Why no higher end picnic taps?

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DarrellQ said:
but was wondering, do you have to clean an individual line if you haven't had a particular beer for several days or a week. How often do you have to clean the lines and what is the process?
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I work on the theory that if the line and tap are all in the cold chest and the beer sitting in the line is also open to the inside of the keg, it's either too late for the whole keg or the beer in the line is just fine! A quick starsan spray into the nozzle opening would be a great idea if you know it's going to sit for awhile. I'm sure you have seen what happens to spilled beer, not in my nozzle please!

Seven feet of beer tubing is about $1 and the picnic taps are about $2. Add these to the easy to clean liquid disconnect and fill with starsan overnight and you're good to go. The effort to clean the line and reassemble the picnic tap without bending the little tabs just isn't worth it. Pitch them!
 
bracconiere said:
i love my picnic taps, i've used for 16 years! :mug: wonderful human being, picnic taps are great! ;)

edit: i gotta say living in the good place is GREAT!




if my plastic one cost $4.99, i'm thinking a SS would be like $15? and hell yeah i'd buy a couple!
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I agree - $15-$20 for a better picnic tap. Doesn't have to be stainless, just something better than the cheapy plastic ones. I have a Keezer that holds 2 5gal corneys and a 3gal on the hump. I use a picnic tap and have no plans to expand beyond that.
 
Chuckbergman said:
I agree - $15-$20 for a better picnic tap.
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here's mine, complete with counter pressure bottle filler! (i now have a HBT sticker between them though ;))


It would be so cool if they were stainless! i got sick of using BIC lighters for the same reason! bought a thunderbird butane insert for my zippo, so it felt high class!
 
DarrellQ said:
This is excellent! I've thought about a smaller 3 keg version of this, but was wondering, do you have to clean an individual line if you haven't had a particular beer for several days or a week. How often do you have to clean the lines and what is the process?
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Honestly, I don't clean as often as I should. since they are fully refrigerated I let them go months. For the soda, wines, ciders and meads, this is less of a problem, they are usually treated with potassium metabisulfite. i have occasionally had issues with beer lines getting a growth, it starts in the cap of the picnic tap where there is a crevasse exposed to air. Probably the biggest flaw. I used to just run PBW through the whole line and call it good, now i disassemble the tap completely and soak it, since then no growth. I have let taps run for several months without problems, but still a bad habit. since it is sealed to the tap, the tap should be cleaned way more often. Since the lines are loose, I just grab them and connect them to a disconnect on my kegwasher, 20 to 30 minutes of hot PBW, rinse and reassemble with starsan.


jddevinn said:
If it's not a different material then how would you like it to be better? The design for what they cost is pretty damn good. I went and pulled one out of the parts pile and don't see anyway to make it 'better' other then giving it a male flare end so that it can connect to better/newer tubing more easily.
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The picnic taps are cheap ABS, they break a lot. I usually break the handle, although I did split a spout once using it with a plastic tube to fill bottles (also a thing with picnic taps) Even the new Pluto guns say they are nylon and stainless for the cheap ones, better material than ABS. Stainless is desired, but not necessarily required. I will bet few of us have all stainless QDs.... The pluto guns do seem a bit large, and i like the thumb trigger of the picnics, so maybe something smaller than plutos, with a male flare fitting, stamped stainless for the thumb trigger.... Anyone have a good design for the valve body?
 
TheBluePhantom said:
I will bet few of us have all stainless QDs...
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well, i don't feel them 12 times a day! someone said aluminum, copper brass is out, now what about an expensive sterling silver one? that'd be pretty cool! i'd probably even drop the $50 on it! ;)

edit: i did spend $16 on 12" of 99.9% silver wire to weld into a couples rings as a joke to wear! kinda like the hobbit.....
 
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Here is the picture of 2 Perlick flow controls, one Intertap and one cheapie China faucet.

On the flow controls, the key is to use the cheapie China adapter which allows more clearance for the shuttle return. You do need an external spring for knob return to avoid spills.
IMG_1938.JPG
IMG_1939.JPG
 
i like having the tap covers to keep bugs and oxygen (mold growth) out of the faucet ends.

Anyone have a clever trick or tip to do the same with a picnic tap? They stay inside the keg-o-rator, but I tend to have them in service for a good deal longer before finishing the kegs and rinsing out.
 
I clean the lines and tap when the keg kicks. I just had one kick last week that was filled in April of last year. Visually no sign of debris or anything unwanted in the tap or QD. Take the valve out and soak in in PBW while I flush the QD and hose for 20 minutes then rinse and Stansan
 
FromZwolle said:
i like having the tap covers to keep bugs and oxygen (mold growth) out of the faucet ends.

Anyone have a clever trick or tip to do the same with a picnic tap? They stay inside the keg-o-rator, but I tend to have them in service for a good deal longer before finishing the kegs and rinsing out.
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Keep the taps in Starsan, I have been doing this for years
 
So I got my stainless steel Pluto Beer Gun today. Total foam. I have 12 PSI in a fridge at about 38F. Can be kinda foamy with the IPA I have with the picnic taps but so far total foam with the Pluto. Have tried with the adjustment screw in more (lower flow but I think more foam) or out more - more rapid flow but still super foamy. I think I need lower PSI on the keg and/or longer tubing (have 3 feet). Other thoughts?
 
