Low-Profile Hose Clamps

[michaeltrego]

I recently switched from brass quick disconnects to stainless Camlocks. I opted for the large ID fittings on the hose ends. First brewday impressions:

• pump throughput is amazing, probably 3X faster
• attaching/detaching connections is a little cumbersome, but will get better with practice
• smooth band, worm gear hose clamps are too bulky in tight spaces, such as chiller connections

So after a little research on low-profile clamps, I swapped out the stainless hose clamps for Gates PowerGrip clamps. They are thermoplastic/heatshrink and mainly used in the automotive industry. I have seen them mentioned in a few forum posts, but not much detail. The only downside is single use...once they are in place there is no turning back. Here are a few pictures of the setup:

• Large ID C Female Camlock (Farmhouse, Bobby_M, ProFlow)
• Gates PowerGrip 32922, fits 13/16"-15/16" OD hose (cheapest I found at RockAuto)
• PrimoChill Anti-Kink Coil 3/4" (found cheap on eBay, also FrozenCPU)
• 1" Heatshrink Tubing (found cheap on eBay)

I carefully sliced the 4 Gates clamps in half to make 8 clamps, and the 40" anti-kink coil was divided into 8 x 5" pieces.

 

[Bobby_M]

I like the shrink clamps and seriously considered offering them. I think the anti-kink additions may lead to annoyance when cleaning up.

 

[michaeltrego]

I like the shrink clamps and seriously considered offering them. I think the anti-kink additions may lead to annoyance when cleaning up.

Thanks Bobby - I think the shrink clamps would be a great option for you to offer. Re: cleaning with anti-kink: they actually stayed really clean during brew day. The annoyance was that the bare ends would catch on things and get pulled up - thus adding the heatshrink on the ends to prevent that. I originally tried heatshrink over the whole coil, but it became too stiff and defeated the main purpose.

 

[iijakii]

That is really clean and nice looking. Personally I'm one of those guys who lives dangerously and doesn't clamp. It takes me forever just to get the damn hose over the end of my fittings, I've never felt they were in danger of coming off with them being that tight.

 

[Yater]

Would the clamps work on beer and co2 lines in my kegerator? I really don't like the worm gear clamps. I would need a different size but would the handle the pressure.

 

[michaeltrego]

Would the clamps work on beer and co2 lines in my kegerator? I really don't like the worm gear clamps. I would need a different size but would the handle the pressure.

According to the manufacturer: "these clamps were designed to be used on a coolant system with system pressure of 20psi or less ... they have not been tested to higher pressures. "