Whats the difference in kegerator hoses?
Kegerator hoses allow the beer to flow from the keg to the tap, and are usually thicker than regular vinyl hoses. Hoses you find in a hardware store may tell you right on them 'Not for water line use' or something similar, they have thin walls and may not be a tight fit allowing air to leak in causing foaming problems. 3/16" I.D. vinyl tubing is used for the beer hose in most applications where the distance between the keg and the faucet is less than 5'. The small I.D. (inside diameter) provides the correct restriction to the beer flow balancing against the pressure applied to the keg.
This can be a little confusing on how all this works. Length of the inner diameter (I.D.) of the beer hose is calculated to balance against the CO2 pressure that is carried out to the keg. This controls the beer flow and makes sure the beer poured from the tap is not too fast. This is called "restriction" and the more restriction that is added to the system the slower the beer flows from the tap. Most Homemade Kegerators [http://www.homemadekegerator.com] use a 5' length of 3/16" I.D. vinyl hose, wich is the perfect size for most kegerators using 12-14 lbs of air or CO2 pressure.
I.D.--Inside Diameter, O.D.--Outside Diameter, used to measure thickness of the vinyl hose.
If your keg is further away than 5', you will need a longer hose and a hose that is a little thicker with your Inner Diameter (I.D.). If your kegerator 3/16' I.D. vinyl hose is longer than 5' then this may cause the beer to flow slower and restrict the how much CO2 you are using. Forcing you to turn up the CO2 pressure in your kegerator to overcome the restriction. Your beer will now flow faster, but since you turned up the CO2 it now may be over pressurized causing your beer to foam. Try to keep the keg no more than 5' from your tap to avoid this problem.
So when tapping your keg try to keep your CO2 level the same as your brewer, and any change in this could change the taste, appearance, and the way it pours. Typically for your Homemade Kegerator [http://www.homemadekegerator.com] 12-14 lbs of CO2 will work.
This can be a little confusing on how all this works. Length of the inner diameter (I.D.) of the beer hose is calculated to balance against the CO2 pressure that is carried out to the keg. This controls the beer flow and makes sure the beer poured from the tap is not too fast. This is called "restriction" and the more restriction that is added to the system the slower the beer flows from the tap. Most Homemade Kegerators [http://www.homemadekegerator.com] use a 5' length of 3/16" I.D. vinyl hose, wich is the perfect size for most kegerators using 12-14 lbs of air or CO2 pressure.
I.D.--Inside Diameter, O.D.--Outside Diameter, used to measure thickness of the vinyl hose.
If your keg is further away than 5', you will need a longer hose and a hose that is a little thicker with your Inner Diameter (I.D.). If your kegerator 3/16' I.D. vinyl hose is longer than 5' then this may cause the beer to flow slower and restrict the how much CO2 you are using. Forcing you to turn up the CO2 pressure in your kegerator to overcome the restriction. Your beer will now flow faster, but since you turned up the CO2 it now may be over pressurized causing your beer to foam. Try to keep the keg no more than 5' from your tap to avoid this problem.
So when tapping your keg try to keep your CO2 level the same as your brewer, and any change in this could change the taste, appearance, and the way it pours. Typically for your Homemade Kegerator [http://www.homemadekegerator.com] 12-14 lbs of CO2 will work.
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