Camlock confusion

[philistine]

Is it just me, or does ordering camlocks online start out simple and then rapidly escalate into massive confusion?

Im building a herms hex from scratch (in my head) and just ordered all the fittings and then got reeeeeaaaallllllllllly confused....

Pretty sure i have all the fittings i need now - as well as a bunch that i dont [emoji21]

 

[dblunn]

It's not you. It is a confusing game, especially for new players.

 

[TheWiggman]

If you have everything drawn on a piece of paper how each part connects to each it shouldn't be too confusing.
I have all my female camlocks (the bit with the arms) on barbed fittings so the camlocks are on the hoses. This is standard practice in industry so that when you're removing the hose you're pulling the cam arms in the opposite direction to the hose. This prevents the hose from blowing out should it be under pressure.
It's then a matter of ordering female camlocks by sorting them all by their thread, be it male or female.

 

[quadbox]

The other reason it's standard to have the female camlocks on the hose is because you dont ever want the cam arms to foul up on whatever you're screwing the fixed part into... Which doesnt happen on the hose end

I agree with thewiggman that it's all about having it drawn out on paper clearly. If all your threads are consistent (All half inch BSP parallel, for example) it's a lot easier than if you're throwing converting bushes and nipples into the mix though.

(3/4" camlocks dont fit with 1/2" camlocks afterall)

 

[buckerooni]

Agree having a sketch with the types (i.e. type C) marked makes it pretty straight forward, esp. if you want some elbows thrown in the mix.

Very interesting. I liked the idea of the female camlocks on the pot/pump for elegance- simple looking hoses, although there a few reasons not to now. Along with the reasons above, the other concern about having the male end on the hose was around damage to the male fitting if dropped, potentially causing leaks etc.

Back to the drawing board for me, literally!

 

[philistine]

interesting to know...
I initially wanted female couplings on both ends of the hoses, but changed my mind to suit what I thought was industry standard, in that male fittings always point in the direction of the flow. Male = out Female = in

I did a sketch in the end, but that was after I bought a few 'extras';-)
Incidently, a few of the extras are actually type C's (the most expensive ffs) , so I can probably change the design to all-female hose couplings without having to buy anything else...

 

[woodwormm]

i've got a heap of 2 arm camlocks that have always been a pain to use

got a single arm one from Beerbelly (no affilliation) the other day. OMFG! single arm camlocks are the bomb! so easy to do one handed and even easier to do with 2!

i'll be changing all mine over when i finally decide on the brewery design for long term ... (aka the next couple years until I get bored and want to build another!)

 

[technobabble66]

Really?!? DJ_L3thal has a setup with 1-arm cam locks throughout. It's a real pain in the arse to close his connections compared to my 2-arm ones.
Well, that's how it seemed on the weekend. Maybe his silicon washers are not as compacted as mine (?) [emoji15] (though they're similar age)

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Uh oh, named and shamed! Is this my walk of atonement?

Haha yeah techno I think that lower can lock you had to fiddle with on the short RIMS hose is one of the problem ones. Think the silicone seals are quite hard to compact, if they get a starsan spray before connecting they are easily done one handed. But yes there are times I question my one armed camlock decision, although haven't had experience with two armed ones. Is there another silicone camlock seal supplier other than keg King or the eBay dude selling the red ones in Aus?

 

[technobabble66]

Apologies DJ :unsure:

TBH, i hadn't thought of the benefits of being able to close the camlock one-handed.
Maybe if the silicon washer gets a little more compacted, they'll be the bomb.
OTOH, I always use 2 hands to handle & open/close the cam locks - it helps ensure i'm thinking about what I'm doing (e.g.: have i closed the tap?, etc) and hopefully aren't pushing/pulling too heavily on the tap, etc.

Hey DJ, are you keeping your camlocks connected during the week's down-time? It'll help compact the washers. Worked well for me!

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Haha I was having a laugh mate!

I too use two hands mostly, I didn't think into the purchase too much before I got them. Too expensive to changeover and what would I do with all my one armed anyway?

I tried leaving them hooked up, think it was even for a couple of months when I didn't brew but that didn't seem to make a huge difference. I always need to star San spray the seal if they are dry before doing up, not sure how that affects compression of the washer etc, but it works so I take it as if the brew lords word.