Intertap beer faucets

[drgonzo2k2]

The two new ventmatics I have are garbage. They like under the bonnet something horrible. the one leaks slow enough that i still use it. the other has been trash since the day I got it.

If you're having trouble with the VM faucets I'm sure they'll make it right if you let them know. I have 6 myself and couldn't be happier, thinking about replacing the 4 Perlicks on my worm kegerator as well.

I've had lots of emails back and forth with them, and they've always came across as very nice folks that care about the quality of their products.

 

[Dolomieu]

If you're having trouble with the VM faucets I'm sure they'll make it right if you let them know. I have 6 myself and couldn't be happier, thinking about replacing the 4 Perlicks on my worm kegerator as well.

I've had lots of emails back and forth with them, and they've always came across as very nice folks that care about the quality of their products.

I have messaged them and waiting to hear back from them. I want them to work right, believe me.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

I have messaged them and waiting to hear back from them. I want them to work right, believe me.

Yeah, sometimes it takes them a minute to get back to you, but they always did manage to answer my questions.

I think that Brulosophy review gave them a bit of unexpected popularity.

 

[day_trippr]

I don't know what "are Australian" means in this context, but considering the remarkably unfavorable exchange position of the Australian dollar versus the remarkably low retail pricing of the Intertap faucets in the US, it's highly unlikely that the Intertap faucets are made anywhere outside of Asia. Perhaps the Australian Connection is a wholesale agent...

Cheers!

 

[Ztup]

For what it's worth, I asked William's Brewing what their plans were as to restocking them, and they said they were trying but were unsure how long it would be.

 

[andrewmalizia]

It doesnt look to be the same company. I recall Vent-Matic having a dispute with a company prior though, so maybe that is what this is about.

Maybe. Like I said, it's just my interpretation. But the timing sure is interesting. 1/13/16. 4 Days later williams has a 20% off sale and sells their whole stock and removes them from the website (instead of saying out of stock).

The shoe looks like it fits to me.

 

[ljbecker]

The two new ventmatics I have are garbage. They leak under the bonnet something horrible. the one leaks slow enough that i still use it. the other has been trash since the day I got it.

It sounds like the bonnet is not tight. I have 5 ventmatics and they are the best that I have. The Perlick 425 might be as good but I only have the perl.

 

[Yesfan]

I got my tap and stout spout in yesterday. I planned on just getting the stout thinking it would mate up to my 425. Glad I got the tap as well.

Like what was mentioned earlier in this thread, the Intertap accessories won't work with the Ventmatics or Perlicks. Look at the difference in the threads of the spouts between the two. Perlick Spout is in the middle.

 

[Dolomieu]

It sounds like the bonnet is not tight. I have 5 ventmatics and they are the best that I have. The Perlick 425 might be as good but I only have the perl.

The tighter I go, the more the seemed to leak, iirc. I need to look at them again though and revisit tightening more. I really just haven't had much time to look at them recently(2yr?).

My 525ss have been more reliable at this point. Though i really like bottling from the vent-matics. I used a 2inch piece of tubing to hook up the growler filler to a piece of ss tubing(10inch). Filling growlers is cake and bottles are easier too.

 

[sabotenfighter]

It doesnt look to be the same company. I recall Vent-Matic having a dispute with a company prior though, so maybe that is what this is about.

Previously they had issues with Perlick, which lead to them coming up with the 525 style faucets. Looking up this company, they have some pictures of draft towers with very similar looking faucets to the intertap ones, so could be them or just someone branding the ones from the same supplier as Intertap.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

The tighter I go, the more the seemed to leak, iirc. I need to look at them again though and revisit tightening more. I really just haven't had much time to look at them recently(2yr?).

My 525ss have been more reliable at this point. Though i really like bottling from the vent-matics. I used a 2inch piece of tubing to hook up the growler filler to a piece of ss tubing(10inch). Filling growlers is cake and bottles are easier too.

Sorry, are you saying that you haven't had a chance to look at them in 2 years? If that's the case then it sounds like you might have got some of the old knock off ones from a while back, not actual VM faucets made by the people that actually hold the patents. Those were notorious for leaking, and I don't think there is any resolution. Did you order them from CHI company?

Also, I did the same things with my growler filler - essentially used it to build one of the old "Bowie Bottlers" that were popular for a while. Growler filler > 18" piece of vinyl tubing > 10 inch SS tubing with a stopper. It works great for filling both growlers and bottles, and you don't have to open up your kegerator or fiddle with the pressure at all. I've used it to fill everything from Kombucha (~5 PSI) to soda (30 PSI) with no problems at all.

