Time to change the Picnic Facuet???

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

Hey so I've been using a picnic faucet to pour all of my beers out of my 5 gal ball lock keg....I think its time for an upgrade from the ole reliable plastic picnic faucet. I do like it but it does stick a lot and I'd like to see something more ummm....cleaner?...sleeker?.... whats out there for upgrades? TIA

 

[jack13]

You can do a faucet right into the keg, for example:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/faucet-quick-disconnect-assembly-ball-lock.html

 

[day_trippr]

Pluto Gun!

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless.html
Cheers!

 

[shoreman]

I use the plastic Pluto and it’s great.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Picnic taps are, IMO, great for backyard parties (remember when we had those?).

However, learn from me and completely disassemble the cobra head and clean. Don't ask me why...

 

[ba-brewer]

However, learn from me and completely disassemble the cobra head and clean. Don't ask me why...

I had one go funky that was sitting in the keezer. They are cheap so I keep a few extra on hand for just such an occasion.

I have a pluto gun now too, but still like the cheap picnic taps for filling bottles.

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

You can do a faucet right into the keg, for example:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/faucet-quick-disconnect-assembly-ball-lock.html

ah yes I saw this but I will have to get rid of the hose length with this...I guess thats the cost for upgrading lol. what do you use?

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

Pluto Gun!

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless.html
Cheers!

I want one! MoreBeer is all sold out for the year!

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

Picnic taps are, IMO, great for backyard parties (remember when we had those?).

However, learn from me and completely disassemble the cobra head and clean. Don't ask me why...

Im sorry but what do you mean by cobra head?

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

I had one go funky that was sitting in the keezer. They are cheap so I keep a few extra on hand for just such an occasion.

I have a pluto gun now too, but still like the cheap picnic taps for filling bottles.

pluto gun looks good, surprised its kind of the only thing out there

 

[Beermeister32]

Flow control faucets on kegs work great! Give this a try.

 

[twd000]

no foaming problems with the direct-connect faucets? Why do we need ~10-feet of tubing to run to a keezer shank, but it's OK to have zero tubing if you put the faucet right on the QD?

I'm intrigued because I ferment in kegs and pulling a sample with a picnic tap and length of tubing can get messy

 

[Beermeister32]

They work great, just keep your keg at 10 PSI. Tip the main tap handle forward like an on-off toggle, then throttle the pour with the flow control handle. Then shut off both.

The flow control provides similar constriction as if you were using 10' of line on a standard faucet.

 

[twd000]

oh, I missed the detail that you're using FC taps

The MoreBeer product link upthread shows a regular full-flow chrome tap, not a flow-control tap. how does that work?

 

[Mark3885]

Pluto Gun!

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless.html
Cheers!

I just ordered 3 Pluto guns , broke 2 of 3 picnic taps in a week.

 

[bracconiere]

Tip the main tap handle forward like an on-off toggle, then throttle the pour with the flow control handle. Then shut off both.

sounds like a lot of work to have to do every pour! last thing i want when i'm pouring another beer, is to feel like it's finals

 

[bracconiere]

broke 2 of 3 picnic taps in a week.

how? i'm still using the same trusty picnic taps i've had for damn near twenty years.

 

[balrog]

once throttled, it is set

 

[bracconiere]

once throttled, it is set

that was what i always thought?

 

[balrog]

i agree w cleaning the silicone or whatever rubbery part of the business end of the picnic tap, they get discolored and dingy if sitting a while

 

[ba-brewer]

that was what i always thought?

Possible a safety measure incase the handle gets bumped.

 

[Mark3885]

how? i'm still using the same trusty picnic taps i've had for damn near twenty years.

Maybe they were made better back then , mine broke at the handle , 2 little black nubs that lift the plunger, One breaks off then they are useless.

 

[bracconiere]

Possible a safety measure incase the handle gets bumped.

i allready talked about my faulty poppet, a fully open tap would really suck!

