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Main
Date: 29 Aug 2006 10:48:46
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Beer Line
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I recently tapped the last of two kegs in my kegerator, and
as usual went thru the line cleaning process. I was having
a lot of foaming issues for both lines, probably due to the
slowness of drinking two kegs (I'm the only one in the house
who drinks).
I noted that the lines had become discolored after 11 kegs,
so 6-7 on one side and 4-5 on the other. What is the expected
lifetime of 3/16th beer line? Do I need to use another cleaning
method? I've been using 1 TBSP of BLC in 1 Quart of hot water,
and I run it thru each line twice. Should I let it sit in the
line for a while?
--
Dan
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 15:29:05
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:48:46 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> I recently tapped the last of two kegs in my kegerator, and
> as usual went thru the line cleaning process. I was having
> a lot of foaming issues for both lines, probably due to the
> slowness of drinking two kegs (I'm the only one in the house
> who drinks).
>
> I noted that the lines had become discolored after 11 kegs,
> so 6-7 on one side and 4-5 on the other. What is the expected
> lifetime of 3/16th beer line? Do I need to use another cleaning
> method? I've been using 1 TBSP of BLC in 1 Quart of hot water,
> and I run it thru each line twice. Should I let it sit in the
> line for a while?
IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
to look ugly just replace them.
I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
John.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 10:40:02
From: The Artist Formerly Known as Kap'n Salty
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:48:46 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>I recently tapped the last of two kegs in my kegerator, and
>>as usual went thru the line cleaning process. I was having
>>a lot of foaming issues for both lines, probably due to the
>>slowness of drinking two kegs (I'm the only one in the house
>>who drinks).
>>
>>I noted that the lines had become discolored after 11 kegs,
>>so 6-7 on one side and 4-5 on the other. What is the expected
>>lifetime of 3/16th beer line? Do I need to use another cleaning
>>method? I've been using 1 TBSP of BLC in 1 Quart of hot water,
>>and I run it thru each line twice. Should I let it sit in the
>>line for a while?
>
>
> IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
> cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
> to look ugly just replace them.
>
> I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
> spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
You can get 3/16" line from your hardware store? I never seem to be able
to find 3/16" at the HW place.
--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)
Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html
Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 16:07:20
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:40:02 -0500, <mikey666@666swampgas.666com > wrote:
>> IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
>> cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
>> to look ugly just replace them.
>>
>> I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
>> spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
>
> You can get 3/16" line from your hardware store? I never seem to be able
> to find 3/16" at the HW place.
Home Depot. The one near me carries bulk spools of both 1/4" and 3/16",
probably others as well (3/8" siphon tubing).
John.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 12:28:32
From: Bob
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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"John 'Shaggy' Kolesar" <spam@shagg.net > wrote in message
news:slrnef8pmq.50d.spam@weizen.shagg.net...
> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:40:02 -0500, <mikey666@666swampgas.666com> wrote:
> >> IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
> >> cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
> >> to look ugly just replace them.
> >>
> >> I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
> >> spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
> >
> > You can get 3/16" line from your hardware store? I never seem to be able
> > to find 3/16" at the HW place.
>
> Home Depot. The one near me carries bulk spools of both 1/4" and 3/16",
> probably others as well (3/8" siphon tubing).
Food grade?
Bob
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 19:39:14
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:28:32 -0700, <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote:
>> Home Depot. The one near me carries bulk spools of both 1/4" and 3/16",
>> probably others as well (3/8" siphon tubing).
>
> Food grade?
I believe so, but I'd have to check. It's not specifically beverage
tubing, but is close enough that it should work fine.
John.
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:33:51
From: The Artist Formerly Known as Kap'n Salty
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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Bob wrote:
> "John 'Shaggy' Kolesar" <spam@shagg.net> wrote in message
> news:slrnef8pmq.50d.spam@weizen.shagg.net...
>
>>On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:40:02 -0500, <mikey666@666swampgas.666com> wrote:
>>
>>>>IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
>>>>cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
>>>>to look ugly just replace them.
>>>>
>>>>I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
>>>>spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
>>>
>>>You can get 3/16" line from your hardware store? I never seem to be able
>>>to find 3/16" at the HW place.
>>
>>Home Depot. The one near me carries bulk spools of both 1/4" and 3/16",
>>probably others as well (3/8" siphon tubing).
>
>
> Food grade?
>
Vinyl tubing approved for use with drinking water (which the HW stuff
typically is) can be considered food grade. You should be able to use it
for siphon lines, gas lines, etc.
