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Author Topic: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?  (Read 1394 times)

Offline MattyAHA

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ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« on: January 03, 2020, 04:46:30 pm »
Anybody use ice maker/water lines (polyethylene i believe) for dispensing beer? i can get a lot for really cheap and much cheaper then actual beer lines so curious if anybody done this and is its a good or bad idea? cheers
Matty


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Offline Bob357

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Re: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2020, 06:51:33 pm »
All of the icemaker line I've see is thin wall and made to be used with compression fittings. If you feel like adapting everything both on the gas and liquid side to compression fittings, go for it. Unless you can find specifications for the line resistance, you'll need to start off with extremely long lines and tune as needed to balance the system.
All of that said, you can get decent quality beverage line for about $.75 per foot. Save your time and the cost of adapting to compression and just spring for line that's made for the job.
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Bob357
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Offline Robert

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Re: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2020, 07:06:32 pm »
Skip the old vinyl beverage and gas line.  Just gives you stale tasting beer sitting in the line, you need long runs to get the correct restriction, and yeah, it goes for about $0.75 a foot.  The only line worth considering, now that it's finally available in the USA, is EVA barrier tubing.  The most effective oxygen barrier material available, offers sufficient restriction that you can run 3-5 foot beverage lines at typical serving temperatures and pressures, it uses super easy push-to-connect fittings, is as flexible as vinyl (coils to less than a 2 inch radius,) and -- the kicker -- it only costs $0.38 a foot.  Currently available from William's Brewing and MoreBeer, starting to be carried by others.  I switched everything over and am ecstatic.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline goose

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Re: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2020, 07:59:11 am »
Skip the old vinyl beverage and gas line.  Just gives you stale tasting beer sitting in the line, you need long runs to get the correct restriction, and yeah, it goes for about $0.75 a foot.  The only line worth considering, now that it's finally available in the USA, is EVA barrier tubing.  The most effective oxygen barrier material available, offers sufficient restriction that you can run 3-5 foot beverage lines at typical serving temperatures and pressures, it uses super easy push-to-connect fittings, is as flexible as vinyl (coils to less than a 2 inch radius,) and -- the kicker -- it only costs $0.38 a foot.  Currently available from William's Brewing and MoreBeer, starting to be carried by others.  I switched everything over and am ecstatic.

Based on your recommendation, Rob, I am thinking of switching to this from the 1/4" Bevelex tubing I am currently using.  I would like to use the smaller ID stuff (5/32") so as not to have lines as long as 10' but I have 1/4" hose barbs on my Perlich faucets and according to WIlliams' site, I probably won't get them to fit over the barb.  Need to so some additional thinking on this. 
Goose Steingass
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Offline Robert

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Re: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2020, 09:01:52 am »


I would like to use the smaller ID stuff (5/32") so as not to have lines as long as 10' but I have 1/4" hose barbs on my Perlich faucets and according to WIlliams' site, I probably won't get them to fit over the barb.  Need to so some additional thinking on this.

Goose, this goes right on the shank, replacing the tailpiece:

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/DuoTight-8mm-To-Sankey-Thread-P4684.aspx

If you have a tower and need a 90°  tailpiece, they have this which accepts push-to-connect fittings:

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Intertap-DuoTight-Tower-Shank-P4815.aspx
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

I'd rather have questions I can't answer than answers I can't question.

narvin

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Re: ice maker/water lines for fridge for beer line?
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2020, 12:43:05 pm »


I would like to use the smaller ID stuff (5/32") so as not to have lines as long as 10' but I have 1/4" hose barbs on my Perlich faucets and according to WIlliams' site, I probably won't get them to fit over the barb.  Need to so some additional thinking on this.

Goose, this goes right on the shank, replacing the tailpiece:

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/DuoTight-8mm-To-Sankey-Thread-P4684.aspx

If you have a tower and need a 90°  tailpiece, they have this which accepts push-to-connect fittings:

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Intertap-DuoTight-Tower-Shank-P4815.aspx

Got all this stuff up and running.... you're right, it's great.  Would definitely recommend, and it's relatively cheap.