This evaluate is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert. Brad is an engineer, knowledgeable homebrewer and skilled reviewer. Seize a hyperlink to Brad’s web site on the finish of this evaluate.
Restricted Time Deal, Assessment Continues Under:
EPDM for Homebrewers!
Valuebrew has introduced the provision of bulk EPDM o-rings for homebrewers. EPDM is a favourite of many professional brewers for sure purposes. Till now, these haven’t been accessible to homebrewers, or not less than simply accessible. EPDM has some actual benefits over silicone. One of many huge ones is a a lot decrease permeability. Which means they seal higher and since they’re much less porous they’re extra immune to absorbing off-smells and off-flavors.
They’re FDA Rated for meals use and NSF61 licensed. As of this posting, submit, dip tube, lid and inner QD choices can be found in 10, 25 and 50 rely choices. Valuebrew has struggled mightily with availability they usually’ve already made some indications of potential points with new EPDM choices. Particularly, the lid o-ring description says they obtained a small cargo.
- Valuebrew has struggled with availability on a few of their choices. This has been notably true of their keg lid o-rings.
- As of this submit, these are in inventory.
- For a restricted time coupon code epdm20 takes 20% off EPDM lid o-rings and add-ons. That is the biggest % off low cost I can recall Valuebrew providing.
EPDM Keg Lid O-Rings – keep in mind promo code epdm20
On the earth of homebrewing, you may encompass your self by as little or as a lot science as you need. O-rings, seals, and gaskets come in several varieties in homebrewing. Probably the most generally discovered materials is silicone, and it’s typically elevated because the “finest” materials. As with most issues, there are advantages/drawbacks to every completely different sort of fabric. Silicone has a really extensive temperature vary, making a superb gasket seal selection at chilly temperatures, in addition to at sizzling/boiling temperatures. Its excessive flexibility makes it well-suited to sealing uneven gaps or maybe non-ideal sealing surfaces.
Nevertheless, considered one of its drawbacks is it doesn’t deal with acid-based cleaners effectively, so Star San sanitizing can deteriorate the fabric. The occasional sanitizing spray won’t be a big degradation, however you positively don’t need to soak silicone components in Star San for prolonged durations of time. Whenever you’re coping with the chilly aspect like fermentors or kegs, you’ll be sanitizing often, and this compatibility is perhaps a consideration for you.
Examine Present Value & Availability, Assessment Continues Under:
Notice that Valuebrew has frequently struggled maintaining merchandise in inventory. If one thing you’re in search of is out of inventory, join with us and we’ll hold you updated on availability points.
One other facet of silicone that’s pertinent to chilly aspect operation is its capability to permit oxygen to move by way of it. It’s troublesome to search out good, standardized comparisons of fabric alone between silicone and EPDM as a result of there are such a lot of elements concerned like components within the materials, thickness of fabric, temperature, strain, and many others. I used to be capable of finding one analysis paper (hyperlink under) that examined frequent dimension TC gaskets with completely different supplies, and it confirmed the Oxygen permeability of silicone was roughly 25x as excessive as EPDM. So for these lengthy durations of both sitting in your fermentor, and even longer in your keg, EPDM is the higher selection to reduce oxygen mixing in by way of the seals. On kegs, the largest pathway is in fact the keg lid, however there are additionally O-ring gaskets on the dip tube, gasoline & liquid posts, and even contained in the disconnect housing itself.
Arms on Assessment
I hadn’t modified my keg O-rings for the reason that kegs had been new, which had been a number of years. I obtained a full set of EPDM O-rings that ValueBrew offered- keg lid, keg submit, dip tube, and inner QD. The texture of the EPDM materials was notably completely different. It wasn’t stiff, however was comparatively stiffer than super-compliant silicone O-rings. The fabric had a really high-quality feel- clean with a barely waxy texture. It positively had the texture of high quality.