 

[JoshuaW]

I don't know what "are Australian" means in this context, but considering the remarkably unfavorable exchange position of the Australian dollar versus the remarkably low retail pricing of the Intertap faucets in the US, it's highly unlikely that the Intertap faucets are made anywhere outside of Asia. Perhaps the Australian Connection is a wholesale agent...

Cheers!

While they are definitely made in Asia, they are being made for an Australian company called Keg King. Keg King owns the "Intertap" company.

 

[HLSheppard]

While they are definitely made in Asia, they are being made for an Australian company called Keg King. Keg King owns the "Intertap" company.

Correct. I contacted Keg King re: where they were made. They responded quickly and honestly saying that although they designed them in Australia; they are made in China.

Then again - so is my iphone....

 

[Savagejair]

Unbelievable! When I started this thread, I had no idea there would be this much to it. Patents, infringement? This patent stuff sure is complicated. It sure is fun reading all these posts and the back and forth though. It may just be simpler going with a cask and wooden spigot. But wait, are those patented also?

I agree it has been fun to read the posts here. As I was the one made the observation of the similarities between the taps. (I'm sure it would have been pointed out soon enough) As I was only looking into the vent-matic taps after the great review from the brulosophy website. So I wanted to go with this brand. I too want to support home grown business. Go figure this thread had been quite the read[emoji482]

 

[Dolomieu]

Sorry, are you saying that you haven't had a chance to look at them in 2 years? If that's the case then it sounds like you might have got some of the old knock off ones from a while back, not actual VM faucets made by the people that actually hold the patents. Those were notorious for leaking, and I don't think there is any resolution. Did you order them from CHI company?

Also, I did the same things with my growler filler - essentially used it to build one of the old "Bowie Bottlers" that were popular for a while. Growler filler > 18" piece of vinyl tubing > 10 inch SS tubing with a stopper. It works great for filling both growlers and bottles, and you don't have to open up your kegerator or fiddle with the pressure at all. I've used it to fill everything from Kombucha (~5 PSI) to soda (30 PSI) with no problems at all.

Yes as crazy as it sounds over the last 2.5 years my time home has been limited. Priority went to planning and getting married, building a deck, keeping the house in one piece, build a new keezer in a weekend after my last one died. So basically i have been doing enough to keep the beer from spilling all over the floor for my wife and fiends so that there is beer for them at the ready.

I hope your wrong and I didn't end up with a knock off. I picked them up from Chi Company when they showed back up on the market. I will have to look into that. I'm being forced to take vacation time this week so I guess i will try to figure that out. Was Chi Company selling knock offs?

I had a bowie bottler and still used the growler filler part, thought the "complement" was just too narrow for my liking. I stepped up the diameter of that piece and shortened the tubing so that it all actually hangs from the taps. for the bowie i use a piece of silicon tube to sure up the connect around the faucet and bowie bottler. I don't adjust my PSI at all, i bottle at 12 psi. the nice thing about having the setup hang is that i don't have to mess with a piece of SS tubing with a 18 inch lead. though i had gotten good at managing that, but i wouldn't go back to it. for me at least, it's just easier when doing it by myself. I can leave it hang as i cap.

So growler filler>2-3in tube> lager dia SS tube

with the 525s i slip the silicon tubing half way on the faucet and the push the growler fill in. so it just sits on the outside of the conntection of those two things. It had popped out on my once or twice when i was filling bottles at 5psi. since adding this piece i can bottle at 12psi like i do the the (alleged) vent matic.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6020206&postcount=1106

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Yes as crazy as it sounds over the last 2.5 years my time home has been limited. Priority went to planning and getting married, building a deck, keeping the house in one piece, build a new keezer in a weekend after my last one died. So basically i have been doing enough to keep the beer from spilling all over the floor for my wife and fiends so that there is beer for them at the ready.

I hope your wrong and I didn't end up with a knock off. I picked them up from Chi Company when they showed back up on the market. I will have to look into that. I'm being forced to take vacation time this week so I guess i will try to figure that out. Was Chi Company selling knock offs?

I had a bowie bottler and still used the growler filler part, thought the "complement" was just too narrow for my liking. I stepped up the diameter of that piece and shortened the tubing so that it all actually hangs from the taps. for the bowie i use a piece of silicon tube to sure up the connect around the faucet and bowie bottler. I don't adjust my PSI at all, i bottle at 12 psi. the nice thing about having the setup hang is that i don't have to mess with a piece of SS tubing with a 18 inch lead. though i had gotten good at managing that, but i wouldn't go back to it. for me at least, it's just easier when doing it by myself. I can leave it hang as i cap.

