Replacing kegerator lines

I recently purchased a kegerator and I am looking to actually balance the lines instead of what they gave me to throw it together and get it pouring beer (a little foamy to start off).  Currently they gave me 5’ of 5/16 line to run into my tower I was thinking of knocking it down to about 6’ of 3/16 line and going from there.  My main question is… is the antimicrobial line worth the extra money?

I’ve never had issues with regular beer line as long as you clean them thoroughly when switching kegs.  I do replace my lines every year or two.

How many taps do you have?  The difference wouldn’t be that much if we’re just talking a tap or two.  6 or more taps, then there’s a little more money involved.

It is a bit of a pain in the ass, and not very practical for home brewing, but here is a link for calculating the length and diameter of liquid line based on a bunch of different variables.

Personally, I am kind of lazy so I just go with about 7’ of 5/16 ID hose for my liquid line.  Not every pour is perfect, but the results are good enough.

Thanks for the quick response guys.  I only have two taps so there really won’t be that much of a difference in price just wondering if they are that much better than the regular lines.

Antimicrobial has little benefit.  Once you get a deposit of organics on the antimicrobial line like hop particles or yeast then the bugs can live in the deposit.

Like most people, he assumes that all pressure drop is due to the tubing. That approach will lead to too-short lines in a lot of situations. The resistance for 3/16" tubing is much less than most people assume.

http://seanterrill.com/2011/11/11/a-more-accurate-approach-to-draft-system-balancing/

I would start closer to 8 or 9 feet, depending on your planned serving conditions, and then shorten if necessary.

+1.  I started off with 10 feet and cut it down a little bit at a time until I got the pour I wanted.

The problem I have with this is the amount of beer that is sitting in your lines that makes it to your pint or even just a couple ounce sample.

I know what you mean. I didn’t like that either and that’s what made me get the kegerator tower cooler. Now the beer in the line stays as cold as the keg beer. Less foaming too.