Perlick 525 SS faucet leaks

[crazyirishman34]

I have 3 of the 525SS faucets on my long draw set up and they seal just fine. The only caveat is that I am using beer pumps that push the beer at 30psi to the faucet. That might make a difference who knows? I am thinking of switching to Ventomatics now that they are being made again. The reason is that I leave them with beer in the line for a week or 2 at a time unattended. It would suck to have 15 gallons of beer go down the drain due to a leaky faucet. Not to mention the fruit flies.

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php...d=3277&zenid=f8a48f4b97525eecb0a9c94d7ac74683

 

[billpaustin]

I put two of them on my kegerator a few months back. No leaks at all. I did have to back off the adjusting screws a little bit.

 

[crazyirishman34]

Adjusting screws?

 

[billpaustin]

Adjusting screws?

It's not a screw, but more like a bolt I guess, or an adjusting wheel. Right where the handle goes into the faucet, I had to back this off a bit to get a good seal.

 

[bob1852]

It's not a screw, but more like a bolt I guess, or an adjusting wheel. Right where the handle goes into the faucet, I had to back this off a bit to get a good seal.

Yep; with a forward sealing faucet, you really want the handle to move freely. Backing off the nut by a 1/4 turn worked on one of mine.

 

[kev]

No kidding, wow. That is good info to know, thank you. I am assuming that the nut that you are talking about is kinda in the same location as a packing nut would be on a standard water valve?
Cheers
Kev

 

[Demon]

I have 3 of the 525SS faucets on my long draw set up and they seal just fine. The only caveat is that I am using beer pumps that push the beer at 30psi to the faucet. That might make a difference who knows? I am thinking of switching to Ventomatics now that they are being made again. The reason is that I leave them with beer in the line for a week or 2 at a time unattended. It would suck to have 15 gallons of beer go down the drain due to a leaky faucet. Not to mention the fruit flies.

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php...d=3277&zenid=f8a48f4b97525eecb0a9c94d7ac74683

Thanks for the heads up on ventmatics coming back, just ordered some.

 

[day_trippr]

No kidding, wow. That is good info to know, thank you. I am assuming that the nut that you are talking about is kinda in the same location as a packing nut would be on a standard water valve?
Cheers
Kev

Correct. It's item 7 in the figure below...

Cheers!

[edit] fwiw, I've been running six 525 SS Perls for almost three years. Out of the box, one of them had a tendency to drip, the others have always been rock solid. I dis-assembled the outlier, cleaned everything, applied just a ghost of a film of keg lube to all of the o-rings, reassembled it, adjusted the bonnet (item 7) so the lever moved smoothly, and it hasn't leaked a drip ever since. If there's an intrinsic problem with the 525 SS now, someone changed something at the factory , imo...

 

[ajwillys]

If there's an intrinsic problem with the 525 SS now, someone changed something at the factory , imo...

Yep. I have five and I have friends with probably 15-20 more (more than one friend)... No problems anywhere.

 

[kev]

I have 2 and they have been in service for less than a week now. Thank God there are no issues. It is just good information to have just in case. That way I can at least try something before a call to Perlick to pitch a bitch. Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Cheers
Kev

 

[milldoggy]

Never had a problem with my 3 perlicks, but I just installed 4 on my long draw bar in my dining room where we just did brand new floors. Wife will kill me if a keg does leak. I think 4 ventomatics might be ordered tonight.

 

[Joed15]

I have 6 525SS faucets for several months now with no leaks.

 

[disney7]

Can anyone elaborate on where the leak is? Are the bad ones leaking out of the faucet?

I have three 525SS faucets that I've had for a little less than two years. Last night, after pouring a beer, one of them had a slight leak at the top where the lever goes down into the faucet. The threaded cap wasn't loose. I took it apart and removed the lower o-ring and didn't see any damage or gunk. I cleaned it anyway and lubed everything a little with keg lube. Reassembled and no more leak.

Just wondering if mine are developing the same problem or if that was just a random event.

 

[sfrisby]

Just wondering if mine are developing the same problem or if that was just a random event.

That's exactly what mine does. Leaks reemerge every 2 weeks to 2 months. I used to replace everything each time. I later discovered if you just take it apart, like you did, remove the piece with the ball at the bottem that goes into the main faucet, then put it all back together, it works again....until the next time.

The way I see it, I can keep doing this until Perlick finds a fix, go back to standard faucets, or buy the ventamatics since apparently they are being sold again.

 

[disney7]

I'm sitting at a newish pub that has about 30 525SS faucets. I asked the guys about them and they say the bonnets spring a leak every two or three months (they see a lot of use).

They have a bag of the o-rings that go below the ball. The bag is Perlick part number 425-8. They replace them as needed. I may grab a bag and replace mine every so often.

I asked if they'd ever lost a keg overnight. They said no, it always happens when operating the faucet and it is never a very bad leak. They just replace the o-ring at that point.

