Why did you upgrade your faucets?

[wsmith1625]

I have an Edgestar dual tap kegerator that came with stainless steel rear seal faucets. I've never had any trouble with them, but I see the Perlicks and Intertaps and it's tempting to upgrade. What made you upgrade and which faucet did you get? Cheers!

 

[kh54s10]

I upgraded when I bought a third faucet. That is because Perlick discontinued the 525ss and replaced it with the 630ss. Before that I had picnic taps.

I went with Perlicks right away as they seemed to be the most liked at the time. I don't think Intertaps were as prevalent then.

 

[Novacor]

I got forward sealing faucets after I didn't drink a RIS for few weeks while away on vacation, then snapped off my tap handle trying to pour a beer.

 

[wsmith1625]

Not sure why my faucets don't stick on me. Maybe I'm just drinking too much. If I were to pick between Perlicks and Intertaps, I think I might go with Intertaps. I like the price and they seem pretty versatile with the removable spouts.

 

[Jtvann]

I used to keep my kegerator outside. When I'd go for more than out 3 days the old taps would stick. It never got to the point of breaking a handle, but there would be a noticable pop when opening. Switched to intertaps for that reason and it was instantly solved. I also like the removable spout options for growler fills or cleaning.

 

[wsmith1625]

Thanks to all for responding. I think I'll stick with my standard faucets for now. They seem to fit my need well. The Perlicks and Intertaps do look pretty though, so one day, maybe, I just might upgrade.

I also drive a Honda Civic. It's good reliable transportation, just not as sexy as a Lexus or Infinity.

Enjoy your homebrew!

 

[matt_m]

Because I was dumb and didn't listen to the advice to buy flow control faucets to start with

 

[deuc224]

I bought intertaps because I wanted self closing taps. They work great and seal well, I drive an Audi fyi lol.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

Sticking tap. Went with a perlick but the seal wasn't good so it leaked! Finally new o-ring seal fixe it and all good now.
The perlick does also pour more smoothly, but not really sure if that matters any.

 

[gnef]

I started when there were only rear sealing faucets available in the mass market (there were some fancy european ones, but they had different shanks, were difficult to get, and expensive...).

Once ventmatic came out with their faucet, I bought those. Then there was drama with that company, so when I needed to add faucets, I went with Perlick 425ss, which were a near clone to the ventmatic design with the shuttle and removable spouts (this is part of the drama, they infringed on the IP). That got me to 6 faucets, but when I expanded up to 14, neither the ventmatic or the 425ss faucets were still available, so then I got some 525ss, and then some 630ss faucets to get me up to 14 faucets.

Then I decided to upgrade my tubing with bev seal ultra 235, and with the push to connect fittings I had already invested in, I needed 3/8" OD tubing, which meant I needed the 1/4" ID. This meant I needed to either put 40-50 ft of tubing for each line, or change to flow control faucets. I decided to change out my faucets to the Perlick 650ss flow control faucets, so I have 14 of those on my walk-in with bev seal ultra tubing and John Guest acetal fittings. I have another two on direct draw keg taps with a stainless ball lock and stainless pin lock quick disconnect along with the chi-company adapter specifically designed for use with the 650ss faucets.

I also made my own stainless hex tap handles for fun - I bought a 12 ft bar, cut it into 3 inch pieces, drilled, and tapped the threads.

here are a few pictures:

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Little effers kept sticking. It was either get new faucets or constantly drink so they don't sit long enough to stick.

I don't want to take any chances so I do both.

 

[day_trippr]

Fortunately I had been following HBT before I built my first keezer many years ago, and so went straight to 525ss Perlicks.
The half dozen are still performing wonderfully with two O-ring rebuilds in all those years. And since adding Intertap return springs I haven't had so much as a dribble even when swinging my keezer top open, and visitors are less likely to have an "Ooops!"

I don't have a brand affinity on this. When I bought the Perls they were the only game in town (Vent Matic was a mess to be avoided back then, imo) and given the current options who knows what I'd be driving if I was putting a dispensing rig together today. I've never seen an Intertap in person so have no judgement as to relative production quality vs Perlick, for instance...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

Before that I had picnic taps.

hmmm, posting this just to follow the thread.....been brewing 15 years, and just recently, since joining here been thinking about a spiffy flow control tap.....or two

 

[gnef]

oh, I forgot to add that for fun, I bought one stainless intertap to use for RO drinking water in the garage. I just Teed off the line going upstairs to the kitchen, and used a spare stainless shank and john guest fitting. The kids really enjoy using the water tap downstairs.

 

[bracconiere]

The kids really enjoy using the water tap downstairs.

lol, you should at least put soda on tap so they get a feel for a 'good' pour!

 

[gnef]

lol, you should at least put soda on tap so they get a feel for a 'good' pour!

Haha, if I did that, I may not be able to get them to stop!

 

[wsmith1625]

I started when there were only rear sealing faucets available in the mass market (there were some fancy european ones, but they had different shanks, were difficult to get, and expensive...).

Once ventmatic came out with their faucet, I bought those. Then there was drama with that company, so when I needed to add faucets, I went with Perlick 425ss, which were a near clone to the ventmatic design with the shuttle and removable spouts (this is part of the drama, they infringed on the IP). That got me to 6 faucets, but when I expanded up to 14, neither the ventmatic or the 425ss faucets were still available, so then I got some 525ss, and then some 630ss faucets to get me up to 14 faucets.

Then I decided to upgrade my tubing with bev seal ultra 235, and with the push to connect fittings I had already invested in, I needed 3/8" OD tubing, which meant I needed the 1/4" ID. This meant I needed to either put 40-50 ft of tubing for each line, or change to flow control faucets. I decided to change out my faucets to the Perlick 650ss flow control faucets, so I have 14 of those on my walk-in with bev seal ultra tubing and John Guest acetal fittings. I have another two on direct draw keg taps with a stainless ball lock and stainless pin lock quick disconnect along with the chi-company adapter specifically designed for use with the 650ss faucets.

I also made my own stainless hex tap handles for fun - I bought a 12 ft bar, cut it into 3 inch pieces, drilled, and tapped the threads.

here are a few pictures:

That's some awesome setup! I can't believe I'm putting so much thought into the cost of upgrading just 2 faucets.

 

[Scout]

oh, I forgot to add that for fun, I bought one stainless intertap to use for RO drinking water in the garage. I just Teed off the line going upstairs to the kitchen, and used a spare stainless shank and john guest fitting. The kids really enjoy using the water tap downstairs.

I ran a water line to a keg in my kegerator in the garage, it's awesome having ice cold water on tap.


I swapped to a flow control perlick because I was having foam issues I couldn't solve, and I thought that would fix it.

 

[gnef]

That's some awesome setup! I can't believe I'm putting so much thought into the cost of upgrading just 2 faucets.

Thanks! I can understand putting that much thought into just about anything. Sometimes it isn't just about the cost, it is about the value, usefullness, fun, etc. Sometimes it is just fun to think about options and gadgets (this has led to some interesting side projects!).

What is awesome is that now is a great time to look at all the different options available and make an intentional decision. When I started, there were very few options, so you had a very simple decision to make in many regards.

 

[gnef]

I ran a water line to a keg in my kegerator in the garage, it's awesome having ice cold water on tap.


I swapped to a flow control perlick because I was having foam issues I couldn't solve, and I thought that would fix it.

I like that idea! If my walk-in was closer to my RO system, I would consider doing that myself!

 

[bracconiere]

Haha, if I did that, I may not be able to get them to stop!

i'm surprised YOU can, lol...you have a tap for every hour of the day!!!! i bet you don't get bored often.....