Kegerator - hard to pour first pint.

I have a generic Sanyo 4912m kegerator which I made a couple of months back. I have a tough time pouring the first pint each day/ few days. The handle is very stiff (that's what she said!) and hard to pull on and turn off. I presume this is from the co2 in the system. I have my kegs set to a steady 12 psi the whole time. Once I pull that first pint, the rest are fine and the handle moves easily.

Is this normal and is there something which I can do to correct this? i.e. loosen faucet or something?

Richie said:

I have a generic Sanyo 4912m kegerator which I made a couple of months back. I have a tough time pouring the first pint each day/ few days. The handle is very stiff (that's what she said!) and hard to pull on and turn off. I presume this is from the co2 in the system. I have my kegs set to a steady 12 psi the whole time. Once I pull that first pint, the rest are fine and the handle moves easily.

Is this normal and is there something which I can do to correct this? i.e. loosen faucet or something?

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It's because beer is gumming up in the faucet. An easy fix is buying a forward sealing faucet(perlick). It keeps the beer where it should be and is much more sanitary.

Here's a better explanation-In an ordinary, rear-sealing, faucet the entire faucet must drain out of beer. There is actual pin hole in the back of an ordinary faucet that allows beer to drain out. Because beer drains from the entire faucet the faucet remains sticky and is prone to contamination from the left over residue. The Perlick faucet, with its forward sealing design, only has beer drain from the short 1" nozzle section. This allows it to always operate smoothly (even when it was not cleaned between uses) and greatly reduces contamination.

ah I see... so it is just a case of unscrewing my old faucet and screw on the perlicks? no messing with hoses etc?

I think I might pick up a couple at Keg Connection.

Thanks for your help. I always wondered what the big deal with Perlicks was.

Richie said:

ah I see... so it is just a case of unscrewing my old faucet and screw on the perlicks? no messing with hoses etc?

I think I might pick up a couple at Keg Connection.

Thanks for your help. I always wondered what the big deal with Perlicks was.

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Yes. (56789)

Be sure to shut off the gas and purge the kegs of pressure before removing the old faucets or you'll be cleaning beer from the walls. I'm sure that's obvious, just want to make sure though.

masonsjax said:

Be sure to shut off the gas and purge the kegs of pressure before removing the old faucets or you'll be cleaning beer from the walls. I'm sure that's obvious, just want to make sure though.

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Ha! +1, that would be great. You will not regret the perlicks, great faucets and easy to clean.

Here's a nice deal on ebay. I don't recognize that model but it's definitely a forward sealing perlick, and their cheap!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Perlick-Faucet-...in_0?hash=item3a52bd19ec&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

masonsjax said:

Be sure to shut off the gas and purge the kegs of pressure before removing the old faucets or you'll be cleaning beer from the walls. I'm sure that's obvious, just want to make sure though.

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lol as obvious as it is, it's very easy to forget to do so as you're troubleshooting your system. Just ask my face and walls. I felt like the dog in the wharrrgarbbllll pic.

JohnnyO said:

lol as obvious as it is, it's very easy to forget to do so as you're troubleshooting your system. Just ask my face and walls. I felt like the dog in the wharrrgarbbllll pic.

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Any excuse to post wharrgarbl is good for me.

or... you could go to Lowes/Home Depot and get a couple rubber stoppers to plug up the faucet when you're not pouring. I have 4 taps and have never had an issue since i started plugging them up, even after weeks of not using them. Keeps any curious bugs from wandering into your faucet as well.

wildwest450 said:

Ha! +1, that would be great. You will not regret the perlicks, great faucets and easy to clean.

Here's a nice deal on ebay. I don't recognize that model but it's definitely a forward sealing perlick, and their cheap!

Perlick Faucet Beer Keg Tower Faucet NEW! - eBay (item 250496227820 end time Sep-16-09 18:57:46 PDT)

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Definitely NOT a forward sealing perlick. That's the flow control Perlick, (410 model). It will have the exact same problems the OP was mentioning.

Forerst has the best deal on 525SS (forward sealing) Perlicks at AHS. There's rumors a group buy will be happening soon for 23.99 + shipping.....stay tuned

masonsjax said:

Be sure to shut off the gas and purge the kegs of pressure before removing the old faucets or you'll be cleaning beer from the walls. I'm sure that's obvious, just want to make sure though.

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Or just pull the QD on the out line.

I had cheap faucets that would do the same I found if you just sprayed some sanitizer into the faucet after your session it would rinse the beer from the faucet. But I bought the 525SS faucets and never looked back

wildwest450 said:

Ha! +1, that would be great. You will not regret the perlicks, great faucets and easy to clean.

Here's a nice deal on ebay. I don't recognize that model but it's definitely a forward sealing perlick, and their cheap!

Perlick Faucet Beer Keg Tower Faucet NEW! - eBay (item 250496227820 end time Sep-16-09 18:57:46 PDT)

Click to expand...

The 410 isnt a forward sealing faucet and For a few bucks more he can buy the new 525. I paid 28.99 at Rapids wholesale .

I ordered some 525SS's and will post my findings in a few weeks once I am hooked up.

Glad you mentioned about turning off the gas and purging system. I would have just unscrewed them with everything connected.

Edit... thinking about it, couldn't I just disconnect the beer out connectors from the kegs? Then I wouldn't need to bother with adjusting/ wasting any gas.

Richie said:

I ordered some 525SS's and will post my findings in a few weeks once I am hooked up.

Glad you mentioned about turning off the gas and purging system. I would have just unscrewed them with everything connected.

Edit... thinking about it, couldn't I just disconnect the beer out connectors from the kegs? Then I wouldn't need to bother with adjusting/ wasting any gas.

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see post #11 . I do it all the time when i want to take a keg to a BBQ or other function. I dont see why you would need to purge the system just pull the beverage line .

springer said:

see post #11 . I do it all the time when i want to take a keg to a BBQ or other function. I dont see why you would need to purge the system just pull the beverage line .

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True that. I still purge sometimes though because I don't have 100% confidence in my poppets...

I second/third/whatever getting the Perlick 525 SS or 575 SS (525 w/creamer).

I have a pair of the 575 SS, they're great. Haven't actually needed the creamer yet, but played with it a few times. It's also a riot when your friends come over and can't shut off the faucet because they're pushing back too hard. That alone made it worth the extra $5 for me.

springer said:

see post #11 . I do it all the time when i want to take a keg to a BBQ or other function. I dont see why you would need to purge the system just pull the beverage line .

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Yeah, disregard my comment about purging, it's much easier to just pull the disconnects.

masonsjax said:

Be sure to shut off the gas and purge the kegs of pressure before removing the old faucets or you'll be cleaning beer from the walls. I'm sure that's obvious, just want to make sure though.

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Actually, all the OP has to do is disconnect the liquid line from the corny.

EDIT: ... as you just said 15 minutes before I opened my fat trap. Sorry for the repost.

what you need is a Perlick forward sealing faucet, nuff said.