It makes some sense that it might be a wear item.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Hmm. One of my three has stopped sealing properly. Not a fast leak, but the tap condom falls off after hours or days and a couple drops of beer go to the angels or floor. It got better before by loosening the bonnet. No good anymore as it is practically unscrewed now. Its a shame though because I really like the taps. I am going to disassemble and reassemble and go from there.

 

[borto1990]

I just installed 10 on my kegerator. no issues yet.. does someone have the o-ring #'s that need to be changed should a leak occur? Love them so far, are working great. but if I have parts on hand, I've got no problem changing them I guess. 100 orings are 2 bucks or less. if they start leaking. I'll chalk it up to "for love of the game" and happily replace them

 

[Jeffinn]

I have 3 of the 525SS faucets on my long draw set up and they seal just fine. I am thinking of switching to Ventomatics now that they are being made again.
http://www.chicompany.net/index.php...d=3277&zenid=f8a48f4b97525eecb0a9c94d7ac74683

I was considering that as well. However, there's no seal kits or repair parts available for the VentMatics (at least I didn't see any at the Chi Company website). As it stands right now, there's just faucets.

 

[Yesfan]

I bought my four from Adventures a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed.


is the leaks mainly with the O-rings? If so, does McMasters Carr have a part #? What about going with a O-ring?

On another note, what is the difference between the Perlick 525 and 575? I want to add more faucets to my kegerator (maybe 2-3 more), so just wondering about the differences.

 

[crazyirishman34]

I was considering that as well. However, there's no seal kits or repair parts available for the VentMatics (at least I didn't see any at the Chi Company website). As it stands right now, there's just faucets.

Not too many places have custom sized orings made. It would just be too costly. I would bet that you can get all the internal orings from other sources.

 

[milldoggy]

I bought my four from Adventures a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed.

is the leaks mainly with the O-rings? If so, does McMasters Carr have a part #? What about going with a O-ring?

On another note, what is the difference between the Perlick 525 and 575? I want to add more faucets to my kegerator (maybe 2-3 more), so just wondering about the differences.

575 you can push back to create head.

 

[day_trippr]

575 you can push back to create head.

Of course, one can create oodles of foam by just cracking open the 525...

Cheers!

 

[milldoggy]

Of course, one can create oodles of foam by just cracking open the 525...

Cheers!

I guess they call it a creamer, uses some piston in the ball. Just more things to fail

 

[day_trippr]

I guess they call it a creamer

I'm aware. But it's really a bit of a joke, as it not only doesn't do anything any 525 can't already do, but it adds a touchy faucet handle in both directions!

Score!

Cheers!

[edit] I forgot to add: the tiny orifice in the 575 faucet lever is prone to clogging...

 

[Dolomieu]

It seems counterintuitive, but if the nut on top is tightened too much, it can cause the faucet ball to slip open.

Try loosening it ~1/4 turn.

Thank you! This info just stopped my leaking issue.

 

[CJBrewVT]

Well I read through this whole thread. Went to look at the mentioned VentMatic and find this. Sounds very similar to the Perlick issue.

"NOTICE:
VERSION CHANGE - 2013/10/15
We are now on "VentMatic 1.1". There has been a front seal change.
If you have purchased a VentMatic faucet before 10-22 and you have an issue with the front seal, please let us know. We will send you an updated front seal.

PARTS KIT: A parts kit is "in the works" and will be available by the end of November."

 

[LandoLincoln]

I'm aware. But it's really a bit of a joke, as it not only doesn't do anything any 525 can't already do, but it adds a touchy faucet handle in both directions!

Score!

Cheers!

[edit] I forgot to add: the tiny orifice in the 575 faucet lever is prone to clogging...

This is not my experience with my 575's. They've worked just fine for me. No clogging, no drips. The handles are not "touchy."

 

[Skarekrough]

Spoke to Jeff at Perlick a little while ago.

The basic premise is that pressure pushes the ball against an O-Ring (item #3 if you're looking at the schematic) which stops beer from flowing through the tap.

This system works fine as long as two things are true:
-there is enough pressure to hold the ball against the O-Ring
-the O-Ring is not compacted in any manner

Now, over time by the nature of something having pressure on it the O-Ring in question will compact.

This is essentially the fatal flaw in the 525SS.

A few things were advised:

-Replace the O-Ring every six months
-Make sure the O-Ring isn't impacted in the little area it's supposed to be; make sure it can move a bit if you poke it with something like a toothpick or eyeglasses screwdriver
-Keep serving pressure to at least 12-13 psi

So, all in all, it's kind of annoying. The Flow Control faucets use the same mechanism as well.

Jeff is sending out replacement washers to me.

 

[BBBF]

Yeah, the only time my 575's ever leaked was when I turned the pressure down to fill a growler, forgot to turn it back up and went out of town for a week. It was completely my fault.

 

[crazyirishman34]

Honestly replacing an O-Ring once every 6 months doesn't seam like that big of a deal considering the advantages of the faucet.