Other than the texture and visible evaluate, I wished to get some “information” on how the O-rings carried out. The largest draw of EPDM for me was the low oxygen permeability. However that is exhausting to objectively measure, and easily tasting a beer would likewise be vulnerable to different variations overshadowing oxygen pickup. I had a Milwaukee MW600 DO meter, however the degree of oxygen uptake that might permit oxidation reactions to occur is under the brink of measurement for the meter. To not point out that when oxygen is out there and goes by way of oxidation reactions with the beer, it’s now not pure oxygen to be measured by such a meter. I gave it a attempt anyway. I did a side-by-side keg take a look at with two kegs full of water. One keg had a set of silicone O-rings, the opposite the EPDM O-rings. The kegs had been first purged by filling with water utterly and pushing that out with CO2. Then they had been full of water in by way of the dip tube till utterly full once more, after which 0.5 gallons of water pushed out with CO2 so each kegs had the identical quantity of headspace. Measurement with my MW600 confirmed indetectable DO firstly of my take a look at, the 2 checkpoints in between, and on the finish of a month. Not shocking since staling reactions occur at a decrease degree of DO than the MW600 can detect, nevertheless it does inform me that silicone O-rings aren’t an entire catastrophe.
The opposite take a look at I did was a pressurized take a look at to search for leaks. For this I used 6 kegs that had been retrofitted with EPDM O-rings that I had not too long ago cleaned and purged. I pressurized all of them to simply over 10 psi of CO2 from my tank and allow them to sit at basement temperature (65F). I went again and checked all of them for strain loss utilizing a Spunding Valve. With a number of checks over a one-week interval, solely considered one of them had any strain loss.
For that keg, I used to be in a position to see it was leaking fairly considerably from the underside of the liquid out keg submit. Tightening the submit had no impact, and swapping to a different EPDM O-ring (plus keg lube on the O-ring) additionally had no impact. I then obtained my calipers out and began measuring O-ring thickness. I’ll preface these numbers with the disclaimer that measuring thickness of a compliant materials with a handheld gauge is problematic. That stated, I discovered the unique dip tube O-rings I had faraway from my kegs all measured about 2.8 mm thick and one measured 2.4 mm. New components from the EPDM bag (together with those that had been leaking on my keg) measured 2.4 mm. I occurred to have a keg O-ring alternative equipment, and that O-ring measured 3.0 mm. I swapped that 3.0 mm O-ring onto the diptube and my strain leak was gone, and the keg held strain for my 1-week take a look at.
My analysis indicated the most typical cross-section thickness of those O-rings is 3/32”, which is 2.38 mm. So the EPDM rings had been a regular thickness. The keg I used to be utilizing it on was a keg I purchased new most likely 5 years in the past, so it was in good condition. It was not a used reconditioned keg that had seen a whole lot of use & abuse within the subject serving Pepsi at some random diner. It simply occurred to wish a barely thicker O-ring. Lesson realized for me right here was to all the time do a strain take a look at like this, and never simply assume all new O-rings are going to be higher than the outdated O-rings they’re changing.
The ultimate analysis I did was on a rehabbed pin lock keg that I had purchased used, transformed over to ball lock by my LHBS. After I obtained that keg, I discovered it had a gradual leak by way of the lid, and upon nearer examination, I discovered the lip of the opening had a slight dent in it. I had beforehand purchased a silicone O-ring for this lid, as I had heard that silicone was extra compliant, and would take care of this kind of factor higher. I wasn’t certain if these EPDM O-rings would deal with that, however the keg held strain with the EPDM lid O-ring the identical as the opposite kegs.
Conclusions
In conclusion, I discovered the ValueBrew EPDM O-rings to be of top of the range. My leak checks confirmed that the O-rings labored effectively, nevertheless it wasn’t an entire assure, so you want to take a look at it in your particular kegs. And though I didn’t have the best tools to characterize the profit EPDM has over Silicone on the subject of oxygen permeability, the science is there to again it up. And one much less factor to spoil my hoppy beers feels like a good suggestion to me!
Examine Present Value & Availability, Assessment Continues Under:
Notice that Valuebrew has frequently struggled maintaining merchandise in inventory. If one thing you’re in search of is out of inventory, join with us and we’ll hold you updated on availability points.
Additionally: Arms on Assessment: Valuebrew Stainless Metal Ball Lock Jumpers – Works with Liquid AND Gasoline
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By Brad Probert. Take a look at Brad’s web site – beersnobby.com
Particular Because of Valuebrew for offering the o-ringst used for analysis on this evaluate.
Value, promotions and availability can change shortly. Examine the product web page for present value, description and availability.
Be certain that the elements you utilize are suitable and rated to your supposed software. Contact producer with questions on suitability or a particular software. At all times learn and comply with producer instructions. evaluate:vbepdm tag:tpr
