Plastic vs. SS gas inlet tube

I just got 5 cornies and am cleaning up, new o-rings etc.

4 of them have plastic inlet tubes, one has a SS inlet tube. The plastic is deep yellow in color. Should I replace with SS, or are these OK? If the plastic does not touch the beer, can pepsi flavor be introduced?

Also, they are about 1-1/2" long. Should I shorten them to 1/2"? I'm thinking I can fill the keg all but the last 1" if I shorten.

gonzo brewer said:

I just got 5 cornies and am cleaning up, new o-rings etc.

4 of them have plastic inlet tubes, one has a SS inlet tube. The plastic is deep yellow in color. Should I replace with SS, or are these OK? If the plastic does not touch the beer, can pepsi flavor be introduced?

Also, they are about 1-1/2" long. Should I shorten them to 1/2"? I'm thinking I can fill the keg all but the last 1" if I shorten.

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I have one of these. You can use the plastic if you want, there won't be any problem unless it's really scratched up or cracked. I converted my dip tube to stainless, but to do so, you will need a 5/16" COBALT drill bit (regular tool steel will be destroyed by the stainless) to drill out the keg, as the plastic tubes have a smaller diameter. Keg connection sells the stainles dip tubes.

There's no problem cutting the tubes, though I don't really see the benefit of the extra 1/2 cup capacity.