The cure for your short hose troubles

[day_trippr]

Woof! That's a lot of coin for each of those suckers, and given I might follow a pale with a sprightly wheat, I'd need multiple different values for each faucet.

I'll stick with the mixers, sanitized with the same cheap vodka with which I fill my ferm locks...

Cheers!

 

[Daedalus]

I have two of the swizzles as a second attempt. They did not work so well the first time because my beer was over carbonated. Now that I let this one slowly carbonate, they work like a charm!

Do you guys reuse these from batch to batch?

 

[starrfish]

I clean with rubbing alcohol (as they are not acid resistant) and reuse

 

[day_trippr]

I have two of the swizzles as a second attempt. They did not work so well the first time because my beer was over carbonated. Now that I let this one slowly carbonate, they work like a charm!

Do you guys reuse these from batch to batch?

All the time. When I have a keg kick I always clean the Out dip tube anyway so that's when I pop out the sticks and drop them into some cheap vodka. When I'm done cleaning the keg and filled it with sanitizer I shake out the sticks and pop them back in their original nozzle tubes for storage 'til they're needed again...

Cheers!

 

[TwoGunz]

I got some of these this week and think they're awesome. They make so much sense it's surprising you don't see a product on homebrew sites to do this. Likewise, all over the forums people talk about longer hoses... This is better!

 

[CidahMastah]

I got some of these this week and think they're awesome. They make so much sense it's surprising you don't see a product on homebrew sites to do this. Likewise, all over the forums people talk about longer hoses... This is better!

Don't people always talk/wish for a longer hose? haha

I agree - people who aren't getting good results aren't doing something right because many people out there are having success (I am one of them). These are great for getting your spaghetti out of your keezer.

Right now I am trying to figure out how much line resistance they add. I estimated that they are similar to adding ~5ft of beer hose at about 3volumes of carb (give or take) with no gravity factored in. So i went with 2.2 R per ft for 3/16 bevlex x 5 feet to get 11R per mixer stick from mcmaster car. From there I said let's call it about 10 R per mixer stick.

Nothing exceptionally scientific about how I got to that. It just seemed like a lot of people were reporting that with a 5ft hose they were foaming and a 10ft hose gave a good poor, or 1 mixer stick added + a 5 ft hose.

My current set up is unique though for a couple lines. Two lines I have are factored in with gravity and 1/4 '' lines.

For reference to those folks who even want to run a bar line up to the first floor with a basement see below:

Gravity = 10ft x .5r = 5R
+ Line = 1/4'' bevlex 15ft x .65 = 9.75R
-----------------------------------
= 14.75R (this ran too fast if carbed to 3 volumes and foamed so I added 1 mixer stick and nice slow pour to perlick faucets)
with mixer stick ~24.75

My bevlex 3/16'' line in my keezer on a party tap was 5ft and foamed at about 3 volumes. Added a mixer stick and nice slow pour.

gravity = 0
+ Line R = 2.2x5 = 11R (too fast and foaming)
With Mixer stick ~21R



Point being, if you factor in for your system with the numbers I have above you will be pretty darn close and can tweak as you need. I am setting up a stout line so I will see how far off my numbers are

 

[TwoGunz]

Oh man, you had to go get scientific on us. I reduced your equation:

2 mixers + some bit of hose = sort of slow but good nuff pour!

 

[CidahMastah]

Oh man, you had to go get scientific on us. I reduced your equation:

2 mixers + some bit of hose = sort of slow but good nuff pour!

Haha that is the reality though - this isn't an exact science.

I will be peeved though if the perfect pour is 2 mixer sticks and some length of hose... + 5 feet more than I cut hahah. Then I will have to start all over again. The main thing is I want to get close so I can replicate results.

I just vented my guinness in the hopes that it will be flat enough by the time I set up the stout faucet!

 

[datamike]

They do work well. However, there definitely is some interaction between the beer and the plastic, as over months/years they become quite brittle.

Fortunately I have a friend in the metalworking industry who made me essentially the same thing, but made of 316 stainless. They work awesome and will last forever.

Unfortunately, it's not economically viable to manufacture and sell them. They'd have to retail for around $14.

Michael

I got some of these this week and think they're awesome. They make so much sense it's surprising you don't see a product on homebrew sites to do this. Likewise, all over the forums people talk about longer hoses... This is better!