So growler filler>2-3in tube> lager dia SS tube

with the 525s i slip the silicon tubing half way on the faucet and the push the growler fill in. so it just sits on the outside of the conntection of those two things. It had popped out on my once or twice when i was filling bottles at 5psi. since adding this piece i can bottle at 12psi like i do the the (alleged) vent matic.

Unfortunately, yeah, it seems like you got the knock offs from CHI company. I don't know the whole crazy story (there are bits and pieces of it in different HBT, etc. threads), but basically VM licensed the patents to a 3rd party who manufactured the faucets for a bit and sold them through CHI company. The 3rd party did a terrible job, had them manufactured somewhere in China, and they were not at all the same faucets that VM previously sold. So the patent holders got involved and sued to get the patents back (which they did), CHI stopped selling the faucets, and VM has recently started manufacturing/selling them directly, which are the good VMs that people are buying now. I know at the time that CHI was offering refunds to anyone that wanted one. I'm not sure what they'd do 2 1/2 years after the fact, but they're a pretty reputable company, so it probably couldn't hurt to ask.

You actually make a pretty good point about the short tube on the bottle filler being easy to handle on your own. I actually ran into just that last time I was filling bottles. After I got a couple done and ready to cap I thought to myself, "but what do I do with this thing" and just ended up wedging it in my dip tray to hold it. I might re-work mine with a shorter bit of tubing and see if that helps.

FYI for mine I am using growler filler > 1/4" ID vinyl tubing > 3/8" OD SS tube, and it is a pretty snug/solid fit. The SS tube that I'm using is 12" in length and has a .335" ID.

 

[akthor]

So are these for sale? Thinking of selling my perlicks and getting these. I hate that my perlicks don't have a spring to return them when drunk people have filled their cup and not pushed the tap handle back. Its cost me a lot of beer and a lot of hassle cleaning up lost beer. Once I had the kegerator out on the porch since it was an outside BBQ/bonfire party. I actually lost about 1/2 a sanke keg of beer to the tap was left on. We actually ran out of beer before the party ended because of it.

I love that they can sit for weeks and never stick and always pour but I got too many drunks and people unfamiliar with using a tap.

 

[Dolomieu]

Unfortunately, yeah, it seems like you got the knock offs from CHI company. I don't know the whole crazy story (there are bits and pieces of it in different HBT, etc. threads), but basically VM licensed the patents to a 3rd party who manufactured the faucets for a bit and sold them through CHI company. The 3rd party did a terrible job, had them manufactured somewhere in China, and they were not at all the same faucets that VM previously sold. So the patent holders got involved and sued to get the patents back (which they did), CHI stopped selling the faucets, and VM has recently started manufacturing/selling them directly, which are the good VMs that people are buying now. I know at the time that CHI was offering refunds to anyone that wanted one. I'm not sure what they'd do 2 1/2 years after the fact, but they're a pretty reputable company, so it probably couldn't hurt to ask.

You actually make a pretty good point about the short tube on the bottle filler being easy to handle on your own. I actually ran into just that last time I was filling bottles. After I got a couple done and ready to cap I thought to myself, "but what do I do with this thing" and just ended up wedging it in my dip tray to hold it. I might re-work mine with a shorter bit of tubing and see if that helps.

FYI for mine I am using growler filler > 1/4" ID vinyl tubing > 3/8" OD SS tube, and it is a pretty snug/solid fit. The SS tube that I'm using is 12" in length and has a .335" ID.

Well ****e. I guess I'll contact chi and see what's up. Thanks for filling me in. I figured that I would have gotten an email from them but maybe I just over looked it.

 

[Yesfan]

So are these for sale? Thinking of selling my perlicks and getting these. I hate that my perlicks don't have a spring to return them when drunk people have filled their cup and not pushed the tap handle back. Its cost me a lot of beer and a lot of hassle cleaning up lost beer. Once I had the kegerator out on the porch since it was an outside BBQ/bonfire party. I actually lost about 1/2 a sanke keg of beer to the tap was left on. We actually ran out of beer before the party ended because of it.

I love that they can sit for weeks and never stick and always pour but I got too many drunks and people unfamiliar with using a tap.

Just looked on William's sight, and they are no where to be found. I bet they will no longer be carried. Even if they had them, I don't think you could get the springs for them as they were only available through Keg King (which is in Australia).


