Swivel Nut Flares Connectors... what standard?

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VikeMan

It ain't all burritos and strippers, my friend.
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Anyone know what is the standard for the threaded flare connectors used with corny keg disconnects? like this one...
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Are they JIC or something else? TIA!
 
They are MFL (Male Flare) and FFL (Female Flare). Thread is 7/16-20 UNF. JIC -4 is also 7/16-20.... not sure if the flare is the same though. Lots of flare adapters available from brewery fitting vendors. What are you trying to do? I'll see if I can find a JIC -4 sitting around and see if it seals against a MFL/FFL.
 
Ugh. I think I missed the point here. Sorry 'bout that.
But now I'm curious why the OP wants to know the thread style...

Cheers!
 
The reason I'm asking is because I want to source parts that will seat properly with threaded corny disconnects, for spunding valve builds. I've had some where there was a slow leak there, and this is one of the variables I want to eliminate.

ETA: I believe "male flare" and "female flare" are generic terms and can apply to several different specs.
 
You are correct, there are many subtypes of flare fittings that aren't perfectly interchangeable due to threading specs. That said, I have not run into any problems in that regard wrt brewery plumbing...

Cheers!
 
There are 37 and 45 degree fittings, some do the AN, etc.

My tactic has been to order from places that specialize in brew stuff, assuming their parts are compatible (i.e. Flare Fittings : The CHI Company, New and used beverage equipment for Homebrewing, Home winemaking, Soda systems and used Pepsi vending equipment), and the other things is to not forget the nylon washers when there's metal-metal going together (Nylon Flare Fitting Washers [Nylon Flare Washers] : The CHI Company, New and used beverage equipment for Homebrewing, Home winemaking, Soda systems and used Pepsi vending equipment).

I've solved my leaks ever since.
 
standard plumbing “flare“ works fine and seals. But you want 1/8” female flare from the plumbing supply to connect to corny 1/4“ flare disconnects.

at least that’s worked for me at the local ace hardware shop. HD/Lowe’s never seem to have anything below 1/4”.
 
You are correct, there are many subtypes of flare fittings that aren't perfectly interchangeable due to threading specs. That said, I have not run into any problems in that regard wrt brewery plumbing...

My tactic has been to order from places that specialize in brew stuff, assuming their parts are compatible (i.e. Flare Fittings : The CHI Company, New and used beverage equipment for Homebrewing, Home winemaking, Soda systems and used Pepsi vending equipment),

Do either of you know of a "brewery plumbing 1/4" Female Flare" x 1/4" MPT adapter?
 
Using a washer a -4 JIC plug sealed against a FFL at 60psi. Threads are the same, end angle looks the same. Think it's safe to say the the "flare fittings" commonly sold at brewery supplies for kegging -4 JIC fittings.

That was above and beyond the call. Thanks!

ETA: BTW, what tubing is that? (I've had some issues with duo-tight fittings being fussy.)
 
Cheers! (Our Aussie brethren are so advanced wrt beer tubing, fittings, faucets. WTH? ;))

They're making up for all those years of no mash tuns, no active wort cooling, and packaging in twisty cap PET bottles?
 
An update. The fitting I had a leak issue with was the LASCO 17-6783:
lasco-17-6783jpg.image.150x150.jpg

It's recommended as replacement for the hard-to-find (Amazon is usually out of stock) Eaton 1/4″ NPT Male x 1/4″ Female JIC fitting by at least one spunding valve build site. I contacted LASCO and learned that their 17-6783 is in fact a 45 degree fitting, and not a 37 degree JIC. Well damn. So I found the Eaton JIC fitting (P/N 2018-4-4S) at new-line.com:
71f1bazJ5gL._SL1299_.jpg


New-line is in Canada, but they do ship to the U.S. I have half a dozen en route. (I also found this part at Grainger, but it's way more expensive, even when factoring in shipping.)
 
Do you need the swivel? If not the $8 one from brewers hardware I linked above will work

The swivel is nice. But if I couldn't get it, I'd try the one from brewers hardware, which (I assume) is also JIC.
 
The swivel is nice. But if I couldn't get it, I'd try the one from brewers hardware, which (I assume) is also JIC.

I have old Firestone Spartanburg Pin Lock kegs with 9/16"-18 post threads. I'm looking for an adapter to 1/4" male flare.
All I can find from homebrew vendors are for Cornelius kegs with 19/32"-18 post threads. I did check with CHICompany and they could make it work combining 3 fittings. Not ideal and total is more than twice the cost of the one below.

Will this work?
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I have old Firestone Spartanburg Pin Lock kegs with 9/16"-18 post threads. I'm looking for an adapter to 1/4" male flare.
All I can find from homebrew vendors are for Cornelius kegs with 19/32"-18 post threads. I did check with CHICompany and they could make it work combining 3 fittings. Not ideal and total is more than twice the cost of the one below.

Will this work?






.
Sounds like you want to connect the adapter straight to the keg threads but you could get a pin lock QD with a flare connection as a fall back. Take the poppet out if you wanted to increase the flow.
 
