Switching gas lines to EvaBarrier / Duotight

[RyPA]

I would love to convert once the red EvaBarrier hose becomes available, but my 6 way and 2 way gas manifolds have barbed valves on them and, despite by best efforts, I can't remove them. I have tried unscrewing the barbed valves to replace them with threaded valves, but can't get them to budge. I do not want to spend the money to buy new manifolds which can be expensive, particulary since my current gas set up is working just fine.

I had the same issue with my two way manifold and had to buy a replacement. The hex nut on the fittings were getting mangled in the process of trying to remove them. I wonder if the manufacturer used an adhesive to help prevent leaks.

My current/now previous gas setup was fine but I wasn’t a fan of those heavy duty red lines and my kegerator sees mostly NEIPA’s/WCIPA’s, so potentially cutting out some more o2 with evabarrier only helps.

 

[day_trippr]

I wonder if the manufacturer used an adhesive to help prevent leaks.

Most likely used some type of sealant, I have a handful of manifolds and they were all gooped vs taped.
Heat will set fittings free...

Cheers!

 

[sibelman]

I'd be careful mounting anything through a wall.

If mounting location is still an issue, @RyPA may want to consider the door.

 

[RyPA]

If mounting location is still an issue, @RyPA may want to consider the door.

I had no issues with mounting to the wall.

 

[pvpeacock]

Finally got a roll of red EvaBarrier hose and 6 replacement ball valves with flared threads instead of hose barbs. It was a royal pain, but I was able to remove the existing ball valves from the manifold using brute force. Yes, they were glued in place. I added the new ball valves with teflon tape and no leaks where the ball valve threads into the manifold! I then added the threaded Duotight connectors to the new ball valves, added the EvaBarrier hoses with Duotight gas ball lock disconnects and voila! I do not think I have any leaks after testing all the connections with Starsan, but only time will tell.

Pro's:
-smaller hoses that are easier to route and reroute in my keezer
- no hose clamps
-red color makes it easy to distinguish between gas and beer lines
-easy to replace hoses without the need for tools

Con's:
-the Duotight connectors stick out farther than the hose barbs did

Unknown:
- leaks?
- longevity?

 

[Deadalus]

Finally got a roll of red EvaBarrier hose and 6 replacement ball valves with NPT threads instead of hose barbs. It was a royal pain, but I was able to remove the existing ball valves from the manifold using brute force. Yes, they were glued in place. I added the new ball valves with teflon tape and no leaks! I then added the threaded Duotight connectors to the new ball valves, added the EvaBarrier hoses with Duotight gas ball lock disconnects and voila! I do not think I have any leaks after testing all the connections with Starsan, but only time will tell.

Pro's:
-smaller hoses that are easier to route and reroute in my keezer
- no hose clamps
-red color makes it easy to distinguish between gas and beer lines
-easy to replace hoses without the need for tools

Con's:
-the Duotight connectors stick out farther than the hose barbs did

Unknown:
- leaks?
- longevity?

This was for a rail type of manifold? Usually the shutoff valves are flare threads on the out side. Threads on the manifold are usually NPT though. Asking because the Duotight adapters for ptc are usually flare or 1/4" BSP threads and not NPT.

I don't know what is the procedure these manifolds are assembled under but it can be quite difficult to get parts unscrewed! If the loss of a couple of bucks won't hurt, sometimes easier to buy a new manifold. I've changed the valves out before but the last one I did had 3 leaks. It was just for my O2 (2 lines) so I decided to assemble a small ptc manifold instead as I had a few spare parts for it.

 

[pvpeacock]

You are right. It was NPT into the manifold and flared on the other end for the Duotight connector. I will fix my prior post.

 

[Deadalus]

You are right. It was NPT into the manifold and flared on the other end for the Duotight connector. I will fix my prior post.

Adapters seem easy to mix up when writing them out, even when properly selected and installed! I do it sometimes too. And you may know this and didn't do it, but you mentioned teflon tape and that wouldn't be needed on the flare fitting.

I'd limit any Starsan contact time on the ptc fittings. They've been improving these but still not sure about possible degradation. I don't leave them soaking.

The cutter tool is handy to have both for cutting and the forked end for tubing removal. I just broke mine though. An adjustable wrench can be used too for removal.

I figured you had the flare x ptc adapters as they are longer than the BSP x ptc adapter. Manifolds attached to keezer collars might need a little height lift if switching out the shutoffs to avoid the freezer rim. Or maybe an offset behind the manifold.

 

[pvpeacock]

I only used Teflon tape on the NPT threads going into the manifold, not the flared threads.

 

[RyPA]

My evabarrier gas lines are still working perfectly, no leaks and much less annoying than those thick red hoses.

 

[Yesfan]

I used colored electrical tape and a Sharpie to mark the lines. Green 1-4 for gas, and orange 1-4 for beer. Did the same for my kegs so I could see the "in" and "out" easier in low light.