11 replies to this topic

[haeffnkr]

Hi All,

 

In Dec of 2014 I finally tracked down the final source of some of my beers going cidery/vinegar/lacto and it was the fact that my co2 lines where dirty and infected a few months before that I had some beer back up almost to the regulator and I left it alone for a few months and it got all funky.

I replaced all the lines with clear tubing, replaced/cleaned/soaked/disambled the fittings and cleaned/soaked the manifolds and rebuilt/cleaned the regulators. 

 

I have the same issue again now on my light lager 11 months later and I am going to get a new regulator (the old/current ones I have are used and who knows what it went though).

So I am going new from the tank to the kegs... tired of this stuff.

 

That all said, assuming you dont get any beer backed up into your co2 lines on accident.

How often are you all swapping out co2 lines?  Do you swap out all hoses or just from the manifold to the kegs? 

 

thanks Kevin

[HVB]

I have only changed them if they have liquid in them or if they were too short for some reason.  I have never replaced them just to replace them.  I did get the inline filter after the last thread about CO2 though.  I have that installed between my tank and manifold.

[positiveContact]

as long as they look clean, never.

I have only changed them if they have liquid in them or if they were too short for some reason.  I have never replaced them just to replace them.  I did get the inline filter after the last thread about CO2 though.  I have that installed between my tank and manifold.

 

what's the filter for?

[HVB]

as long as they look clean, never.

 

what's the filter for?

There was a thread a bit back, I think it was by the OP, about gunk in CO2 tanks and the filter was a cheap way to prevent it from getting in the lines.

[positiveContact]

There was a thread a bit back, I think it was by the OP, about gunk in CO2 tanks and the filter was a cheap way to prevent it from getting in the lines.

 

what kind of gunk?

[HVB]

Sorry, it was not a thread by the OP, my apologies.

 

https://www.brews-br...g-beer-with-co2

Edited by drez77, 18 November 2015 - 08:49 AM.

[denny]

Never...at least not so far and that's 15 years.

[haeffnkr]

Never...at least not so far and that's 15 years.

 

Wow.... you never had any beer up the line, maybe the tank went dry and push up the hose on a full keg?  No issues with sticky exhausted co2 getting in the line and just sitting in there and getting funky?

 

thanks Kevin

[stlinch]

Never...at least not so far and that's 15 years.

This.  I did change them when I upgraded from a 3 tap to a 4 tap tower about 6 years ago.

[neddles]

My guess is that getting a fresh regulator is probably not a bad idea since you have been through this twice and the regulator was used to begin with. I wouldn't have the first idea how to properly clean and sanitize one but someone here might.

[porter]

I've never changed mine. Never even crossed my mind.

[gnef]

I just changed mine out, I had been using that line for around 10 years or so, and I was updating the rest of my tubing, so I wanted to unify my tubing to all bev seal ultra. I know it is a waste for CO2 lines, but I am using John Guest fittings for the gas side, and the semi rigid works better than PVC for the gas lines. Also, since it is barrier line, oxygen permeability is effectively zero, and I can easily sanitize and flush the lines if I ever need to, and it is very quick and easy to remove the lines and reattach, or cut new lines if I want to. I really just like having only one tubing on hand. I had previously standardized to 3/16" ID x 3/8" OD for the John Guest fittings.