IMO, I would keep the Perlicks you have. I love mine.

On another note, if people get so drunk that they can't shut off a GD beer tap, then they don't need to be at my house. Period. That's just being disrespectful.

 

[JonW]

I hate that my perlicks don't have a spring to return them when drunk people have filled their cup and not pushed the tap handle back. Its cost me a lot of beer and a lot of hassle cleaning up lost beer.

On another note, if people get so drunk that they can't shut off a GD beer tap, then they don't need to be at my house. Period. That's just being disrespectful.

I've seen this problem with large tap handles since the Perlicks open and close so easily, the weight of the tap handles sometimes enables this issue. If you crank down the tightness of the little collar on the handle shaft, it does at some additional resistance to the opening/closing.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

On another note, if people get so drunk that they can't shut off a GD beer tap, then they don't need to be at my house. Period. That's just being disrespectful.

Ya know, I'd generally say the same thing, but some time it's just user error. This happened with the very first keg I ever put on when I finished my keezer back in October. I poured a beer, the wife wanted to try, so she did, and a little while later she came to get me to say "something's wrong, the floor is all wet around your kegerator." She had left it open just enough that there had been a constant drip, which filled up my drip tray, and then overflowed onto the floor. Luckily we caught it after only about a gallon or so.

 

[passedpawn]

Just looked on William's sight, and they are no where to be found. I bet they will no longer be carried.

That might be, but a Williams catalog just showed up in my mailbox and the Intertaps are on the front cover, back cover, and have half a page inside. So, at one time they certainly thought there would be a fruitful relationship with the tap company.

 

[imasickboy]

I received mine today. Three stainless faucets, growler filler, and stout nozzle, less than $100 shipped. Manufacturing looks good, finish looks good, and I'm sure they will look good on my kegerator when I get around to putting them on.

I'm happy I got them while I could, and as such an excellent price.

 

[ljbecker]

The tighter I go, the more the seemed to leak, iirc. I need to look at them again though and revisit tightening more. I really just haven't had much time to look at them recently(2yr?).

My 525ss have been more reliable at this point. Though i really like bottling from the vent-matics. I used a 2inch piece of tubing to hook up the growler filler to a piece of ss tubing(10inch). Filling growlers is cake and bottles are easier too.

Maybe the washers are not in the correct order. The beveled plastic washer is in contact with the ball of the tap handle and the rubber washer is below and above the beveled washers. If they are installed correctly, it does not have to be very tight.

 

[Yesfan]

Ya know, I'd generally say the same thing, but some time it's just user error. This happened with the very first keg I ever put on when I finished my keezer back in October. I poured a beer, the wife wanted to try, so she did, and a little while later she came to get me to say "something's wrong, the floor is all wet around your kegerator." She had left it open just enough that there had been a constant drip, which filled up my drip tray, and then overflowed onto the floor. Luckily we caught it after only about a gallon or so.

I see your point, but this part of Akthor's post painted a different picture.


"I love that they can sit for weeks and never stick and always pour but I got too many drunks and people unfamiliar with using a tap".

Unfamiliar people is one thing. I totally agree and that's totally understandable, but that one part of the quote in bold just doesn't fly with me and caused my reaction. "Too many drunks" gave me the impression of a few who always exhibit the "not my house, not my problem" attitude. I don't know the guy or his friends, so I hope I'm in the wrong here. I just don't think it's asking too much of someone to exercise some respect, especially if I'm inviting someone over to drink the 'free beer' I put a lot of time into.

Anyways, sorry for the kneejerk reaction. I'll shut up now. LOL!

 

[garrettbuckeye]

So, for those of us that did purchase the intertaps... What do you guys think about the seal kits? I should've grabbed a few to have on hand, but didn't. Think finding o rings will be easy? I've actually ordered an extra faucet. If I were to take it apart, is there any place that could measure and supply replacement o rings?

 

[day_trippr]

McMaster-Carr sells a bazillion o-rings of various hardnesses, so worse comes to worst a little time with a micrometer and a web browser you should be able to find what'll fit.

The punitive shipping charge might give pause, however...

Cheers!

 

[dammBrewer]

Sorry I am late to the party here but, I am very intrigued by these. I am in the process of finishing up the build part of my latest kegerator and faucets are on my mind. So, found this thread.

I went to WilliamsBrewing.com but there doesn't appear to be any Intertap faucets on the site. The only place I can find them is KegKing but it's an AU site and no shipping option for USA.

Does anyone have any legitimate insight as to where these can be purchased? I prefer the Flow Control option, and Stainless, if that matters.

