Moving Co2 around the brewery

[mendodistilling]

Boo TGTimm beat me to it. haha.

[jcmccoy]

I just use Tri clap fitting for my Co2 lines. We have a 550lb co2 tank and have a few regulators that run a gas line to each fermenter and bright.

[yap]

Question for those using PEX-AL-PEX. Do you have these lines covered/insulated in some way? After exposure to UV light (even from ambient light) PEX begins to degrade. The standard house rated stuff isn't supposed to be exposed to light for more than 30 days from what I have read. I am considering running CO2/Air headers with it but once I pay to insulate it, I'm almost at the same price as copper....

[TGTimm]

I've had some serious problems with UV degradation using PE (white polyethylene) lines, but we have PEX lines that have been in use in the brewery for a couple of years now with no problems. Of course, all these lines are inside, so not getting direct sunlight. Glass is a fair UV barrier, especially high-E glass, so there's considerably less UV coming through a window than there is outside.

With PEX-AL-PEX, (Maxline) only the outside layer is exposed at all, as the aluminum layer is opaque.

If I were doing it again, I'd definitely go with the E-bay QDs mentioned above. I recently replaced all our QDs with (supposedly) SS single-cut-off (the female end has a cut-off) fittings from Foster. Turned out, the locking balls are not SS and I had to replace them all with 440C SS balls from McMaster--not too expensive, but a RPITA. I hadn't been able to find double-cut-off fittings in SS, and really wish we had them--the check valves on our Zahm stone fittings don't always completely seal. Too bad I just spent ~$300 replacing all our QDs!

[yap]

Circling back to this discussion regarding PEX-AL-PEX lines. I have been pricing stuff out and although the tube is cheaper than using copper the fittings definitely are not! I have several drops and it ends up being more expensive than copper for my application.

Something occurred to me though. I currently run a 3/8" braided PVC tube from the main CO2 tank to a regulator that runs a serving tank in my cooler. Been that way for 3 years with no problem. I used oetiker clamps to attach to barb fittings. This same tubing is available in 3/4" for pretty cheap. It's rated to 150 psi working/450 psi burst pressure. Why can't I just run my new CO2 and air lines with this? There has to be some simple reason that I am missing...can anybody point it out?

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=97920&catid=993

[TGTimm]

Other than the possibility (remote?) of O2 infiltration into the CO2 lines, I can't think of any downside.

The one thing to always avoid for any pressurized gas lines is rigid PVC--sch 40 or 80. When this stuff bursts, it produces really nasty shrapnel. And it will eventually burst.

[Bainbridge]

FWIW we have just been using 3/8" braided vinyl, splitting off to strategically placed drops with regulators. Been nearly 4 years, no problems, easy to change or repair. Put some shutoffs here and there in strategic places so if you need to work on a regulator or something you don't have to shut down the entire system.

[mmussen]

The only problem I've had with Vinyl tubing for CO2 was somewhere I worked they had the Vinyl run right up to the CO2 dewers. I discovered that if you're pulling a lot of CO2 and things start to freeze up the vinyl can get brittle and start to leak pretty quickly. Never had a problem further along the system.