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I wonder if there is any concern about the plating of hydraulic fittings vs. (presumably) a fitting targeted to food/beverage use? Are not the 1/4" MFL/FFL fittings typ. stainless steel (other than perhaps a plastic flare cone or seal washer)?
 
Sounds like you want to connect the adapter straight to the keg threads but you could get a pin lock QD with a flare connection as a fall back. Take the poppet out if you wanted to increase the flow.
The fermenter has a racking arm and I pressure transfer from the fermenter to the keg. I currently use a QD but if dryhopping in the fermenter, the QD clogs. The poppet is needed to depress the stem in the QD to allow liquid to flow.
 
I wonder if there is any concern about the plating of hydraulic fittings vs. (presumably) a fitting targeted to food/beverage use? Are not the 1/4" MFL/FFL fittings typ. stainless steel (other than perhaps a plastic flare cone or seal washer)?
The fitting on Amazon is stainless steel.
 
Whatever you put on the keg threads has to seal by compressing an o-ring on a dip tube (gas or liquid). I don't know if that adapter will. It will also need a flare washer on the other end.
 
The fermenter has a racking arm and I pressure transfer from the fermenter to the keg. I currently use a QD but if dryhopping in the fermenter, the QD clogs. The poppet is needed to depress the stem in the QD to allow liquid to flow.
OK. So you want the poppets out of the way to pressure transfer and you are dry hopping in the fermenter. But if you take the keg post off, how will the keg be sealed after the transfer? You may already have that part solved just not seeing it.
 
You could take both poppets out, QD and post, transfer, then put the keg post back on with the poppet. That's not closed though, but you could purge, your call. You'd want a filter on the bev out though so as not to clog the keg posts later. I use keg hop stoppers on my NEIPA's. Interesting problem as I just got a uni. I think cold crashing will drop the hops but I haven't been doing that myself. I've been using hop bags for a long time to avoid hop clogging on transfer and also the hop stoppers.

What type of fermenter and can you cold crash?
 
OK. So you want the poppets out of the way to pressure transfer and you are dry hopping in the fermenter. But if you take the keg post off, how will the keg be sealed after the transfer? You may already have that part solved just not seeing it.
This is what currently do:
Flush and pressurize the sanitized kegs and chill overnight.
Connect tubing between racking arm ball valve and keg beverage out with long dip tube
Release keg pressure using PRV in keg lid leaving keg full of CO2.
Connect CO2 to lid of fermenter and pressurize to about 3 psi bursts.
Open racking arm ball valve and beer is pushed to the keg from the bottom up while expelling CO2 out the PRV.
When keg is full, close ball valve and the PRV
The keg headspace is still CO2 but not under pressure.
Remove flare fitting and screw on post.
Pressurize to 12 psi CO2 via gas in.

I just want to replace the keg beverage out post/QD with the flare adapter. I have a Cornelius keg with the 19/32"-18 flare adapter from homebrew vendor and it works fine but almost all of kegs are Firestone 9/16"-18. All I need is a 9/16"-18 flare adapter.

My basic question in the 1/4" Male JIC end of the Amazon fitting work with a swivel nut? Is a swivel nut flare 37 or 45 degrees?
 
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Yes it will. I'm not a fan of wrenching connections on and off for transfers and the bore of a flare is only marginally larger than the opening though the poppet so I'm not really convinced it's worth it.
 
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This is what currently do:
Flush and pressurize the sanitized kegs and chill overnight.
Connect tubing between racking arm ball valve and keg beverage out with long dip tube
Release keg pressure using PRV in keg lid leaving keg full of CO2.
Connect CO2 to lid of fermenter and pressurize to about 3 psi bursts.
Open racking arm ball valve and beer is pushed to the keg from the bottom up while expelling CO2 out the PRV.
When keg is full, close ball valve and the PRV
The keg headspace is still CO2 but not under pressure.
Remove flare fitting and screw on post.
Pressurize to 12 psi CO2 via gas in.

I just want to replace the keg beverage out post/QD with the flare adapter. I have a Cornelius keg with the 19/32"-18 flare adapter and it works fine but almost all of kegs are Firestone 9/16"-18. All I need is a 9/16"-18 flare adapter. My basic question in the 1/4" Male JIC end of the Amazon fitting work with a swivel nut?

Yes it will. I'm not a fan of wrenching connections on and off for transfers and the bore of a flare is only marginally larger than the opening though the poppet so I'm not really convinced it's worth it.

I agree, but right now I sometimes have to stop mid-transfer to disassemble the QD and/or the keg post and poppet to clear the dry hop debris. I was assuming a straight shot flow through the flare would alleviate that with one fitting swap at the end.
 
I agree, but right now I sometimes have to stop mid-transfer to disassemble the QD and/or the keg post and poppet to clear the dry hop debris. I was assuming a straight shot flow through the flare would alleviate that with one fitting swap at the end.

How about a medium coarse screen on your racking port valve first?
1706247615024.png
 
I think I'll just order the fitting from Amazon.
With Prime its only $10 with free shipping. If it doesn't work, returns are free.
 
Am I missing something? If you take the keg post off and put a flare on it, it won't hold CO2 in the behinning. And if you want to tap it, a keg post is missing.
 
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