guys is, where do you put all that extra hose? I don't think I could fit 3 kegs of beer, a tank, and 30 feet of hose in my kegerator.

So lets see some pics of the 10 foot long beer lines in the kegerators.

 

[Chris_Dog]

5 taps 10' of line each...
I just have them all coiled up at the end of the shanks and zip tied together. I will post a pick later if needed.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

I just purchased hose to upgrade my 5 footers- I was thinking I would get hooks and utilize the two screws near the top of my cold plate (then again I'm thinking, 'Man, I hope that won't freeze some of my beer lines'). Hmm...

 

[StunnedMonkey]

The subject line seemed to pertain to me, but when I opened the post it wasn't at all what I expected.

Nonetheless, I have 10 ft lines, and I just coil them as below. They stay out of the way nicely. Oddly, it's the shorter co2 lines that are always getting in the way.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Holy long shanks, batman!

I have a sanyo 4912 kegerator and I have a 5 foot line on one tap and about an 8 foot line on the other (yeah, I know, but I just haven't ordered from any place with beer line for a while, so it's what I've got). With the longer one I just sorta drape a loop down through the can dispenser thing in the door.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

Holy long shanks, batman!

That's what she said.

They are 4 inch. Definitely should have gotten 3 inchers, but when I ordered them I was still contemplating a thicker collar, and furthermore didn't have a good grasp of how much clearence I'd need. Fortunately is doesn't really present a big problem, and I can get the front kegs out even when the keezer is full. It'd be hard to squeeze a full heavy keg in gracefully, so I put the kegs in empty and fill them in place.

 

[BrewBrain]

That's what she said.

They are 4 inch. Definitely should have gotten 3 inchers, but when I ordered them I was still contemplating a thicker collar, and furthermore didn't have a good grasp of how much clearence I'd need. Fortunately is doesn't really present a big problem, and I can get the front kegs out even when the keezer is full. It'd be hard to squeeze a full heavy keg in gracefully, so I put the kegs in empty and fill them in place.

Mine are the very shortest ones and they were too short. I had to drill out a gap so I could sink the locknut. Or whatever the hell I'm trying to say.

 

[BrewBrain]

Been wondering about all these ten-footer compensators meself.

I seem to be getting along just fine with 5-foot lines. Maybe they don't like a nice foamy head.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

I seem to be getting along just fine with 5-foot lines. Maybe they don't like a nice foamy head.

I'm guessing it has something to do with what kind of line it is that people are using. Maybe the relative smoothness of the inside or something. Some line (like mine) may simply produce more foam than another guy's line. Or that's my theory anyway.

For guys using 5 ft lines without trouble, I'd be interested in exactly where you got it. I mean my 10-footers are working fine for me, but all things being equal I'd sure prefer 5 footers.

 

[BrewBrain]

I got my 5-footers at Midwest Supplies as part of a kit.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

I got my 5-footers at Midwest Supplies as part of a kit.

FWIW, mine was a 100 ft coil of 3/16 from kegworks. I originally cut 6 ft lines for the 1st two kegs, then swapped those out for 10 ft lengths for those and the next 3. My temp is 38 degrees, and I serve at 10 psi.

 

[BrewBrain]

The label on my beverage tube says "Bevlex 200 By Kuriyama PVC Tubing". And, in case it matters for comparison purposes, there is a little box at the end with "NSF-51" inside.

The red gas line is Bevlex 204.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I've always had 5 feet of line. There are many factors that contribut to a good draw. The beer temperature and dispensing pressure among them. Even with the uncooled tower setup I have, I get very little excess foam on the first draw.

Those of you having troubles... What are your serving temps and pressures?

 

[Bulls Beers]

I also have 5 feet of hose for my two taps in my Sanyo 4912 and have no problem. I'll dial down my serving pressure if the foam gets a little out of hand..

 

[INeedANewHobby]

It's not all about the length of the hose, but also diameter of hose, size of shank, type of faucet, temperature, height differential from top of keg to faucet, etc. There are alot of great calculators floating around out there that can help. I'd just assume NOT have 10+ feet of line for each keg!

 

[mmb]

I have the 5' MicroMatic lines that came on both of my towers. Of course, I have close to a 2' rise from the keg to the top of the tower, so that might make a difference.

I keep the system at 12 PSI @ 40F and have no problems with foam on the beer lines.

The root beer line is a totally different matter.

 

[EdWort]

I'm actually going to shorten the hoses in the Coolerator to about 2.5 feet. Just long enough to reach the keg without a bunch of extra hose.

The concept is since the Coolerator is used for self serve parties, the beer is pushed at about 2 PSI to eliminate excess foaming as the beer will be gone long before it gets a chance to go flat.

 

[nostalgia]

Here ya go, sir. 30+ feet.

-Joe

 

[nostalgia]

And incidentally, I was just talking about shortening my lines, as I believe I've got too much resistance for my setup. Using the forumla at this website I made the following calculations:

Regulator pressure (PSI): 15
Height from center of keg to faucet (feet): 1
Resistance of beer lines (table): 2.7
Residual faucet pressure (1): 1

Length of beer line needed: (15 - (1 * 0.5) - 1) / 2.7 = 5 feet

I don't expect to be serving any beers > 15 PSI, so I should be easily able to get away with 5 - 6' of 3/16 line.

-Joe

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Nice find Joe- Using the tables/formulas, I should be foam free with my setup right around 10 PSI. I've been adjusting it between 8-12 to find a happy spot to no avail...

Thinking I should take the time to throw in a tower cooler (fan blower) before I swap my lines.

