# 4mm Beer Line Length



## davelovesbeer (5/8/10)

I am just setting up my new beer fridge, 4 tap font on top of a chest freezer. I am trying to work out the length of beer line required. I am struggling to find anything with reference to 4mm line. Does anyone out there use 4mm that can give me an idea, as I dont want to stuff it up by cutting too short initially as it was a bugger to plumb the font the first time.


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## felon (5/8/10)

4mm line sounds very small. 5mm line requires very short lengths compared to 6mm.


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## felon (5/8/10)

At the bottom of this is a spreadsheet for balancing systems.
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=24


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## Verbyla (5/8/10)

I have 4mm beer lines and was told .5m-2m is fine


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## Pennywise (5/8/10)

Is that 4mm OD or 4mm ID? It's the ID that matters. Just start 2m long and cut 100mm off till you reach a happy point


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## davelovesbeer (6/8/10)

4mm ID. This is what was originally on the font, so I replaced it with the same stuff.

I have also read anywhere between 0.5 and 2m, just thought someone might be able to narrow it down a bit before I spend the day trying, although good excuse to have to have a beer, if an excuse is needed


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## JestersDarts (6/8/10)

felon said:


> At the bottom of this is a spreadsheet for balancing systems.
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=24


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## crozdog (6/8/10)

good to see that my spreadsheet is still getting used. 
 
I created it to help with calculating a balanced system as the formula etc you find are all in imperial measurements. If you don't care about setting up a balanced system, start at 2m & work down from there as previously suggested.

beers

crozdog


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## felon (6/8/10)

Thanks for the spreadsheet crozdog. I know a few friends of mine have found it usefull.


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## justsomeguy (6/8/10)

I use around 1.5m of 4mm ID line. Works a treat.

garyd


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## PistolPatch (7/8/10)

Would love to see the number of downloads on that spreadsheet of yours Crozdog. Must be thousands!

I have never heard of 4mm inside diameter beer line. Can I ask what the outside diameter is and what you guys are using to join it?

Interesting stuff.


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## davelovesbeer (7/8/10)

Yeah thanks for the spreadsheet croz. I used for my fridge a few years ago, and tried this time but as it didnt have the 4mm, I thought I'd ask around.

I did find a couple of resistance figures for 4mm, that came out between 1 and 1.5m, so migt start at around 1.7 and go from there.

The OD is 7mm. The font had short amounts of this when I got it, so I replaced it with the same stuff (I think I got it from Andale), so it would seal properly for the flooded bits.

To get it on the barbs, I found it easiest to put the end in a pot of boiling water on the stove, and leave it there for about a minute with the water boiling. Then get pointy nose pliers, and stretch the hole, shove in the barb, and the hose shrinks back as it cools. I wont tell you how long it took to realise that if I left it in the water boiling, it becomes a 2 minute job


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## justsomeguy (7/8/10)

PistolPatch said:


> Would love to see the number of downloads on that spreadsheet of yours Crozdog. Must be thousands!
> 
> I have never heard of 4mm inside diameter beer line. Can I ask what the outside diameter is and what you guys are using to join it?
> 
> Interesting stuff.




Its around 7mm OD. Goes in JG fittings nicely. Brewmart in Bayswater have it though you've got to ask specifically for it. Even though the ID is so small it easy to use as it goes really really soft in boiling water and goes on barbs really easily. I've had nore trouble getting 5 and 6mm ID line on barbs than the 4mm stuff.  

garyd


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## crozdog (8/8/10)

Pat, yeah it would be interesting to see  

If anyone can find out the resistance (per metre or foot in kpa or bar) for 4mm beer line I will add it to the table.

Crozdog


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## davelovesbeer (8/8/10)

I found 0.72bar/metre. I don't know if it is correct - but just what I found.


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