Bear in mind as well that at 3/16", 5 or 6 feet holds very little beer.
--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)
Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html
Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!
|
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Date: 29 Aug 2006 19:40:21
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:33:51 -0500, <mikey666@666swampgas.666com > wrote:
> Vinyl tubing approved for use with drinking water (which the HW stuff
> typically is) can be considered food grade. You should be able to use it
> for siphon lines, gas lines, etc.
Yeah, that's the stuff. The place near me keeps it in the plumbing
section.
John.
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 08:40:56
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:48:46 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>I recently tapped the last of two kegs in my kegerator, and
>>as usual went thru the line cleaning process. I was having
>>a lot of foaming issues for both lines, probably due to the
>>slowness of drinking two kegs (I'm the only one in the house
>>who drinks).
>>
>>I noted that the lines had become discolored after 11 kegs,
>>so 6-7 on one side and 4-5 on the other. What is the expected
>>lifetime of 3/16th beer line? Do I need to use another cleaning
>>method? I've been using 1 TBSP of BLC in 1 Quart of hot water,
>>and I run it thru each line twice. Should I let it sit in the
>>line for a while?
>
>
> IMO, tubing is so cheap that I wouldn't spend a lot of time/effort on
> cleaning it. Do your normal cleaning routine, but when the lines start
> to look ugly just replace them.
>
> I usually buy tubing in bulk from the hardware store. I can get a 100 foot
> spool of tubing for < $20. That should last you years.
Has anyone replaced the lines in a 3" ABS two tap tower? Not sure how to get
up in there to replace the line.
--
Dan
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 14:54:40
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:40:56 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> Has anyone replaced the lines in a 3" ABS two tap tower? Not sure how to get
> up in there to replace the line.
I've got a different tower, but on mine the top opens up so that you can
get to the shanks inside and disconnect the tubing.
John.
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Date: 30 Aug 2006 12:45:22
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:40:56 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Has anyone replaced the lines in a 3" ABS two tap tower? Not sure how to get
>>up in there to replace the line.
>
>
> I've got a different tower, but on mine the top opens up so that you can
> get to the shanks inside and disconnect the tubing.
Hmmm, I bought the 3" black ABS from
http://www.undergrounddigital.com/draft/drafttowers.htm
I will try contacting them, but I'm guessing they probably
won't be much help.
If anyone else has purchased this type, let me know. I don't
want to tru taking off the top if its not meant to come off.
--
Dan
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Date: 31 Aug 2006 20:38:36
From: Richard W. Knight
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:45:22 -0400, Dan Logcher wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>> On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:40:56 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Has anyone replaced the lines in a 3" ABS two tap tower? Not sure how
>>>to get up in there to replace the line.
>>
>>
>> I've got a different tower, but on mine the top opens up so that you
>> can get to the shanks inside and disconnect the tubing.
>
> Hmmm, I bought the 3" black ABS from
> http://www.undergrounddigital.com/draft/drafttowers.htm I will try
> contacting them, but I'm guessing they probably won't be much help.
>
> If anyone else has purchased this type, let me know. I don't want to
> tru taking off the top if its not meant to come off.
>
>
I have a black ABS tower that looks very much like the one in the URL.
Unless it's been glued on, the top should pop off. Mine lifts off easily
and in fact I kept noticing it off and thought my 7 year old son was
playing with it it. Turns out, when I open the fridge door and then let it
slam shut, the top pops off the tower by itself. I may add a couple of set
screws just to hold the top on.
Rick Knight
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 10:01:51
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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Richard W. Knight wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:45:22 -0400, Dan Logcher wrote:
>
>
>>John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>>
>>>On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:40:56 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Has anyone replaced the lines in a 3" ABS two tap tower? Not sure how
>>>>to get up in there to replace the line.
>>>
>>>
>>>I've got a different tower, but on mine the top opens up so that you
>>>can get to the shanks inside and disconnect the tubing.
>>
>>Hmmm, I bought the 3" black ABS from
>>http://www.undergrounddigital.com/draft/drafttowers.htm I will try
>>contacting them, but I'm guessing they probably won't be much help.
>>
>>If anyone else has purchased this type, let me know. I don't want to
>>tru taking off the top if its not meant to come off.
>
> I have a black ABS tower that looks very much like the one in the URL.
> Unless it's been glued on, the top should pop off. Mine lifts off easily
> and in fact I kept noticing it off and thought my 7 year old son was
> playing with it it. Turns out, when I open the fridge door and then let it
> slam shut, the top pops off the tower by itself. I may add a couple of set
> screws just to hold the top on.
