26 replies to this topic

[3rd party JKor]

Do you guys have problems wit your faucets sticking after you haven't pulled a pint for a few days? If so, how do you deal with it?My taps have been down for a few months. I had just set them up again last year after several years, then my CF died . Anywho, in the few months I was using them I was continuously having this problem. I really had to yank those suckers to get them to move after a few days sitting idle. It's not surprising really, when you look at the design of the faucets. Hopefully there's an easy solution that one of you smart folks has already come up with so I don't have to figure it out.

[ANUSTART]

I dont know of any solution. For a long time I used the standard chrome faucets, until I broke of a tap handle trying to unstick one. Then I invested in forward sealing ones, at the time shirron was making them under license from ventmatic. Right now, there's no reason not to get those fancy new cheap ones from Perlick. I couldve saved a lot of money if I waited for those.ETA. You can probably disconnect the bev line and take off the faucet and soak the whole thing it hot water. All the gunk is water soluble. Don't know if its worth that much effort. Get some vise grips and clamp on to the metal part at the bottom of the handle and pull hard. Dont break the tap handle!

[3rd party JKor]

how much they going for?

[ANUSTART]

how much they going for?

Looks like $28. bb link Any forward sealing faucet is worth the price IMO. I think i paid $35-40 each for the shirrons

[DubbelEntendre]

Do you guys have problems wit your faucets sticking after you haven't pulled a pint for a few days? If so, how do you deal with it?My taps have been down for a few months. I had just set them up again last year after several years, then my CF died . Anywho, in the few months I was using them I was continuously having this problem. I really had to yank those suckers to get them to move after a few days sitting idle. It's not surprising really, when you look at the design of the faucets. Hopefully there's an easy solution that one of you smart folks has already come up with so I don't have to figure it out.

I was waiting for a legit response...Pull harder! The forward sealing faucets make it a lot easier though.

[3rd party JKor]

$28 isn't too bad, but it's still over $100 to replace what I have. I'll have to put that on the wish list.I was thinking of greasing up the sliding parts with a thin coating of food grade silicone grease (haha, that's what she said). I don't know how long it would last, but it's worth a shot, I guess.

[3rd party JKor]

I was waiting for a legit response...Pull harder! The forward sealing faucets make it a lot easier though.

I swore I was gonna break the handle off once or twice, but I always won in the end.

[MyaCullen]

I swore I was gonna break the handle off once or twice, but I always won in the end.

drink more oftenproblem solved

[Patrick C.]

Spraying everything with keg lube helps, and squirting water up the faucet to rinse it after you pour a beer can help, but I tried both and still had sticking problems. Buying forward sealing faucets is the only real solution for home tappers.

[Patrick C.]

Ok, I can't make the edit work for some reason...Get the forward seals, even if it's just one at a time. They are worth it.

[chuck_d]

Jockey box your old faucets. That's what I'm doing with my Perlicks and Ventmatic to upgrade my kegerator to Cellis.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Maybe my reading comprehension isn't so great in the morning...Do you just have standard faucets or do you have forward seal? My forward seal faucets pretty much never stick (even after weeks of not pulling a pint).

[Slainte]

I think the real solution is to not leave the taps idle long enough to stick.

[BrewerGeorge]

I have forward seals, so no sticking problems, but I do have big issues with fruit flies in the taps during the summer. (Taps are in the garage.) I solve that by keeping a spray bottle of starsan next to the keggerator and spraying some up into the nozzle after I've had my last beer for the night. It rinses out the beer so the flies don't come around. Doing similar might rinse out the beer in your case so it doesn't dry and get sticky.Just a thought.

[MakeMeHoppy]

Once you get your faucet open run hot water through the faucet to ungunk them. Once they are nice and clean again they will work fine. I have a nice bottle that came with my kegerator for cleaning the faucet and line. If you don't have something like this put hot water in a keg and run that through. After each keg if kicked I flush the line with hot water to keep the system clean.

[3rd party JKor]

I have forward seals, so no sticking problems, but I do have big issues with fruit flies in the taps during the summer. (Taps are in the garage.) I solve that by keeping a spray bottle of starsan next to the keggerator and spraying some up into the nozzle after I've had my last beer for the night. It rinses out the beer so the flies don't come around. Doing similar might rinse out the beer in your case so it doesn't dry and get sticky.Just a thought.

I did the same thing with the star san. It cleans things out a little better, but it didn't help with the sticking.

[3rd party JKor]

Once you get your faucet open run hot water through the faucet to ungunk them. Once they are nice and clean again they will work fine. I have a nice bottle that came with my kegerator for cleaning the faucet and line. If you don't have something like this put hot water in a keg and run that through. After each keg if kicked I flush the line with hot water to keep the system clean.

I generally pull and hand clean them between kegs.

[Kremer]

I was thinking of greasing up the sliding parts with a thin coating of food grade silicone grease (haha, that's what she said). I don't know how long it would last, but it's worth a shot, I guess.

I tried that last year, it killed the head on all my beers until I pulled the faucets and cleaned it all off. definately helped with the sticking though.

...spray bottle of starsan next to the keggerator and spraying some up into the nozzle after I've had my last beer for the night. It rinses out the beer so the flies don't come around. Doing similar might rinse out the beer in your case so it doesn't dry and get sticky.

I do this, and it helps, but to stay stick free I also spray the slider button on the front. I think that's where much of the sticking comes from, that front part getting glued in place on the housing by dried sugars. Since adopting the up the nozzle and front button starsan rinse I haven't had any sticking problems.EDIT: also fixes the fly problem as George says, as my fridge is in the garage also.

Edited by Kremer, 17 June 2009 - 06:51 AM.

[3rd party JKor]

I tried that last year, it killed the head on all my beers until I pulled the faucets and cleaned it all off. definately helped with the sticking though.

Huh, bummer.

I do this, and it helps, but to stay stick free I also spray the slider button on the front. I think that's where much of the sticking comes from, that front part getting glued in place on the housing by dried sugars. Since adopting the up the nozzle and front button starsan rinse I haven't had any sticking problems.EDIT: also fixes the fly problem as George says, as my fridge is in the garage also.

I agree that's where the problem is. I'm thinking maybe I'll try a three pronged approach. 1.) Star-San up the pipe. (get your mind out of the gutter!)2.) Goop the gap around the front button with silicone grease.3.) Jam a rubber stopper up the spout.That should prevent anything from drying out in the faucet. Things may get funly in there though. Hopefully the star san is enough to keep things clean.

[Kremer]

I'm not so sure stopping the spout is a good idea. rinsing with starsan is great, but I think I'd rather anything dripping down have a chance to leave the faucet or dry out completely and not become a colony of something sitting on top of a stopper.