HB2 HughBHomeBrew said:
So I got my stainless steel Pluto Beer Gun today. Total foam. I have 12 PSI in a fridge at about 38F. Can be kinda foamy with the IPA I have with the picnic taps but so far total foam with the Pluto. Have tried with the adjustment screw in more (lower flow but I think more foam) or out more - more rapid flow but still super foamy. I think I need lower PSI on the keg and/or longer tubing (have 3 feet). Other thoughts?
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What diameter lines do yo have? Lowering the keg pressure and keeping the same temp will change the carbonation level.

Did you let the gun sit in the fridge and get cold before trying it? 😂
 
jddevinn said:
What diameter lines do yo have? Lowering the keg pressure and keeping the same temp will change the carbonation level.

Did you let the gun sit in the fridge and get cold before trying it? 😂
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1/4 inch ID, 3 ft of line. Yes, I don’t really want to change the carbonation level.

Maybe let it get cold? Probably could use some more of that and some more line
 
HB2 HughBHomeBrew said:
Thanks. Yeah I think I do need to connect the Pluto Gun to more line. Used 3 ft of 1/4 ID line which worked OK with the picnic tap though
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now i have to try running my picnic tap, with analog flow control! thanks for the idea! (did you run the picnic tap full open? or like play it by feel flow control?)
 
jddevinn said:
Line length will definitively help (or EVA Barrier small ID line if ya can figure out how to hook it up.) If the gun was warmer then the beer that wasn't helping either.

http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/
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Thanks - I'm thinking this 3/16" ID might work - the Pluto Gun barb fit easily onto the 1/4" so I think 3/16" would work there, and at the other end, I think I could squeeze it over the 1/4" tailpiece (I'm using Sanke kegs). Pic is what I tried today with the 3 feet of 1/4" ID "Ultra Barrier Silver." This was super foamy at the 14 PSI I've been using. Either that or just use a lot longer 1/4" line I guess - like 9 feet instead of 3, which seems unwieldy.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/ultra-barrier-antimicrobial-pvc-free-tubing-316.html
IMG_0602.jpeg
 
@HB2 HughBHomeBrew i gotta tell you, men are from mars and women are from venus....because looking at that it must be another galaxy! i'm familar with pin lock, ball lock, picnic taps, i've even read about fancy perlick taps....but a sanke, with a pluto tap? out of this world! :D :mug:
 
HB2 HughBHomeBrew said:
Thanks - I'm thinking this 3/16" ID might work - the Pluto Gun barb fit easily onto the 1/4" so I think 3/16" would work there, and at the other end, I think I could squeeze it over the 1/4" tailpiece (I'm using Sanke kegs). Pic is what I tried today with the 3 feet of 1/4" ID "Ultra Barrier Silver." This was super foamy at the 14 PSI I've been using. Either that or just use a lot longer 1/4" line I guess - like 9 feet instead of 3, which seems unwieldy.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/ultra-barrier-antimicrobial-pvc-free-tubing-316.htmlView attachment 705565
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There are online draft system calculators that do a good job. I can say from experience you need more than 3 ft. Also, the thickness of the tubing wall has a large effect (resistance).
 
Ok. Definitely made a mistake on too short line and too big ID - 1/4”. Had some 3/16 ID line - 10 feet and now the Pluto Gun is working like a champ. I think the OP would like it - hefty, stays put, shouldn’t break as easy as the plastic picnic taps.
106C6002-1CFD-4041-9B11-F349765B4CCF.jpeg
 
HB2 HughBHomeBrew said:
Ok. Definitely made a mistake on too short line and too big ID - 1/4”. Had some 3/16 ID line - 10 feet and now the Pluto Gun is working like a champ. I think the OP would like it - hefty, stays put, shouldn’t break as easy as the plastic picnic taps.View attachment 705794
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Glad you found your fix. Isn't this a great forum and a great bunch of people. Go brewers
 
Good to see the foaming thing solved, it'd suck if it turned out that gun wasn't as good as advertised.
btw, drop down to 4mm ID EVA barrier tubing and you can cut your line length in half and the overnight oxidation/staling inside the line by a couple orders of magnitude...

Cheers!
 
The pluto guns are working out nicely for my setup, once I got the tubing right (8-10 feet of 1/16" ID EVA barrier/silver). The weight of the pluto guns keeps them from falling all the time like the picnic taps. When kegs are empty just switch coupler to keg filled with Star-San; run some through the line/pluto gun and ready for the next keg!
IMG_0653.jpeg
 
I’ve built multiple systems with faucets and after my last keezer kicked it, I went simple on everything.

I use the plastic Pluto and it works great with my 2.5 gallon keg setup - hangs in the side of the keg.

Definitely recommend em over a picnic tap.
 
This thread has been very interesting AND entertaining.
I am amazed how many people use picnic taps.
I really believed it to be a super rare practice and almost always a stepping stone.
When I started brewing I also kegged from day one and made a kegerator out of a refrigerator with faucets.
The thought of just using picnic taps never even occured to me.
I like my faucets and wouldn't go the picnic tap route if I could do it over, but I am astonished how many homebrewers do this.
Cheers, guys!
 
My frig has a glass door. I drilled through the side for a bulkhead to supply CO2, but am not going to try drilling the glass to add a tap. And it's under a nice bar where I'm also not willing to drill holes through. So - picnic taps for me. No biggie, just an extra "open the door" step.
 

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