The cure for your short hose troubles

[SwampSquash]

Does anyone have issues with foam due to the beer moving over the surface area of the epoxy tubes?

 

[Bobby_M]

Anyone ever try 1/8" line?

I have tried using 1/8" ID, 1/4" OD polyethylene tubing. I had to use short piece of regular beerline as a coupling between the poly and barbs with two clamps on each end. The max pressure this can handle is around 20psi. Someone else tried it and I think it blew at 30psi and it would be really bad news to lose a full keg of beer. It would be awesome if someone would have some 3 foot lengths made up with flared ends molded in.

 

[akthor]

Why would you do that? You take the tubing and slide it into your dip tube.

I have tried using 1/8" ID, 1/4" OD polyethylene tubing. I had to use short piece of regular beerline as a coupling between the poly and barbs with two clamps on each end. The max pressure this can handle is around 20psi. Someone else tried it and I think it blew at 30psi and it would be really bad news to lose a full keg of beer. It would be awesome if someone would have some 3 foot lengths made up with flared ends molded in.

 

[akthor]

Oh you tried to use it for serving hose?

 

[pjj2ba]

Maybe someone could make and sell some 1/8" ID SS dip tubes with the same flare as the standard issue version (maybe with a small o-ring to help center it in the port). How about it Bobby_M? Maybe swage a SS flare onto some PE tubing? That could be really inexpensive as long as one has the equipment to do it.

Cornies were designed for serving sodas, not beer. So why do we have to use them as they are. Modify! (that should be the hombrewers creedo)

 

[BigJerk]

This looks helpful

 

[jtrainer]

Maybe someone could make and sell some 1/8" ID SS dip tubes with the same flare as the standard issue version (maybe with a small o-ring to help center it in the port).

Interesting idea... I know a guy who knows a guy who saw the equipment at his cousins neighbors house while over for a birthday party for a local retiree...

I'm gonna make a couple calls...

 

[ekjohns]

what is the difference between making a SS 1/8" ID tube and sticking a 1/8" ID poly tube in the dip tupe you already have?

 

[akthor]

They mean a 1/8" ID tube on the outside for serving.

 

[pjj2ba]

what is the difference between making a SS 1/8" ID tube and sticking a 1/8" ID poly tube in the dip tupe you already have?

I would say probably the biggest advantage would be cleaning and sanitation. There is a LOT of surface area between a regular diptube and an inserted poly tube. Lots of places for critters to hide. Yes the poly can be removed and everything cleaned and sanitized, but it would be a lot easier to not have to. And many of us are lazy


Also, no we are talking about the dip tube itself, not the serving tubing

 

[ekjohns]

i tried the 1/4" OD Poly tubing in the dip tube and it caused a bunch of foam in the tube so i guess thats out. trying to decide between a SS spring or the epoxy mixers. I would just go with the mixers but the whole formaldehyde worries me

 

[P-J]

i tried the 1/4" OD Poly tubing in the dip tube and it caused a bunch of foam in the tube so i guess thats out. trying to decide between a SS spring or the epoxy mixers. I would just go with the mixers but the whole formaldehyde worries me

I use the mixers in my setup for club soda. It's carbed at 40 psi at 40°. Works a charm and there is NO off taste and I have no worries about using them. Hell, I'm more worried about the crap food manufacturers put into the stuff we eat.

 

[cgondoli1]

So, i tried everything except 10' hoses. I have a 4.4ft mini fridge so 10' coils would be a pain. I tried the water line,epoxy mixers in the dip tube,low pressure. the only thing i found that worked was 1/2 a mixer inserted in the shank. worked like a charm @40deg and 12psi with 2.5ft lines Thanks to all HBT posters who have got me this far.

