Hose Coupling Comparison

[benfarhner]

As I'm planning my brewery upgrades, I want to get some nice thick-wall silicone tubing for all my hoses and some stainless steel couplings. It looks like the 3 main options here are quick disconnects, tri-clover fittings, and camlock/cam-and-groove fittings.

I'm looking for something that's easy to use, easy to sanitize, and suitable for hoses that will be moving around several times during a brew. What are the pros and cons here between these three?

Also, I only have experience with quick disconnects, so I was hoping to find some videos of camlocks and tri-clovers in action, but I haven't been able to find anything. Does anyone have any footage demonstrating usage on their brew systems?

 

[LordUlrich]

I have used both camlocks and triclover fittings, and quick connects in unrelated applications. Personally I use Camlocks for my homebrew system, and used triclovers on a pro system and like them better. In my opinion....

Camlocks
Cheep, Middle ground for ease of cleaning, can be used 1 handed (takes practice).

As far as using, you push the male and female fittings together, and pull back both levers, not too complex. I have not seen a video though.

Triclovers
Easy to clean, there is no male/female fitting (can swap things around) but hard to do 1 handed (takes a lot of practice), and kind expensive, especially in smaller sizes, bigger sizes are easier to use (4 in are the easiest to get sealed in my experience)

To use these, you place a gasket in the grove on the face of one of the fittings, push the other fitting against the first, lining up the grove with the gasket, and then put the clamp around the flange on both fitting. Then tighten the clamp for a leak prof seal.

QDs
One handed use, but kinda pricey, and hard to clean.

So those are my thoughts, hope it helps.

 

[benfarhner]

Thanks, LordUlrich. I'm leaning towards the tri-clovers now, but everything's still in the early planning stages. At first I was worried about moving the hoses around a lot and the tri-clovers being too slow, but if I set my system up right, I won't have to move hardly anything around once I'm brewing, so that's really a non-issue. I like the sexless aspect too.

 

[bbrim]

I use Camlocks and I have been so happy with them. They are very easy to use and clean (I just recirculate PBW). They are very easy to install, and relatively cheap. Good luck.

 

[experimike]

I use silicone hose and slide onto stainless steel hose barbs. Simple, cheap, one handed operation and fewer parts to clean. The only time I use a hose clamp for leaks is when I put the silicone tubing over smooth copper tubing and on the poutput side of my pump. I use a March 815 pump for vorlaufing and transfer of mash to boil kettle and transfer of hot wort through CFC. I used to use clamps on the barbs as well but over time find that I do not have any leaks so it makes it all very simple.

 

[30Bones]

Camlocks here, only because my keggles came with them. Otherwise I would be fine using barbs and no clamps.

I have never used QD's in brewing, but they always leak on air tools (way more psi) and I would imagine are a PITA to clean out well.