Using 3/16 line for gas

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Simonh82

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I'm planning a new kegerator at the moment and wanted to ask about gas lines.

At the moment I have a 2 keg kegerator in an under counter fridge. I can fit two of the newer tall kegs side by side and fit a 3.15KG CO2 bottle behind them on the compressor shelf. I'm using standard 3/8" gas line split between the two kegs.

In my new kegerator, which will be in a tall larder fridge, I want to fit four kegs in, which means the gas bottle will be outside.

I know I should be able to run a gas line in through the drain hole but one of the kegs will be for fizzy water (a strong selling point for my wife) and this will be at 20-25psi where as the beer will be at 12psi. I plan on having a secondary regulator to manage the different pressures.

With this setup, could I use a short length of 3/16" line to get two gas lines through the drain hole? I know that it would obviously take longer to bring the kegs back up to pressure after pouring a pint but I don't often serve many pints back to back so I don't see that as an issue. Is there a problem with using 3/16 gas line to get through the drain hole?
 
I'm planning a new kegerator at the moment and wanted to ask about gas lines.

At the moment I have a 2 keg kegerator in an under counter fridge. I can fit two of the newer tall kegs side by side and fit a 3.15KG CO2 bottle behind them on the compressor shelf. I'm using standard 3/8" gas line split between the two kegs.

In my new kegerator, which will be in a tall larder fridge, I want to fit four kegs in, which means the gas bottle will be outside.

I know I should be able to run a gas line in through the drain hole but one of the kegs will be for fizzy water (a strong selling point for my wife) and this will be at 20-25psi where as the beer will be at 12psi. I plan on having a secondary regulator to manage the different pressures.

With this setup, could I use a short length of 3/16" line to get two gas lines through the drain hole? I know that it would obviously take longer to bring the kegs back up to pressure after pouring a pint but I don't often serve many pints back to back so I don't see that as an issue. Is there a problem with using 3/16 gas line to get through the drain hole?
I used 3/16 and it caused a leak having reduces and so on it was so slight even soapy water couldn't detect it. I only noticed when i turned gas off and it lost pressure
 
I use 3/16 for gas. It makes no difference to pouring and there are no leaks at my JG fittings.
 
3/8" is pretty well universal in Pubs. It was picked on probably because it causes no throughput issues. Now compare your household to a busy Pub. Can you imagine throughput issues at home using the 3/16 tube?

Of course not. Even if there was the gas pressure would soon catch up (within seconds). Homebrewers only use 3/8 'cos a few odds and ends come with 3/8 fittings by default. Never seems like a good reason to struggle with yards of inflexible 3/8 myself. Use 3/16 if you want to.

I've used 4mm ID polyurethane for eons, slightly bigger than 3/16 MDPE but even more flexible. The fittings are cheaper too (from pneumatics retailers, though aquarium users use this stuff too).
 
I use 3/16 as it was easier to route through the drain hole rather than drilling holes in the fridge
 
You can also use reinforced PVC food grade tubing, it is really flexible and it’s burst pressure is really high. I know of at one person using 3/16 beer line that has had it go pop but there are also quite a few that use it with no issues. I think the important thing if using JG fittings is to try and ensure there is no shear stress on them.
 
Couldn’t you just get a 3/8” drill bit and make the hole a bit digger?
It will be a new fridge so I don't really want to void the warranty. I will also need two tubes as the regulators will be on the outside and will be serving kegs with varying pressures.
 
If you don't want to use 3/16 line, you could have a single 3/8 line at a higher pressure (4-5 BAR; a "bus" line) split in the fridge to supply two "secondary" regulators. Getting more expensive though?
 
If you don't want to use 3/16 line, you could have a single 3/8 line at a higher pressure (4-5 BAR; a "bus" line) split in the fridge to supply two "secondary" regulators. Getting more expensive though?
I'm happy to use 3/16" line if it's OK to do so. It seems like it probably is, so that's fine.
 

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