Stuck tap.

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Garfield43

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I bought one of these from a person locally:
https://www.amazon.com/Nostalgia-CBG64-HomeCrraft-growler-64-Ounce/dp/B074RF71TLIt was still sealed in the box.
I opened it up, put it together and messed around with it a little.
The tap is spring loaded to shut off automatically.
When I first put it together everything worked fine.
However the tap has gotten really stiff, keep in mind nothing has been ran through it yet.
I was going to take it apart, clean and lube it but it wont come apart.
The main valve, I guess is what you would call it (the part in the body that you move back and forth with the handle) won't come out.
I was about to drive it out with a dowel and a hammer but I wanted to ask here to see if there is some sort of trick.

BTW I am aware of the issues with these kind of set ups. The reviews said it was hard to get the CO2 pressure right with the dinky little regulator. Also foam can be a problem with that short of beer line (nonexistent).
I got it for less than half of the street price.
I suspect running it off my CO2 cylinder and its regulator will help.
I can put a flow control tap on it if I have to.
 
It is a plain old cheap Chinese rear sealing tap.
Even after I remove parts 1-5 part #8 attached to #9 will not come out.
It will barely move when the tap is assembled.
https://www.kegoutlet.com/prod_images/xlarge/FA70105.jpgIt functioned fine for a while.

If you want to talk over designed look at this one.
https://www.growlerwerks.com/products/ukeg-64-pressurized-growlerI like the option on mine to connect it to any CO2 tank with a standard Corny Keg disconnect.
I also like how mine can become a plain old growler if I want.
The sight glass is nice but I wonder if you can remove and or replace the tap on that one.
Also the external brass and glass tube looks like it would be a pain to clean.
Thanks for the tip on the $10 growler, I may grab one.
 
I got the tap apart.
I took #9 off and then drove #8 out.
Nothing looks bent & there are no metal chips anyplace.
I will probably hit all the rubber and the front of #8 with a little keg lube when I put it back together.
Looking at this design I am surprised these don't leak out the front.
 
They don’t leak out the front because they seal at the rear. Only a few drops of beer get around the front of the shuttle and these will dry out and cause the faucet to stick. That’s the drawback of rear sealing faucets. The faucets work fine, and if you pour beer every day, the sticking isn’t a problem.
 
I was surprised to see a full size faucet on such a small keg.
My oldest son gifted me a 64oz UKeg which uses a miniature rear-sealing faucet - seems quite appropriate for the scale - though like all rear sealers it's prone to gluing itself shut if not rinsed out after use/before actual cleaning.

1619060424164.png

I also recently learned not to put the thing in a freezer to chill down before filling, as within an hour everything froze together (eep! :oops:)
Had to thaw it back out then chilled it down again with ice water before filling. Much better :D

Cheers!
 
I was surprised to see a full size faucet on such a small keg.
My oldest son gifted me a 64oz UKeg which uses a miniature rear-sealing faucet - seems quite appropriate for the scale - though like all rear sealers it's prone to gluing itself shut if not rinsed out after use/before actual cleaning.

View attachment 726630
I also recently learned not to put the thing in a freezer to chill down before filling, as within an hour everything froze together (eep! :oops:)
Had to thaw it back out then chilled it down again with ice water before filling. Much better :D

Cheers!
I put my growlers and bottles in the fridge before I fill them from the tap. I've found the Wal Mart Ozarka Trail half gallon water jugs to be awesome. Double walled and has a large screw top for filling/cleaning and a small screw cap for serving.
 
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FWIW I lubed the faucet ever so slightly and put it back together. You can operate it with your pinky and the spring loaded return functions again.

I am glad it uses a standard size faucet. It this turns out to be too fizzy I could always slap a flow control faucet on it.
I wish I knew if the spear from this one would fit the mini kegs on the market. I got this whole thing for around what a mini keg spear sells for. It came with a regular lid as well. If they were the same size thread I could put the tap rig from this on a 5L mini keg and still have a 2 L growler.

Before I found this I was getting items to set up a 2.5 or 3 gallon keg in my mini fridge. I have some of the items bought. I still need a keg, hose and some quick disconnects. I think I will use this set up for a while, see what I like and what I don't while I finish buying what I need.
 
[...]Seriously, if I was going to an all day event, 64oz wouldn't hold me, nor would I be able to share.[...]

Unless one has a bunch of these tiny dispensers, a short corny would be better for an actual group of folks that enjoy beer...

I've used my UKeg six times so far - always affairs beginning towards the evening - and the usual drill is to make sure anyone who wants a sample gets one, then service repeat tasting requests, then when folks have switched to their preferred wines and/or mixed drinks if there's anything left it gets divvied among the hangers-on. Just once have Youngest Son and I killed a fill between us - the wives were already into margaritas :D

Cheers!
 
Yeah, I'll need the bigger container. I recently switched wife for a girlfriend who likes beer.
 
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