Vinator problem

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HopEd

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When I cleaned the bottles for my most recent batch of beer I noticed that I had an extra piece for my vinator. It looks like the white plastic part with the ball-barring that is in the middle of the the red plastic base. I've used the vinator 4 times before this, and I have never noticed this part. Did it fall out of some where?

The vinator did not work very well for that batch. It is not shooting water all the way up to the bottom of the bottles. In addition the spring is bent.

Has anyone else had this problem with their vinators? What can I do to prevent damage in the future?
 
I've had the problem of the water not shooting up all the way. I took it all apart. Didn't see anything unusual other than the bent spring and all of a sudden it's back to working fine. Beats me.
 
Make note that there are TWO ball bearings, one in the baseplate and one nozzle assembly. If one of them fell out, there would be nothing to stop the liquid from going back to the sump since they act as one-way check valves. And I think everybody gets bent springs. Poor design.
 
I stuck the extra ball bearing into the nozzle and tried again. It sounded like it was going to work, but no water came through. I even reversed the bearing and had the same prob.
 
How are you getting it in? It comes from the manufacturer placed in the cavity just below the the nozzle. It looks like they mold the plastic around it. It's not supposed to be able to get out, unless the plastic is broken.
 
I just stuck it into the nozzle. The piece looks exactly like the piece that is in the middle of the red base. I don't remember ever seeing a ball bearing piece in the nozzle though.
 
They leave the factory with a ball bearing in there. If the nozzle is wide enough for you to push the ball bearing back in, the bearing will probably shoot out along with the liquid. Also, they designed that cavity below the nozzle with four bumps on the top that stop the ball bearing from going up and blocking the nozzle but allowing liquid to pass through. On the bottom, the hole is matched to the bearing's diameter so that the bearing blocks that hole and prevents backflow.
Can you see what I'm talking about in yours? Unless the ball bearing is sitting between those bumps and the hole, it won't act as a check valve and your vinator probably won't work.
 
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