I’m taking apart my kegerator, should I be concerned about this?

[Sleepy_D]

I found some discoloring in my taps, the tower where the taps connect, and the barbs where my beer lines connect. Is this beer stone or corrosion and does it need to be replaced? The picture inside the tower where the taps connect is after a 1.5 hr PBW soak

 

[Broken Crow]

Looks like chrome-plated brass. ..not a good thing to hit with PBW.

 

[Sleepy_D]

Looks like chrome-plated brass. ..not a good thing to hit with PBW.

Ah I had no idea, I had been flushing my lines with PBW the whole time!

 

[Broken Crow]

Maybe this would be a good time to switch to EVABarrier? https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/shanksstowerpush.htm
..or for just a drop-in Stainless Steel replacement:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/shanksstower.htm

 

[Broken Crow]

.. I should add my opinion: "Drink the Beer, Not the hardware."

 

[Sleepy_D]

Maybe this would be a good time to switch to EVABarrier? https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/shanksstowerpush.htm
..or for just a drop-in Stainless Steel replacement:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/shanksstower.htm

Those Evabarrier connections look much easier to deal with. Can I just swap out shank? I couldn’t figure out how to get that out

 

[Broken Crow]

Those Evabarrier connections look much easier to deal with. Can I just swap out shank? I couldn’t figure out how to get that out

Yup. Changing the shanks and lines is really easy and worth considering. I put some (dis)assembly pics in this thread about a similar change: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/changing-draft-beer-lines.730534/page-2

 

[Broken Crow]

This seems like a good place to tout the value of SS (and EVABarrier for that matter). My first kegerator was a commercial single-tap unit that spent a short time in a small restaurant. As is most common with 'ready-made' kegerators, it came with Plated Chrome shanks and taps. I just went and dug out the original shank from my scrap-box:

Doesn't look as far gone as yours, but you can see where bits of chrome have worn off (and been consumed in the customers beer ) Once the chrome starts to pit, exposing the brass, hitting it with PBW will hasten the corrosion.
From what I can see of your kegerator in the pics you posted, it looks to be an off the shelf model. Unless you replaced the lines at some point, it's unlikely they'd be very good at excluding O2. This would be a good time to consider replacing shanks and lines. One of the additional benefits of EVABarrier is that you can use much shorter lines; About 5' or so with the 4mm ID, or as little as 3' with the 3mm ID, which I recently switched to and I gotta say; It's pure joy to no longer have coils of hose hanging in the way when I swap out kegs!

 

[mac_1103]