Kegging Noob

[Gusmedic]

Hey all, I'm going in a couple of days to get my first keg system. But as I'm learning the ropes, I spoke with someone I know who sets up Professional keg systems at major events. He says all their liquid lines are 5/16" and they commonly use approx 7-9' per line but can sometimes need very long runs. He was surprised to learn homebrewers commonly use 3/16" line. Most of their stuff is also in the 10-12 psi range.
What the difference and why would a balanced system with 3/16" line work in our typical setup but given the same pressures he needs 5/16? He's dealing with barrel kegs not soda kegs, but why would that make a difference?
I also ask because he's got plenty of beer line he can give me, but it's 5/16. Most ball lock liquid adapters are also setup with either 3/16 or 1/4 barbs right?

 

[porterpounder]

It all depends on the height of the tap from the middle of the keg and temperature the beer is being kept at. There are many draft calculators online that will show you the issues with 5/16 line on a short draft system. It may be that he's running 5/16 line form kegs into long cooling coils which will increase resistance enough to give the proper dispensing pressures at the proper temp and pressure.

 

[TheHopfather]

Kegging is all about resistance in the line. You need the proper amount of resistance to ensure your beer doesn't foam. Don't quote me on this, but I believe commercial setups use 5/16" line because the lines are typically longer and the beer served colder than in a typical homebrew setup.

3/16" line works great for a kegerator. 10' of line will allow you to serve 4C beer at a variety of pressures. Commercial setups are typically serving lagers at 0C and 2.7 vol over long runs of tubing. Foaming isn't the major concern of that setup, rather pours per minute is what they are after.

 

[Gusmedic]

Thanks for the replies. Also, I'm looking into putting faucets through my garage fridge, my only concern is the kids making a mess. Are there any kid friendly faucets that prevent accidental pours?

 

[schatzke]

You can take some of that 5/16 stuff he has and probably use it for gas lines.
Flow control faucets you can tighten all the way up to prevent accidental discharge. There are also faucet locks that will prevent anything from being poured.

 

[Gusmedic]

Another Kegging question I have is about how the quicker turn around time affects the beer. I currently primary for 3 weeks then bottle condition for 3 weeks and am very satisfied with results.
If I primary for 3 weeks then cold crash, transfer to keg and let it sit in fridge for a week before serving, will the beer not finish out quite as well as the current method that gives it 3 additional weeks at room temp?

 

[55x11]

Another Kegging question I have is about how the quicker turn around time affects the beer. I currently primary for 3 weeks then bottle condition for 3 weeks and am very satisfied with results.
If I primary for 3 weeks then cold crash, transfer to keg and let it sit in fridge for a week before serving, will the beer not finish out quite as well as the current method that gives it 3 additional weeks at room temp?

conditioning at room temperature and with plenty of yeast present speeds things along certainly, having said that, the beauty of kegging is that you can try your beer immediately after kegging (discard the first pint or two) and then again and again - whenever you feel like it.

Right now you are saying 3 weeks fermenting and 3 week in bottles works for you but you have no idea how beer progresses during those 3 weeks of bottling.

You can always take the keg out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature to match aging that happens in bottles. The nice thing about kegging (and I am very recent and very reluctant - but also enthusiastic - convert to kegging) is that you can consume your beer when it's fresh - important for IPAs, you can make additions (spices, fruit, hops you name it) and that you can control carbonation level (both up and down) without waiting or guessing. Also you can have better control at removing oxygen than you would ever have with bottles. It's also much faster and easier.

I think all things considered kegging is superior practice, especially if you can bottle from the keg (very easy) for portability/gifting bottles. Except maybe sours and a few other special cases (super-long aging) where you don't want to contaminate the keg with bacteria/wild yeast or tie up a keg for very long period of time.