Kegerator Tubing – Barbed vs Flare Fittings – what should you use?
I think that the general consensus among homebrewers and home kegerator builders is that… MFL/Flare/Swivel connections are superior to barbed connections. That’s just my read on the situation, no scientific basis for that statement. After all, MFL swivel thingies look cool, they’re easy to attach and you can take tubing on and off easily and. The total solution, including swivels also generally costs more… more expensive = more better… right?
My take on the matter…
For gas lines: Personally, I prefer barb fittings on CO2 lines as they don’t loosen over time. Use a quality clamp and you have a solid connection that should not loosen or leak over time. Moving kegs and lines around could conceivably loosen MFL connections and a CO2 leak is invisible. Even a small, slow leak could equal an emptied CO2 tank.
For liquid lines: A liquid leak is a lot more obvious. A little dripping from a liquid MFL line would tell you that the line has loosened. I generally use flare swivels on liquid lines. I do still use barbs on tail pieces because that’s kind of a tight spot on my kegerator that makes it difficult to turn a wrench.
Of course you can use whatever you want. If you use MFL, I suggest periodically tightening swivels to make sure you always have a good, solid connection.
Or… DuoTight!
Kegland’s DuoTight Fittings are designed to work with EVABarrier Double Wall Tubing. They offer quick, reliable connections, easy implementation, a variety of fitting options and feature amazing versatility. They’re also, generally speaking, very well priced. DuoTights are push to connect fittings and require no tubing clamps.
DuoTights are… awesome. Check out my extensive Hands on Review
As it relates to leaks, I do recommend using these with DuoTights. Those really help to lock in connections.
Related DuoTight Reviews on How-To’s!
Buy DuoTight
- DuoTight Push In Fittings & EVABarrier Double Wall Draft Tubing at MoreBeer
- Search MoreBeer for “DuoTight” – to find components and accessories that may not show up on category pages.
- Kegland DuoTight Fittings and Accessories at William’s Brewing
- Search William’s Brewing for “DuoTight” – to find components and accessories that may not show up on category pages.
- DuoTight and EVABarrier at Keg Connection – coupon code HBF5OFF saves you 5%
- Search Amazon for “DuoTight” – offerings vary
- Search Amazon for “EVABarrier Tubing” – offerings vary
- DuoTight Compatible Locking Clips via Valuebrew
I Recommend These for DuoTight Fittings!
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