Anyone have any tips (other than what is on the CBDS website) for cutting the hose on the Clear Beer Draught System to fit kegs smaller than the 5 gallon cornies that the hose was pre-cut to fit?
I just picked one of these up and I’m trying to shorten the supplied 18” hose to fit my 2.5gallon kegs. Based on the height of a 5gallon vs. 2.5gallon keg, I’m guessing I need to be around 10-10-1/2” or so. I’ve currently cut the hose to about 12” and the float doesn’t settle in the middle of the keg after filling it with cold water…rather its getting hung up underneath the “In” post. The water is not quite “serving temp” cold, so a bit of shrinkage (like a frightened turtle ) is still possible. But I assume this hang up means further cutting is necessary, Now before I do that (cut it again and it’s still too short!) I thought I’d pose this question to the collective wisdom of the board. I also intend to email CBDS direct.
I use the Top Draw floating dip tubes and have had to trim the tubing for use in 5 gallon ball locks. The first trims were pretty conservative, followed by minor (1/2" at a time) trimming after each of the first few batches. I quit when there’s a bit of sediment in the last pint.
I’m going to give it a go at my current trimmed length of 12", though I think the hose might still be a bit too long. William, the owner for CBDS, got back to me a bit ago and he thinks I’m close and suggested that I slide the silicone hose a bit further up the curved stainless tube instead of cutting any more off at this time. I’ll give it a go and see what happens. But if it’s still too long, next time I’ll shave another 1/2" as you say.
Unfortunately I only have 2.5gal kegs so I’d only be guessing (the 10 - 10-1/2" guess from the first post). It’s why I don’t want to cut any further. What I really need is to pick up an extra 10’ length of hose and just cut away!
Do you have a 5gal corny? Can you - or anyone - measure from the lid opening to the bottom of the keg?
That looks to be 22-3/4" +/-. My 2.5 gallon keg measures about 12". So, 10-3/4" would be about right for the hose length, which is a smidge longer than my initial guess. I’m thankful I stopped cutting at 12" until I got some evidence.
I may take an extra 1/2" off tonight and see how she floats, still trying to be cautious of going too far, just in case.
Edit
My original reply above makes absolutely no sense at all, but I’ll leave it there so as to nail my foolishness on the door.
The original hose shipped with the CBDS was 18" and was supposedly designed for 5gal kegs. If (a big IF) a standard 5gal keg has an interior height of 22-3/4" then that means the hose should be 4-3/4" shorter than the keg interior. Hmm. That would mean for my 12" high 2.5 gal keg, the hose should be only 7-1/4" long. ??? Well maybe, but that seems uncomfortably short to me.
I’m going back to the “cut a little at a time” method. I’ll get there eventually.
I guess I figured that the normal length would work fine for 2.5 gallon kegs as it does 5. Guess I won’t try using one of these in my 2.5 gallon kegs then.
) is still possible. But I assume this hang up means further cutting is necessary, Now before I do that (cut it again and it’s still too short!) I thought I’d pose this question to the collective wisdom of the board. I also intend to email CBDS direct.