 

[ekjohns]

i bought a 1/4" OD SS 20" compression spring from Mcmaster carr I will try when I get it. My thought is that it will work similar to the mixers by a) making the path of the beer more disrupted as it has to move around the springs and b) dramatically increase the surface area the beer touches thus adding a butt load of resistance. Ill report back when I get the results. Might be a good alternative to the epoxy mixers and the formaldehyde that comes with it

 

[EFaden]

i bought a 1/4" OD SS 20" compression spring from Mcmaster carr I will try when I get it. My thought is that it will work similar to the mixers by a) making the path of the beer more disrupted as it has to move around the springs and b) dramatically increase the surface area the beer touches thus adding a butt load of resistance. Ill report back when I get the results. Might be a good alternative to the epoxy mixers and the formaldehyde that comes with it

Thought about doing that... I'm curious how it works. Can you send a link to the item so I can see just what you went with...

 

[ekjohns]

part number 9663K18

 

[ekjohns]

i tried the spring and it slows the pour but im getting foaming in my lines. I also got foaming in the lines with the 1/4" OD Poly tubing. I am assuming its nucleation. Does anyone know of a good fix for the poly tubing to prevent the foaming in the beer lines? I aready tried hitting the ends with a lighter but it didnt help

 

[EFaden]

i tried the spring and it slows the pour but im getting foaming in my lines. I also got foaming in the lines with the 1/4" OD Poly tubing. I am assuming its nucleation. Does anyone know of a good fix for the poly tubing to prevent the foaming in the beer lines? I aready tried hitting the ends with a lighter but it didnt help

Were you getting the same foaming w/o the spring?... e.g. is the spring the cause of the foaming?

 

[ekjohns]

I get the same amount of foam with both but the flow rate is slower with the tubing or spring. However, I have a bunch of small bubbles in my 10' beer line that i didnt have without anything which leads me to believe the foam is coming from the diptube with the spring or poly tubing.

 

[ajwillys]

I get the same amount of foam with both but the flow rate is slower with the tubing or spring. However, I have a bunch of small bubbles in my 10' beer line that i didnt have without anything which leads me to believe the foam is coming from the diptube with the spring or poly tubing.

If you let it sit for awhile, do you get bigger pockets of air forming in the tubing? If so, you could have a small leak somewhere that's causing air/co2 to build up in the tubing over time, usually in the "high spots" of the tubing. This causes major foaming.

EDIT: It might be better to move any debugging to a new thread. If you open a new thread in the Bottling/Kegging forum you'll probably be able to nail down the problem pretty quickly.

 

[ekjohns]

So why cant i just sanitize the epoxy mixers with some 70% rubbing alcohol, let them air dry in the protective outter casing, flush them with some sterlize water (from a pressure cooker) and drop them in? according to this chart delrin is great for beer and all types of alcohol. As far as phosphoric acid its pretty bad. Anyone see a problem with this logic

http://www.omsdive.com/delrin_chem_chart.html

 

[akthor]

did you say earlier how long your lines were?

I have 10' hoses and the 1/4" poly hose inserts and perfect pour everytime.

 

[ekjohns]

12.5" 3/16 of tygon b-44-4x (super slick on the inside)

 

[akthor]

Inches? 12 1/2 inches? That would be your problem. Nothing u can do to prevent foaming with lines that short.

 

[EFaden]

Inches? 12 1/2 inches? That would be your problem. Nothing u can do to prevent foaming with lines that short.

I am assuming he meant 12.5' and not 12.5".... but yeah, that would be a problem.

 

[ekjohns]

sorry i ment 12.5' as in feet

 

[ekjohns]

does anyone have problems with my previous post about sanitizing these with 70% alcohol? I assume this will prevent all formaldehyde leaching making these that much safer and no need to worry about anything harmful leaching from them

 

[pjj2ba]

70% alcohol (either ethyl, or isopropyl) will work just fine. I keep my stir bars in this as well.

 

[ekjohns]

awesome, now I have no reserves using these bad boys....yeah for getting on the bandwagon!

 

[zman]

I need to add this to my next order with them