 

[CidahMastah]

They do work well. However, there definitely is some interaction between the beer and the plastic, as over months/years they become quite brittle.

Fortunately I have a friend in the metalworking industry who made me essentially the same thing, but made of 316 stainless. They work awesome and will last forever.

Unfortunately, it's not economically viable to manufacture and sell them. They'd have to retail for around $14.

Michael

Too bad we couldn't get a bulk buy on those!

 

[TwoGunz]

Hmm.. I don't like that they'll get brittle, makes me wonder if I'm drinking plastic.

 

[CidahMastah]

Hmm.. I don't like that they'll get brittle, makes me wonder if I'm drinking plastic.

But these are very brittle to start with (I broke a couple just fat fingering them while cleaning). Then with them being cold, they would be even more so brittle. Guess I am saying... are we sure that these are getting more brittle due to wear? or just from factors like the above?

 

[Double_D]

They do work well. However, there definitely is some interaction between the beer and the plastic, as over months/years they become quite brittle.

Fortunately I have a friend in the metalworking industry who made me essentially the same thing, but made of 316 stainless. They work awesome and will last forever.

Unfortunately, it's not economically viable to manufacture and sell them. They'd have to retail for around $14.

Michael

These things would still be cheaper at $14 than the Insta balance at 15.99 before shipping. Plus your's is easier to clean since it's not mesh.

 

[ekjohns]

i would be all for a bulk buy, datamike make it happen!

 

[P-J]

They do work well. However, there definitely is some interaction between the beer and the plastic, as over months/years they become quite brittle.
...l

Give me a break. The mixer pieces are dirt cheap: "over months/years" - ???

How about replacing them after a keg batch or three?

Months???
Years???

How often do you replace your beer lines? Years?

 

[BrewersKaramazov]

This might help your "short hose troubles". MAXODERM

Glad to see someone went there.

 

[datamike]

My point was simply that there seems to be a chemical interaction between the beer and the plastic. I'd rather not have them in my beer if that's the case. I have no way of knowing how long, or at what levels they begin to degrade. Pure speculation on my part. Your experience may vary....

I am glad they're working out for you.

Carry on....

Michael

Give me a break. The mixer pieces are dirt cheap: "over months/years" - ???

How about replacing them after a keg batch or three?

Months???
Years???

How often do you replace your beer lines? Years?

 

[CidahMastah]

Give me a break. The mixer pieces are dirt cheap: "over months/years" - ???

How about replacing them after a keg batch or three?

Months???
Years???

How often do you replace your beer lines? Years?

Haha - It may sound bad, and perhaps it is. But I have my beer lines in and have had never changed them (because it is a PITA for my set up). They have been in for over a year. I think I have given a total of 3 good and hot concentrated PBW soaks on the lines. I plan on taking everything aprt over thanksgiving. So I will see how bad they look! haha

I can't imagine that they are any worse than drinking bottled water... This is one of those things that falls into the line of... the beer is worse for your health than if you ate one mixer stick per keg of brew.


Now if I had the opportunity to replace the plastic mixers with all food grade stainless... I would do it if possible because in general I don't like plastic in contact with foods, etc unless there isn't another reasonable option.

 

[camiller]

...
Fortunately I have a friend in the metalworking industry who made me essentially the same thing, but made of 316 stainless. They work awesome and will last forever.
...
Michael

Seems like it would be easier/cheaper to simply put a flat flange on some 1/8" ID stainless tubing as a replacement for the dip tube instead of milling an epoxy mixer out of stainless.

Heck, it shouldn't be too hard just to figure out what diameter straight stainless rod you could drop down the dip tube to give the equivalent resistance.

 

[day_trippr]

I bet some enterprising person could take some thin 1/4" wide stainless steel strip, chuck it into a drill, put enough twists into it to produce essentially the same device, then market the heck out of it...

Cheers!

 

[datamike]

The ones I had made are not CNC milled, but extruded through a die I believe - using big, expensive machinery. They are quite rigid.

I am not sure how the "1/8" tubing with a flat flange" or a "1/4" strip chucked into a drill" would work exactly, but seems like there's a market if you can do it cheap enough.

Good luck!

Michael

Seems like it would be easier/cheaper to simply put a flat flange on some 1/8" ID stainless tubing as a replacement for the dip tube instead of milling an epoxy mixer out of stainless.