 

[BigKahuna]

I'm too lazy to zip tie them, and the hoses are only 8', but you get the idea.

And YES, That is A 5 gallon cornie on the Hump. Thanks for asking

 

[juvinious]

Heh, I usually coil them on the keg but I've been lazy this past week. I'll probably coil them up eventually.

All 10'

[edit]

Oops fixed the over sized pics.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Is the blue hose an air duct, or ? (Just curious..)

 

[StunnedMonkey]

Heh, I usually coil them on the keg but I've been lazy this past week. I'll probably coil them up eventually.

All 10'

[edit]

Oops fixed the over sized pics.

That looks like the same secondary regulator that I just ordered.

Draft Beer System Secondary Air Regulator with 5 Gauges for 5 Kegs

Are the barbs on that thing correct for a for 5/16 ID co2 line? If not, are they replacable? I hate how the descriptions on these things never give details like that.

 

[Bopper]

I honestly do trust the experts on this but in my personal experience I have a perfect pour every time with 5ft lines and 10# serving pressure. I can fill growlers via a 1.5 foot tube extending from the faucet in one shot. I've even done bottles with the same method for same day consumption. I force carb at 30 psi for 3 days. How much pressure are you guys serving at where you find foaming to be a problem with less than 10ft lines?

 

[StunnedMonkey]

How much pressure are you guys serving at where you find foaming to be a problem with less than 10ft lines?

I carb and serve at 10 psi, and I find that I need 10 ft lines. That said, it seems like the emptier the keg, to foamier the draw. So a full keg (but fully carbed) seems to have far less head than a nearly empty keg. Not sure if that's normal or not.

So I've ordered a secondary distributor like the one in the pic above with the 5 seperate regulators. I think it'll help micro-manage each keg a little better.

 

[Bobby_M]

Mine looks just like Stunnedmonkey's so no need to take a pic. Coiled up and zip tied.

No, not all my beers need 10' but I don't mind the slower pour for the lower carbed beers. If I find I'm not getting a big enough head, I just drop the glass down lower for the last half of the pour to encourage more offgassing.

 

[juvinious]

Is the blue hose an air duct, or ? (Just curious..)

Yeah it's connected to my blower to cool my tower.

That looks like the same secondary regulator that I just ordered.

Draft Beer System Secondary Air Regulator with 5 Gauges for 5 Kegs

Are the barbs on that thing correct for a for 5/16 ID co2 line? If not, are they replacable? I hate how the descriptions on these things never give details like that.

Yep same exact one, they are for 5/16 ID co2 line. You can probably replace them but those things are threaded on tight.

 

[natelatte]

ok here's a question. Are everyones 10' lines 3/16 or 1/4 ?
My ball lock quick disconnects came threaded. The only way to a connect the beer line to it is to use a 1/4 line because of the size of the threads. I even looked into the barbed disconnects and the only ones I saw were also for 1/4 line. That being said should I run 6" of 1/4 line then splice it with 9' of 3/16 line? Or any suggestions?

 

[nostalgia]

The threads should have a swivel nut and 1/4" barb, right? What I do (and I think most others do) is warm the end of the 3/16" tube and force it over the 1/4" barb.

-Joe

 

[StunnedMonkey]

Yep same exact one, they are for 5/16 ID co2 line. You can probably replace them but those things are threaded on tight.

I received it on Friday, and was bummed. That thing is MUCH larger than I though it'd be and sticks out too far for use in my keezer. There's just isn't enough room.

Hope they accept returns, or I just made a $185 boo boo.

ok here's a question. Are everyones 10' lines 3/16 or 1/4 ?
My ball lock quick disconnects came threaded. The only way to a few the beer line to of is to use a 1/4 line because of the size of the threads. That being said should I run 6" of 1/4 line then splice it with 9' of 3/16 line? Or any suggestions?

Unless you're running really long lines, I think you'll be happier with 3/16". I'd not bother splicing different sized tubing together. If it was me I'd just bite the bullet up front and acquire some new ball locks with 3/16 in threads and be done with it.

 

[Chriso]

I'm running 6' 3/16" hoses. They work fine for my 2-tap kegerator. But I have the faucets mounted 2' -above- the top of the keg, so it might be a vertical climb thing. *shrug*

My MFL's for my ball locks are 1/4". +1 to softening in a tea cup of hot water, then jamming the hose on there. They stretch just fine, even the thick stuff.

 

[natelatte]

The threads should have a swivel nut and 1/4" barb, right? What I do (and I think most others do) is warm the end of the 3/16" tube and force it over the 1/4" barb.

-Joe

thanks.. wasn't sure if that would work, (it seems awfully small) but i figured that with homebrewing as popular as it is, and no 3/16" barbs on these that there was a simple fix somewhere.

 

[natelatte]

If having a foam problem, but I don't want to compromise the recommended vols of co2 per style, is it possible to simply get super long hoses? Other than pour speed, is there any downfall to having hoses too long? I'm pretty sure my faucet and spout are the culprits, but I'm thinking of simply getting a long hose (20ft) to put on for when i serve the wheat beers. My normal 12ft hoses pour everything else fine, as the pressure is much lower.

 

[madewithchicken]

I am trying to run a 3 tap coldplate inside my mini-fridge. I am going to submerge it in water inside the fridge. I plan to coil the hose up inside the fridge. The majority of the hose will be before the coldplate. My mini-fridge get to about 42 degrees. Of course the keg is on the outside of the fridge at about 70 degrees.

Does anyone have any idea how much hose to use?
I have heard of people "going to do this." But does anyone have a working coldplate in a mini-fridge?