about gas line

[gedmac]

hi all i,m about to convert from s30 gas to pub style cylinders,i,ve sourced everything except the tubing.is standard clear beer line sufficient or do i need specific tubing for gas,nb have seen a set photo where a grey tubing is used.thanks in anticipation,cheers.

 

[foxbat]

Standard clear 3/8 line all round for me. Don't know what the opaque tubing signifies. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that.

 

[gedmac]

Thanks for your reply foxbat clear tuning it is then couldn’t fathom any reason myself cheers

 

[peebee]

The grey tubing is the same as the clear, except that it's grey and opaque! They are both Medium Density Poly-Ethylene (MDPE). You can use either for gas or beer, but clear is convenient for beer ('cos you can see when it has run out) and grey for gas ('cos you don't have to see anything) and having them different means its less easy to muddle up if you've got two or more kegs.

I don't use it for gas anyway, it's too stiff and causes all sorts of problems routing it about the place. I use 6mm (OD) polyurethane (and 8mm), like used for aquariums, and finger-tight metal connectors because they don't leak and are (oddly) cheaper than John Guest. But I'm stuck with the 3/8 MDPE stuff for beer line (I tried the much more flexible silicone tubing for beer-line - until it taught me it is incredibly porous to oxygen - yeuck).

 

[BeerCat]

Standard clear 3/8 line all round for me. Don't know what the opaque tubing signifies. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that.

Is that the same stuff used for syphon tubes? I have the very rigid gas line and it makes it very difficult to work with. I was thinking of getting this. I presume its flexible.

 

[peebee]

Is that the same stuff used for syphon tubes? I have the very rigid gas line and it makes it very difficult to work with. I was thinking of getting this. I presume its flexible.

No. Syphon tubes are usually PVC. You might use PVC for beer-line (I do, in a limited fashion) but I'm not sure if its dimensionally stable enough for high pressure (8psi +)? Might also leach plasticisers? PVC tubing is usually sold by bore dimension (ID), MDPE by outside dimension (OD). The link points to polythene (MDPE) tubing which you are probably using now; and look, even more colours and a suggested colour code.

Polyurethane tubing is flexible and good with CO2 under pressure and comes in a wide range of sizes (most often - always? - metric) but is too soft to use with JG fittings (although you can get metric push-fit fittings for this tubing - I think it's too soft and creates leaks) - you need to get used to the various pneumatic fittings with this tube.


EDIT: This is the bunch I get my tubing and fittings from:
Online Shop:http://www.contextpneumatics.com/
Online Catalogue:http://www.contextpneumatics-catalogue.co.uk/default.aspx
You have to do a bit of hunting through it to get anywhere, and be fairly confident of what you are up to, but you end up with much better quality kit that cost less too. This is a direct link to the fittings I use: https://www.contextpneumatics-catal...1&level1=47162&level2=54410&stockistown=False

 

[gedmac]

interesting comments from you all i will stick with the clear for now but will look into polyurethene cheers3:

 

[simon12]

I ordered some recently and had the choice of clear PVC or translucent MDP I ordered the MDP but can't remember what they said the difference was.

 

[BeerCat]

No. Syphon tubes are usually PVC. You might use PVC for beer-line (I do, in a limited fashion) but I'm not sure if its dimensionally stable enough for high pressure (8psi +)? Might also leach plasticisers? PVC tubing is usually sold by bore dimension (ID), MDPE by outside dimension (OD). The link points to polythene (MDPE) tubing which you are probably using now; and look, even more colours and a suggested colour code.

Polyurethane tubing is flexible and good with CO2 under pressure and comes in a wide range of sizes (most often - always? - metric) but is too soft to use with JG fittings (although you can get metric push-fit fittings for this tubing - I think it's too soft and creates leaks) - you need to get used to the various pneumatic fittings with this tube.


EDIT: This is the bunch I get my tubing and fittings from:
Online Shop:http://www.contextpneumatics.com/
Online Catalogue:http://www.contextpneumatics-catalogue.co.uk/default.aspx
You have to do a bit of hunting through it to get anywhere, and be fairly confident of what you are up to, but you end up with much better quality kit that cost less too. This is a direct link to the fittings I use: https://www.contextpneumatics-catal...1&level1=47162&level2=54410&stockistown=False

Thanks for the info, appreciated. :)