Heck, it shouldn't be too hard just to figure out what diameter straight stainless rod you could drop down the dip tube to give the equivalent resistance.

 

[camiller]

...
I am not sure how the "1/8" tubing with a flat flange" ... would work exactly...
Michael

Basically what I am suggesting is to replace the 1/4" dip tube with a 1/8" dip tube. Since there is no such thing as a 1/8" dip tube you would have to fabricate one by taking 1/8" tubing and weld/solder a flat piece with a 1/8" hole in it to the top of the tube like the flange on a normal 1/4" dip tube. The narrower tubing would provide more resistance.

 

[datamike]

Sounds like an idea! Let us know how it turns out.

Michael

Basically what I am suggesting is to replace the 1/4" dip tube with a 1/8" dip tube. Since there is no such thing as a 1/8" dip tube you would have to fabricate one by taking 1/8" tubing and weld/solder a flat piece with a 1/8" hole in it to the top of the tube like the flange on a normal 1/4" dip tube. The narrower tubing would provide more resistance.

 

[ekjohns]

like this

 

[Double_D]

Why not just put the 1/8 tube inside the 1/4? I like to over complicate things. But what is the diameter of the 1/8"? Is that I.D. or O.D.?

 

[CanadianQuaffer]

They do work well. However, there definitely is some interaction between the beer and the plastic, as over months/years they become quite brittle.

Fortunately I have a friend in the metalworking industry who made me essentially the same thing, but made of 316 stainless. They work awesome and will last forever.

Unfortunately, it's not economically viable to manufacture and sell them. They'd have to retail for around $14.

Michael

Personally I think $14 per is a steal if it:
a) reduces foam
b) lasts forever
c) won't react with your beer at all and
d) you only need one per keg.

If your friend can make more, sign me up!

 

[camiller]

Why not just put the 1/8 tube inside the 1/4? I like to over complicate things. But what is the diameter of the 1/8"? Is that I.D. or O.D.?

1/8" ID, somewhere either earlier in this thread or somewhere else somebody suggested putting 1/8" ID plastic hose inside a dip tube, which seemed to work IIRC. Just putting 1/8 stainless, which would have thinner walls would not cause much restriction because beer would flow around the outside as well as the inside. If I did the math right a solid stainless rod about .1" or .11" insert in the tube would be about the same restriction....

((((.125 ** 2) * pi) - (((.125 / 2) ** 2) * pi)) / pi) ** .5 = 0.108253175

a 1/8" four foot long stainless rod is $3.36 at the first place I checked.

At any rate, my system works with 8' of beer line so I have no need for any of these solutions, I'll leave it for others to test If I ever set up a portable system I may try this to see what happens.

 

[CidahMastah]

1/8" ID, somewhere either earlier in this thread or somewhere else somebody suggested putting 1/8" ID plastic hose inside a dip tube, which seemed to work IIRC. Just putting 1/8 stainless, which would have thinner walls would not cause much restriction because beer would flow around the outside as well as the inside. If I did the math right a solid stainless rod about .1" or .11" insert in the tube would be about the same restriction....

((((.125 ** 2) * pi) - (((.125 / 2) ** 2) * pi)) / pi) ** .5 = 0.108253175

a 1/8" four foot long stainless rod is $3.36 at the first place I checked.

At any rate, my system works with 8' of beer line so I have no need for any of these solutions, I'll leave it for others to test If I ever set up a portable system I may try this to see what happens.

The 1/8'' rod idea is interesting. Simply cut it to length to get the correct restriction. Where would you buy rod like this? I assume HD doesn't have it (or at least I haven't see it.)

 

[edmanster]

Does the mixer sticks cause any turbulence? If the idea is to drop the pressure or cause restriction couldn't you add a series of crimps in the tube? I could see it being a problem putting in and taking out your dip tube.. Or better yet how about a rounded cutting bit on a pipe cutter to deform the ID smaller in series? I'm sure the tube would grow in length and become delicate from thinning the wall but I guess cleaning would be problematic with both scenarios just talking out my bunghole guys...lol..

 

[fasttimes]

I've been using some of these mixing sticks for a while now. And although they definitley slow down the pour it seems to me that they may be knocking out the gas from the beer as it flows over the mixers. I just find the beer doesn't have much carbonation after I pour. Yes, I don't get a glass of all foam, but now I hardly get a head at all. Does anyone else see this happening?