Still leaking/dripping?
I will find out soon. Have not installed them yet, but plan to today. Gave them another thorough cleaning, even though they were not dirty. Coated the O-Rings with keg-lube. Stand by for a full report.
Update:
Just installed two 630’s, and one 525 series faucets.
Other than a couple residual drips, it appears (for now) that the leaking problem is fixed.
Thanks for all of the input!
So, just poured a pint from the 525. Counted 26 drips after the tap was closed.
That should not happen. After I close my faucet I leave my glass there for 5 seconds or so. I’ll see two drips. After the second drip I take the glass away.
I’m in the two drop camp also.
Wow, I never realized that was a thing. Two drops here, too.
Not gonna lie, I’ve never disassembled my taps to clean them. When a keg kicks, I simply run the hot PBW that I use to clean the keg through the line and tap. I follow that up with Star San, and connect the next keg. Once or twice a year I use BLC instead of PBW. I’m probably rolling the dice, but I’ve gone about 5 years with these 3 Perlicks and they work as smoothly as the day I got them.
I disassemble, clean, inspect and reassemble my my Perlick taps probably quarterly. They get some film build up but it’s easily washed away with a B Brite soak, hot water and brush. I’ve never removed the o-rings or installed keg lube.
I keep a paper towel as a witness under them. After I pour I let the spout clear into the glass (never counted drips). If all is well, the paper towels stay dry. If the paper towel is wet, I clean.
My nemesis is rookies wanting to pour their own beer. I have come back to a full tray and dripping faucet. Of course I welcome them to pour their own — it’s part of the cool factor of having kegs — but I always discreetly double ck behind them to ensure they closed the tap properly. I have to ck behind the regulars less.
I mention the 2-drop thing because many times when others are at my place… they fill their glass, turn off the faucet and immediately take their glass away and some amount of beer will end up in the drip tray (which does not have a drain, btw) so some amount of cleanup is necessary. When you see beertenders in a bar let the beer run for a second or two, then fill the glass and then take away the glass with the beer still pouring… that’s not what we want to see as homebrewers with draft setups in our place. But 26 drips is not right. Maybe an o-ring with a small nick in it or something.
My taps are in my garage, so cleaning during the summer is more frequent than in the winter. I have found some people are hesitant to pull the tap fully open, so a foam gusher and a dribbling spout ensue. I encourage the use of a small pitcher to enable pourable beer regardless of the skill level of the person drawing the beer. I have had issues occasionally that relate to the tap itself, but have had to only “re-build” one time with new seals, etc…
Of the 6 taps in the bar, 5 are connected to kegs.
4 630’s
2 425SS series (Ventmatic clones by Perlick)
None of them are dripping now, other than 2, maybe 3 drips from residual beer draining from the spout.
The 525 is the one that had 26 drips…I thought it would never stop!
This is the very first time the O-Rings (forward seals) were removed for cleaning. They were not dirty, but washed them anyway. Added a thin coat of keg-lube to the rings.
I use 3 Perlick taps. I get maybe 2 to 3 drips after turning the faucet off. I simply wait a few seconds and the drips go into my beer glass. I then put a small sample type glass under the faucet to catch any additional drips that might happen. No complaints about Perlick from me.
There are posts on other forums regarding Perlicks, and their propensity for leaking.
A friend had the same issue. After he cleaned the faucets, the leaks abated.
My problem appears to be solved…for now.
By the way, my Tap-Rite faucets never leaked. I like Tap-Rite, but they will freeze up, or stick, if not exercised daily.
I like the perlicks. I have had instances where they have leaked; this is usually when there isn’t enough co2 pressure in the line. Fixable by either upping the co2 (i.e. the system needs a new cylinder) or pulling the liquid line off of the keg. This is rare. They never stick.
Yeah, the sticking faucets is why we went to forward-sealing taps in the first place, amirite? I remember having two standard faucets on a tower a long time ago and a friend came over and went into the basement to grab a beer. He came upstairs with an empty glass in his hand and said, “The taps are locked or something”. :D It wasn’t long after that I got the Ventmatics.
Sticking faucets can be avoided. Just ensure the taps are used daily. That’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.
There will always be a day here or there where they’re not used. Maybe you’re traveling or whatever. I hit the taps pretty regularly but there’s no way I would have old-school, standard faucets. No sir.
We like all of our faucets, the “old school” and the newer styles. About two dozen in my small collection. From different manufacturers. And they all get used at various times and applications.
Again, the traditional taps have never leaked. Never dripped. And if they do stick, a little warm water poured over them will loosen them up in a second or two.
When I’m on a trip, my wife gets the assignment of exercising the taps. Hmmmm…maybe that is why my beer disappears so fast!
I need to remember this post. Normally, wife asks, “Are you drinking beer?”. My reply, “I’m doing research.”. If I switch to Tap-Rite faucets then I can tell her the faucets must be exercised daily. Great info!
Yes! It is a fringe benefit. You must work each tap daily. Maybe twice daily. It is part of being a beer brewer, and assuring that your quality control is up to par.