TIA.

 

[JoshuaW]

Sorry I am late to the party here but, I am very intrigued by these. I am in the process of finishing up the build part of my latest kegerator and faucets are on my mind. So, found this thread.

I went to WilliamsBrewing.com but there doesn't appear to be any Intertap faucets on the site. The only place I can find them is KegKing but it's an AU site and no shipping option for USA.

Does anyone have any legitimate insight as to where these can be purchased? I prefer the Flow Control option, and Stainless, if that matters.

TIA.

William's is/was the only US seller. Im still working on figuring out if we can get the FC model here, because I would like to buy at least eight.

If all else fails maybe we can find a an Australian member to buy a bunch and ship them to us.

 

[dammBrewer]

William's is/was the only US seller. Im still working on figuring out if we can get the FC model here, because I would like to buy at least eight.

If all else fails maybe we can find a an Australian member to buy a bunch and ship them to us.

Thank you. I may be in on that if it happens. However, in my searches, I did find that RiteBrew has the Perlick 650SS FC at $47.99 which I think is the best price on the net. It may come to that....
Here's a link: http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843179.htm

 

[PlexVector]

William's is/was the only US seller. Im still working on figuring out if we can get the FC model here, because I would like to buy at least eight.

If all else fails maybe we can find a an Australian member to buy a bunch and ship them to us.

Could they, the shipped faucets, be confiscated by customs due to the patent issues?

 

[garrettbuckeye]

Could they, the shipped faucets, be confiscated by customs due to the patent issues?

I doubt it. I think it would be unlikely anyone that came across them would know of such things.

 

[garrettbuckeye]

McMaster-Carr sells a bazillion o-rings of various hardnesses, so worse comes to worst a little time with a micrometer and a web browser you should be able to find what'll fit.



The punitive shipping charge might give pause, however...



Cheers!

Thanks. I don't own a micrometer... But could probably find someone who does. I was hoping someplace like a fastenal or other might be able to. Of course, I could probably replace the entire faucet for the price they charge.

 

[JoshuaW]

Could they, the shipped faucets, be confiscated by customs due to the patent issues?

What patent issue? Until something is filed with the courts, there is no patent issue. We dont know how valid those claims are, nor do we know if Vent-Matic will even pursue the issue.

Even if there was an issue, they still likely wouldnt get confiscated in a small quantity. Things arent typically inspected unless it is a large shipment. I have never had customs look at a small package, but I have had them look at say a crate inside of a shipping container.

 

[Jawbox0]

Well, Tons of thanks to the OP, I got my 8 Intertaps in the mail yesterday and they look fantastic. I'm replacing all my original rear seals. I wish I'd been able to grab a couple stout adapters, oh well.

I gotta say, Williams picks up some amazing stuff, then discontinues it suddenly. I don't know if anyone else remembers that they were picking up those cheap 1.7 gallon stainless ball lock kegs, now sold as Cannonball kegs by Northern Brewer for twice as much.

I half expect that these Intertap faucets will be sold under a new name by a 'big' brewer soon at a premium.

 

[dammBrewer]

I emailed Williams Brewing directly yesterday. Thus far, no response. Not even an automated email. At this point, for the $48 RiteBrew wants for the 650SS FC, I am going to jump on that I think. Better customer service too. Never dealt with Williams and it's not looking like I will anytime soon either.

 

[eulipion2]

I emailed Williams Brewing directly yesterday. Thus far, no response. Not even an automated email. At this point, for the $48 RiteBrew wants for the 650SS FC, I am going to jump on that I think. Better customer service too. Never dealt with Williams and it's not looking like I will anytime soon either.

Williams is great, but they are very popular with homebrewers, and probably have a decent volume of emails to get through, so give 'em a break. It might take a day or two to get back to you. I've always been happy with them.

That said, RiteBrew tends to have the best prices on most items, and shipping is very reasonable. All my 650SS came from them, as well as most of the other hardware on my kegerator. Can't go wrong with either company.

 

[Yesfan]

^^ I agree about Williams. I've only dealt with them twice, but to be all the way out west, they have very fast shipping. They are a great company in my eyes.

 

[okiedog]

For me, William's is about 1-1/2 hr drive (one way). But on most items, I have next day delivery when I order online.

 

[okiedog]

CM Becker makes forward seal beer faucets that have a built in creamer function. They say they're made in Germany and assembled in the USA. I've just started seeing these in ads in Zymurgy and other beer mags.
http://www.qualitypour.com/