I should have looked here first but I have already cut my lines and attached the MFL’s and ball locks. The line length is 3 feet from keg to tap. Is this too short?
Thanks,
Brent
It depends on the ID of the line. Mine are 3’, and I use 3/16" ID lines. I think 1/4" ID lines need around 10’ in length. I used this calculator to determine my line length.
http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/ke ... raft-beer/[quote=“TeamAshBrewing”]It depends on the ID of the line. Mine are 3’, and I use 3/16" ID lines. I think 1/4" ID lines need around 10’ in length. I used this calculator to determine my line length.
http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/ke ... raft-beer/[/quote]I use 3/16" ID Beverage tubing. I don’t want to have a foaming issue.
Well if you already cut them give them a try. I use 12’ feet of 3/16" I get a slow pour but I can control the amount of head I want with the angle of my pour.
My lines are 3/16" and a little over 7’. Keg pressure is around 12psi and my pours are good. You just need to find a balance for your system and stick with it. I’ll echo the point to buy longer than you need and cut until you’re good.
Wow 12 feet seems excessive, especially considering all the leftover beer that sits in there between pints.
3/16 as well with 5ft lines. I’ve helped setup a few other homebrew kegerators using the same lines. Seems to be a pretty good balance and decent pours anywhere between 9 and 12 psi. This is all with the lines freely hanging, not coiled or anything. Resistance in the line can play a big part. Took me a few trial pours on my first build to figure that out.
Does it harm the beer to sit in the line? There really is not much beer in the line yeah it 12 foot but it’s 3/16 " prob like 1/8 of a pint if I had to guess.
Does it harm the beer to sit in the line? There really is not much beer in the line yeah it 12 foot but it’s 3/16 " prob like 1/8 of a pint if I had to guess.[/quote]
Right around four ounces. But, it’s presumably still in the cooler, and still under pressure, so I don’t think there’s much to harm there. By the way, I use eight feet of 3/16" line to balance my system.
Does it harm the beer to sit in the line? There really is not much beer in the line yeah it 12 foot but it’s 3/16 " prob like 1/8 of a pint if I had to guess.[/quote]
Right around four ounces. But, it’s presumably still in the cooler, and still under pressure, so I don’t think there’s much to harm there. By the way, I use eight feet of 3/16" line to balance my system.[/quote]
Good to know, so it’s a 1/4 pint. I’m sure I could go shorter. I started with 12’ and was gonna trim down till I got the pour I was looking for, but my pour is just how I want so I never trimmed them down. When I first started I had a picnic tap and 5’ line and I got foamy pours if I wasn’t careful. Now I have 3 perlics all with good pours no foam issues. Now if I could find more time to brew, the are all about to kick and I have no other beer. I haven’t been able to brewed this year 
[quote=“gdtechvw”]
Good to know, so it’s a 1/4 pint. I’m sure I could go shorter. I started with 12’ and was gonna trim down till I got the pour I was looking for, but my pour is just how I want so I never trimmed them down. When I first started I had a picnic tap and 5’ line and I got foamy pours if I wasn’t careful. Now I have 3 perlics all with good pours no foam issues. Now if I could find more time to brew, the are all about to kick and I have no other beer. I haven’t been able to brewed this year [/quote]
Naw, stupid me, you were pretty close, it turned out to be 1.8 ounces, just under 1/8 pint,after I realized something wasn’t right and recalculated it. For some reason my tired brain converted to cubic inches instead of ounces. My apologies… :oops:
[quote=“65SS427”][quote=“gdtechvw”]
Good to know, so it’s a 1/4 pint. I’m sure I could go shorter. I started with 12’ and was gonna trim down till I got the pour I was looking for, but my pour is just how I want so I never trimmed them down. When I first started I had a picnic tap and 5’ line and I got foamy pours if I wasn’t careful. Now I have 3 perlics all with good pours no foam issues. Now if I could find more time to brew, the are all about to kick and I have no other beer. I haven’t been able to brewed this year [/quote]
Naw, stupid me, you were pretty close, it turned out to be 1.8 ounces, just under 1/8 pint,after I realized something wasn’t right and recalculated it. For some reason my tired brain converted to cubic inches instead of ounces. My apologies… :oops: [/quote]
Well at least your brain realized your mistake, my stupid/lazy brain just took a wild guess. :cheers:
Use the calculator to balance the system and adjust beer lines or pressure as needed. You can also have different line lengths for different beers/volumes of carbonation you prefer.
I did a bit of googling last night to find some examples of what people do. Some people have longer or shorter lines depending on what they are going for. Some add parts to their dip tubes or lines to reduce foaming. There’s a lot of info and it seems a lot of options as well. So find what works for you and go with it. I am trying to balance my new system too. I figure it’s MY beer so I will find what I like and go with it 
9’ of 3/16" ID bev line at 44F and 11 psi makes for a very controllable pour on my taps. I think a good 12-18 seconds to fill a pint is the way to tell if you are pouring at the right velocity. It is nice to be able to control the amount of head that you desire. Some guests would have a VERY difficult time pouring a pint from a system with 3’ hoses. That beer is close to flying out and therefore difficult to control.
I agree. I just ordered 10 ft lines. The only things I have to figure out now is pouring temp and pressure.
I agree. I just ordered 10 ft lines. The only things I have to figure out now is pouring temp and pressure.[/quote]I order a box of 100 feet for around $42. Can’t beat it.
