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Draft system question - beer line ID vs. shank ID

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  • Draft system question - beer line ID vs. shank ID

    Quick question- do the shank and beer line ID’s need to match? Would it cause a problem for instance to use 3/16” line with a 1/4” bore shank (or vice-versa)?

  • #2
    Should be fine to use 3/16" line on 1/4" shank. Heat the line in some warm water and jam it on there. Not recommended to go the other way around as you'll need to really clamp the line and you'll have a pocket to trap liquids (very hard to clean).

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    • #3
      3/16 to 1/4

      Besides brewing, I own a draft company. I understand what you are asking and I have ran into this with some shanks (made by Krome) being 1/4" ID while I was running 3/16" barrier line to the shank. You will be fine.

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      • #4
        Excellent! Thanks for the feedback!

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        • #5
          Going down in size, and staying that way is fine. Be sure you know the restriction of your faucets and shanks, as this is important in balancing your system.

          What you want to avoid at all costs is a restriction in the line that opens out afterwards. I had to add length to a system I was fixing once, and just got some 3/16" hose-menders from the hardware store. It turns out that these are actually smaller than 3/16" OD. We had horrible foaming problems until I replaced those with ones made for beer serving line, which are a true 3/16" OD. The restriction in the choker lines was creating a venturi effect, which caused the beer to break out badly immediately downstream of the hose menders.
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

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          • #6
            Should have included this in the original question:
            I have 1/4" shanks already - haven't picked up the tailpieces yet. If I want to go with 3/16" line, should I get 3/16" tailpieces or 1/4"?
            Same questions for the barbs on the coupler end.

            Or would I be best off to just go with 1/4" line and tailpieces? (it's going to be a really short line run - not more than 4-6' tops).

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            • #7
              I'd go with the 3/16" tailpieces to prevent experiencing the problem I wrote about above. I doubt it would matter at the shank like this, but better safe than sorry.
              Timm Turrentine

              Brewerywright,
              Terminal Gravity Brewing,
              Enterprise. Oregon.

              Comment

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