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I use Quick Disconnect fittings on my brewing equipment because basically, I HATE BARB FITTINGS!  It should be obvious by now that I wanted to go to any lengths possible to avoid these pesky little bastards.  So now that my brewing equipment was basically barb-free, what about my kegs and other brewing gadgets?

Being in the pneumatic and hydraulic industry, I was familiar with some of the really cool things available for connections.  These little wonders are the Push-Connect Fitting, and the Flare Fitting.

The Push-Connect Fitting (PC Fitting)

The PC fitting is really cool fitting that is used with rigid and semi rigid tubing.  An example of this type of tubing is the polyethylene (plastic) tube used on pneumatic lines.  The end of the tube is pushed into the fitting where some little mechanical grippers hold the tube and prevent it from being pulled out unless a mechanical release is pushed down (kind of like those Chinese finger puzzles).  An O-ring inside the fitting seals on the outside diameter of the tube to assure a leak free connection.  With a PC fitting, a tube can be connected and disconnected in about 2 seconds.  I use this type of fitting exclusively on the gas line of my kegs and the gas connection on my Counter Pressure Bottle Filler.  You can find these fittings at McMaster-Carr under Instant Tube Fittings or several other places.  See the Links page (check out The Parker Store, this place is a gold mine!)

The Flare Fitting

The Flare Fitting has been around for a long time and is used mostly in hydraulics.  A metal tube is "flared" on one end which requires a special tool.  This a $15 item at Home Depot or Lowe's.  You only have to buy it once.  The tool forces a wedge into the open end of the tube and "flares" it out.  This flare then mates to a matching surface on the fitting where a flare nut holds the two pieces together.  This is really cool because no sealant or Teflon tape is required to make a seal.  Just a snug turn with an open end wrench makes a liquid tight seal.  The way I did my liquid connections was to take a short section of 1/4" copper tube, flare the end with my flare tool, insert the flare tube through the flare nut and then push the unflared end of the copper tube into the liquid line, and secure it with a hose clamp.  The flare nut is now captive on the end of the liquid line and can be connected quickly to any male flare fitting. 

Of course, if you decide to use either of these types of fittings, you will need the keg connectors that have the threaded ends and not the barb ends.  This may require a little extra expense because you have to buy new keg fittings, but it is well worth it.  The keg fittings with the flare are the same price as the ones with the barb.  You can find these at Williams Brewing.  Also, for the PC fitting, you will need an adapter to adapt the flare threads on the keg fitting to pipe threads to screw in the PC fitting.

In Conclusion…….

I know that this all sounds like a pain because you have to change out all your fittings, but believe me, once you throw out those wretched barb fittings you will never go back.  If you are just starting, luck is on your side because you can start your brewery on the right foot and buy QD's, PC fittings, and Flare fittings right off and never have to screw around with barb fittings at all.  If you are an experience brewer, than you know exactly what I'm talking about and you are ready to throw out those barb fittings anyway.

PC fitting from my CO2 tank to the bulkhead fitting on the keg fridge.  To remove the tube, the red ring in the picture is depressed with the thumb and forefinger and the tube is pulled out.  To reseal, just push the tube in until it snaps in place.

Cut a short length of 1/4" copper tube and put it in the flare tool and flare it.

Take the finished flared tube and insert into a flare nut.

Screw the flare nut to the flare fitting.  Tighten with a wrench to achieve a leak tight seal.

Insert the unflared end of the copper tube into some plastic tubing and secure with a hose clamp and you have an easily connected/disconnected hose.

The picture on the left shows the gas keg fitting.  There is an adapter (brass) that screws onto the flare threads of the fitting and then provides male NPT threads for the PC fitting (gray plastic).  The picture on the right shows the liquid keg fitting.  It needs no adapters since the flare nut screws directly on to it.

More Plumbing

Or, Still Why I Hate Barb Fittings!