Help Leaky Picnic Taps!

[akthor]

So my keezer died on me. We went and got a new 7.0 cf one to replace it. I got a 7cf one cuz it will hold 3 cornys without a collar. My last keezer I did the wood sides the tower, granite top the whole nine yards. This time I have neither the time money nor the inclination do it. Plus we wanted to keep the freezer as is in case in the future we want to use it as a freezer.

So no collar, no drilling, the plan was to use picnic taps and when you wanted a beer you'd just open the lid and grab a picnic tap and fill your beer. Went to the local homebrew store and bought 3 new picnic taps. Got home and installed them and the first two were fine 3rd one was defective! Beer was shooting out without even squeezing the handle! OK so figured I'd just got a bad one and I'd just exchange it the next time I got to the city. So I'd just have two taps for now. BUT an hour later I open the freezer and there's a pint or two in the bottom of the freezer! Grrrrrrrr one of the two has a slow leak! Now I'm terrified I'll lose my precious brew! So I popped off the disconnects from the kegs.

So are there higher quality picnic taps besides the $5 plastic cheapies. Or am I forced to only connect them when I want to pour beer then pop off the disconnect to be sure I don't lose any beer? I did a google search and didn't see any?

 

[JoshuaWhite5522]

They should not fail, I have the el cheapo ones you described and only have issues if I am serving over 20 psi. Is it leaking from the cobra tap itself or where the hose connects to the tap. If it is the later a hose clamp might fix the issue.

 

[akthor]

Yeah its the tap itself. Is it possible there are different quality differences in the cheap picnic taps???? The handle fell off one when I went to use it last night.

 

[ericbw]

You can tighten or loosen the top, so maybe make sure to crank that a little. They do seem cheap.

Maybe there's a way to use your shanks and taps without drilling? I guess a collar would do that. Then you could remove the collar and replace the lid to turn it back to a freezer?

It looks easy when others do it! Plus every time you open it, that costs money from it running.

 

[akthor]

I tried taking them apart making sure they were clean and tightening them too. Maybe I just got uber cheap ****ty ones? I'll try ordering some online from a reputable seller and see if they're any better?

I know a collar is easy but having taps sticking out into the room at waist height is not the best thing where we are at now either.

I tried using my perlicks from my other keezer and just holding it like a picnic tap. But its too easy when setting it down anywhere to accidently turn it on. Whatever I do needs to be idiot proof since my SWMBO will be serving herself beer when I'm not at home.

Cold sinks, heat rises so I don't think I'm losing much coldness when opening the door. The freezer control doesn't turn on the freezer the moment I close the door or nothing.

 

[IslandLizard]

Maybe just a bad batch or bad design of cobra taps? The handle should NOT come off that easily. It's actually pretty hard to get it off and back on with the 2 notches in the handle and corresponding shaft recesses.

The spring inside maybe too weak? It's pretty damn strong usually, and shouldn't compress easily just by hand.

Agree on tightening the taps' collars.

 

[akthor]

I tightened them. Like I said one doesn't work at all beer shoots out whether the handle is pressed or not. I do think these are just super poorly constructed. I have a picnic tap in my storage unit (I just moved) that I have had for years and never leaked. I'm going to order 3 from a good supplier online and hopefully they will come from a different manufacturer.

 

[akthor]

What about these? Worth it?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beer-Soda-T...sing-Gun-/161420610932?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

 

[IslandLizard]

For the price I'd take a Perlick any time over that.

If you have space, like over the hump, you could mount regular taps on the inside of the freezer, with the shanks going through a recessed board.

 

[akthor]

No room CO2 goes there and I have really longs shanks on my perlicks also.

Why wouldn't this work? Anyone know how they work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/311162901104?lpid=82