When to Replace Poppet Valves

[DrumForHire]

I bought a couple Corney Kegs (along with a bunch of other gear) and started kegging for my last two batches, and it's made my life so much better. I'm wondering how often I should replace the poppets on these kegs. The former owner had put print-out labels on the sides of the kegs with the date the poppets were replaced and three circles. I didn't ask, but I assume that he was in the habit of marking off the number of batches the kegs had been used for with the circles on the labels. It seems like overkill to replace the poppets every three brews, so that got me thinking: how often should they be replaced?

 

[day_trippr]

I would never replace a working poppet, unless it somehow got contaminated by something fearsome...

Cheers!

 

[waterskj]

My plan is: If and when they start to leak

This advice *may* cause beer loss/mess to clean up ...

 

[Yesfan]

I've not replaced mine yet. I've had my kegs for about 4 years now.

 

[Gavin C]

I'm wondering how often I should replace the poppets on these kegs.

Never if they are working fine and not encrusted with crud.

I have replaced 1 poppet in 2 years on 6 used kegs as it was crud coated and I could not get it clean. The vendor shipped me a universal poppet upon request at no charge.

AIH

 

[bkboiler]

yeah, it can definitely help to break it down every so often and soak in some sanitizer and inspect the o-rings... will cost a couple bucks for new o-rings and it's definitely worth it compared to leaking out all your CO2 or worse yet ruining a keg of beer to some kind of infection. that being said, O-rings will last a long time if properly maintained, and breaking them down too often can cause excess wear.
I may break down the poppets maybe every 10 keg turnovers...but typically just run some sanitizer through the out-valve...
only should replace if they're not working right or they look badly damaged.

 

[Yooper]

People replace poppets "just because"? Well, I'll be darned.

Some people don't even remove their posts and clean the poppets, let alone replace them!

I'm in the middle. I remove the posts, clean everything, inspect and lube, sanitize, and put back, but would never replace anything that is fine. It'd be hard to get the perfect fit for poppets, so the one that works and fits is the one I'd leave.