Picnic Tap 2.1 trouble

[quantumguy]

Put the new mini tap on a keg. Took a few try's to get it setup, tinker the CO2 PSI and adjust the flow control keg post. Had to drop CO2 down to 5 or less. Pouring almost foam free. So far better then tapit2.1. Too bad I did like them. With the 5 I have, will use them until they start leaking.
If the Nukatap performs well, will order another kit.

I'm curious about one thing - when you have to decrease the CO2 down to 5 psi or less to get a good pour, don't you then have to afterwards increase it back to your normal carbonation level, e.g., 10 psi or so? Otherwise I would think your beer in the keg will eventually lose its original carbonation level. Seems a bit of a PITA to have to fiddle with the CO2 with each pour.

 

[mac_1103]

Isn't the flow control QD supposed to take care of the foam without having to turn down the pressure?

 

[vmaxept]

So far its good. I carb in the keg with sugar added when filling keg, Set CO2 to 20psi for 3 weeks Bleed off excess as needed to keep at 20 psi. I normally drop to 10 psi or lower to serve, ( when I used the tapit2). I quit the hose and picnic tap long ago.. Tried the large flow control taps, they worked OK. But too big for my small kegs and the fridge
I am still working on the best settings between psi and the QD adjustment. It is not a major issue for me to drop to 5 then increase to 10. I have 2.5g kegs with paint ball tanks and on tank regulator. I am sure I will get it working better. Only took 2 pints out of the keg. Its a learning thing

 

[quantumguy]

wow, 20 psi, that's some serious carbonation.

 

[tracer bullet]

I keep my serving pressure at 12psi all day every day. The Picnic tap was hit and miss for me, some beers it worked, some it didn't. Customer service was outstanding though. The Nukatap FC's have been better overall. I think that they too vary with the beer, but the worst performance of the Nukatap is better than the worst performance of the Picnic tap, if that makes sense. When they both work well then they are identical. I've been wondering if there's a property to the beer that creates this variation. My last lager was a bit troublesome, my current English better is overall pouring well, and my Imperial Stout has no problems at all even at a higher pour speed. Beer gravity might actually be a factor as to if they "want" to foam up or not?

Super interested in what this V2 Nukatap FC is about. I'm ready to buy a conversion kit any time. @KegLand if you have a moment please give us an update!

 

[mac_1103]

wow, 20 psi, that's some serious carbonation.

It's also the upper limit for the picnic tap 2.1, so if your regulator is off just a little then you'd be asking the device to do something that the manufacturer tells you it isn't capable of.

 

[vmaxept]

I let the beer naturally carb in the keg at 20 psi. After a 2 to 3 week condition phase I drop to 10 psi with the tapit2, maybe a little lower close to 6 then back up to 10. As others indicated not all beers pour the same. The nuk tap is getting dialed in. Pulled a pint today psi at 8 a bit of foam 1/4 of the glass , let it sit for bit then topped off. Working OK for me

 

[vmaxept]

Another followup. I have the new NUK Tap working great. Just tinker with CO2 and the adjustable OD. I found the tap closer spring (add on) does not work, never get a full close when I let off the tap. will pull the tap off keg and remove it. Easy enough to make sure to push the tap closed

 

[tracer bullet]

Interesting, mine close completely, and are strong enough I start to wonder if I'm putting too much stress on the disconnect when I have them open.

 

[tracer bullet]

I should also say we have a new design of flow control Nukatap FC model that will also come into stock later this year. The new FC mechanism is even better than the existing one and instead of just relying on two cone (male and female) coming together to create the narrow path and high resistance the new model actually uses the speed and momentum of the fluid to slow itself down. We have found this new method to be even better and give a better flow control effect across a wider range of pressures.

The new Nukatap FC version 2 parts are quite small and they are backwards compatible with the older FC taps too. At even quite high pressures they will create substantially less foam. So this would be something that would also be good for you to compare too if you wanted to do a review down the track.

@KegLand - I wanted to try again to see if you'd be able to share any more info, even if it's just a new target date.