Maybe they were made better back then , mine broke at the handle , 2 little black nubs that lift the plunger, One breaks off then they are useless.

one of mine i believe is still from the original kegging kit i got in 1996, and the other i got in 2005. maybe the fact i don't keep them in the fridge? i just drilled a couple holes in the fridge door big enough for the tubing to go through.

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

Flow control faucets on kegs work great! Give this a try.View attachment 709505

this is a sweet set up! curious as to what is in the bottom two mini fridges

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

There was another thread about this recently. This is my Pluto gun "conversion" from picnic taps. The weight of the guns (these are the stainless ones) is nice for keeping them in place. Nice laminar flow - no foam - when I went to 8-10 feet of 3/16 ID tubing EVA Beer Line Tubing - 3/16 in (5 mm) ID. I have my regulator at 14 PSI and that fridge is around 35-38F (but I'm not totally sure of that temp).

 

[bracconiere]

There was another thread about this recently.

damn, i knew i saw that pic before! the weird sanke thing. i think i followed the pluto gun line back and know where the beer comes out now at least! (figures someone with a sanke keg would have a weird pluto gun, lol

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

damn, i knew i saw that pic before! the weird sanke thing. i think i followed the pluto gun line back and know where the beer comes out now at least! (figures someone with a sanke keg would have a weird pluto gun, lol

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Im sorry but what do you mean by cobra head?

The top part of the picnic tap, the part that pours, is known as the cobra head (probably as it resembles a cobra head from the side).

 

[jack13]

ah yes I saw this but I will have to get rid of the hose length with this...I guess thats the cost for upgrading lol. what do you use?

Nothing...I just go right into the keg like in Biermeisters photos. I really just use it for tasting something I'm cold crashing in a chest freezer...and a couple times for parties. I usually use a regular keezer setup to dispense.

 

[macbrak]

Ive filled up the crisper drawer in my kegerator with beer too many times closing the door and activating the "extra tap"

 

[Beermeister32]

Return springs are a must!

 

[DarrellQ]

There was another thread about this recently. This is my Pluto gun "conversion" from picnic taps. The weight of the guns (these are the stainless ones) is nice for keeping them in place. Nice laminar flow - no foam - when I went to 8-10 feet of 3/16 ID tubing EVA Beer Line Tubing - 3/16 in (5 mm) ID. I have my regulator at 14 PSI and that fridge is around 35-38F (but I'm not totally sure of that temp).

View attachment 709602

I'm going to be getting into kegging soon, like your setup as it fits my situation. Out of curiosity, how often do you have to clean the lines?

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

I'm going to be getting into kegging soon, like your setup as it fits my situation. Out of curiosity, how often do you have to clean the lines?

What I'm doing with this setup with Sanke kegs is when I finish a keg, I connect the coupler to a keg that has been filled with Star San (which is how I store my kegs ready to be purged with CO2 and filled with beer) and run some Star San through the line/pluto gun. Then then coupler and line and pluto gun are ready til the next keg is ready.

Could do the same with Corny kegs/ball locks but probably easier there to just disassemble and clean by hand. Which wouldn't be hard with my setup either if you don't have a keg for flushing with Star Stan - just dunk the coupler, line, pluto gun in soapy water, then rinse water, then I guess you could dunk it all in Star San too but I don't think necessary for storage once clean and dry - same as anything else in your cold side/serving side.

 

[jack13]

Return springs are a must!View attachment 709658

Nice!

 

[Samson's Brew&Ski]

Return springs are a must!View attachment 709658

this is a cool to-go keg!!

 

[balrog]

but it's only a serving size of one

 

[JAReeves]

Not to hijack this terribly, but can you bottle from one of those flow-control taps directly on the keg? I use the Biermuncher Bottle Filler system (lol), which just fits into a picnic tap, when I need to bottle from my kegs. I love these alternatives, just wondering if I would still be able to do that or something like it with some of the solutions proposed here (pluto tap, etc.).

 

[Beermeister32]

I suppose you could attach a length if racking cane to it, should work ok. If you had a flip top bottle that would be best I would think.