Good news Everyone!!! My top also comes off. Thanks for letting me know.
So when you replace the lines, do you remove the shanks from the tower to
do it? Its a bit tight in there to be pushing tubing on to the shank end.
--
Dan
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 14:32:04
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:01:51 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> Good news Everyone!!! My top also comes off. Thanks for letting me know.
> So when you replace the lines, do you remove the shanks from the tower to
> do it? Its a bit tight in there to be pushing tubing on to the shank end.
I leave mine on, but I've got a different tower with more room. There
should be a nut on the back of the shank inside the tower. It will
unscrew down the length of the shank and the whole thing should pull
through the hole towards the front. With only 3" of room, it does
sound like it would be a lot easier to pull it out first.
John.
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 13:04:22
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:01:51 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Good news Everyone!!! My top also comes off. Thanks for letting me know.
>>So when you replace the lines, do you remove the shanks from the tower to
>>do it? Its a bit tight in there to be pushing tubing on to the shank end.
>
>
> I leave mine on, but I've got a different tower with more room. There
> should be a nut on the back of the shank inside the tower. It will
> unscrew down the length of the shank and the whole thing should pull
> through the hole towards the front. With only 3" of room, it does
> sound like it would be a lot easier to pull it out first.
Yeah, I saw the nut and figured thats what I'd need to do. Cool.
So I wonder when they should be changed, by time or by number of
kegs, or how it looks? As of now its got a dull tinge of color to
it. Probably not bad at all. Just trying to gauge how others deal
with it.
--
Dan
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 17:41:09
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:04:22 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> Yeah, I saw the nut and figured thats what I'd need to do. Cool.
> So I wonder when they should be changed, by time or by number of
> kegs, or how it looks? As of now its got a dull tinge of color to
> it. Probably not bad at all. Just trying to gauge how others deal
> with it.
I'd go by looks. IE, change them when they start to look nasty. Just
a color tinge doesn't hurt anything as long as it's only something like
a stain. IE, iodophor will turn the tubing an orange color but it doesn't
hurt anything. If the color you're seeing is residue stuck to the inside
of the tubing, then it'd be time to change it. It's probably not going to
be related to age. Maybe number of kegs, but I'd personally just go
by visual inspection. Go through your normal cleaning routine, and if the
lines still look dirty then change them.
John.
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 14:27:20
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:04:22 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Yeah, I saw the nut and figured thats what I'd need to do. Cool.
>>So I wonder when they should be changed, by time or by number of
>>kegs, or how it looks? As of now its got a dull tinge of color to
>>it. Probably not bad at all. Just trying to gauge how others deal
>>with it.
>
>
> I'd go by looks. IE, change them when they start to look nasty. Just
> a color tinge doesn't hurt anything as long as it's only something like
> a stain. IE, iodophor will turn the tubing an orange color but it doesn't
> hurt anything. If the color you're seeing is residue stuck to the inside
> of the tubing, then it'd be time to change it. It's probably not going to
> be related to age. Maybe number of kegs, but I'd personally just go
> by visual inspection. Go through your normal cleaning routine, and if the
> lines still look dirty then change them.
Thanks for the help John (and everyone else). I've only put 10 kegs thru
so far.. I use BLC once or every other keg unless it starts foaming too much.
I just recently cleaned them and noted the color tinge. I'll try swabbing
with a Q-tip and see if its gunk or just stain.
--
Dan
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 18:37:51
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Beer Line
|
On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:27:20 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> Thanks for the help John (and everyone else). I've only put 10 kegs thru
> so far.. I use BLC once or every other keg unless it starts foaming too much.
> I just recently cleaned them and noted the color tinge. I'll try swabbing
> with a Q-tip and see if its gunk or just stain.
If I look closely at it I can usually tell if the tubing is opaque (residue)
or just discolored but still "see through" (stained).
John.
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Date: 01 Sep 2006 14:37:46
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Beer Line
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:27:20 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the help John (and everyone else). I've only put 10 kegs thru
>>so far.. I use BLC once or every other keg unless it starts foaming too much.
>>I just recently cleaned them and noted the color tinge. I'll try swabbing
>>with a Q-tip and see if its gunk or just stain.
>
>
> If I look closely at it I can usually tell if the tubing is opaque (residue)
> or just discolored but still "see through" (stained).
Its just discolored and I can still see through. So I'll hold off on that.
But thanks. At least I know I can, and how, to replace the lines.
--
Dan
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