Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

What to do with spare Spears?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • What to do with spare Spears?

    I've got a bucket or two full of salvaged Eurosource brand spears and valves (Sanke D, I think the valves are Microstar) from busted kegs. What in the heck can I do with them? Anyone need some?
    Last edited by TGTimm; 01-27-2015, 05:20 PM. Reason: "Salvaged" looks better than "savaged"
    Timm Turrentine

    Brewerywright,
    Terminal Gravity Brewing,
    Enterprise. Oregon.

  • #2
    I'd save them. 9/10 times that there's something wrong with a keg, it's the valve that needs rebuilding. If you sell them, Muphy's law clearly states that you'll need more within a week.

    Comment


    • #3
      I just repair the spear/valve that came with the keg... these are from kegs that have been badly used and are de-com'd. These spears and valves are fine, might need gaskets and o-rings.

      The best use I've found for them is for building jockey-boxes from plastic coolers--they're the perfect size to go over the stem of a beer faucet to tighten it down without just crushing the wall of the cooler. Still seems like a bit of a waste to me....
      Timm Turrentine

      Brewerywright,
      Terminal Gravity Brewing,
      Enterprise. Oregon.

      Comment


      • #4
        They make a great go-to weapon for the upcoming zombie apocalypse!

        Prost!
        Dave
        Glacier Brewing Company
        406-883-2595
        info@glacierbrewing.com

        "who said what now?"

        Comment


        • #5
          But, Dave, what am I gonna do with all these firearms? I never knew a few ounces of SS was all it took!

          Seriously, my previous boss had us remove the spears from every keg that was beyond hope because they were valuable--the question being: "Who to?".

          Ah, well, they're still SS scrap....
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
            But, Dave, what am I gonna do with all these firearms? I never knew a few ounces of SS was all it took!

            Seriously, my previous boss had us remove the spears from every keg that was beyond hope because they were valuable--the question being: "Who to?".

            Ah, well, they're still SS scrap....
            Sometimes Sabco will refurbish them, or give you a credit for them.



            Unless you work in a brewery where nothing ever breaks, and you have a lot of time on your hands to repair things, I'd keep them ready for when one fails.

            OR buy more shells to put them in, then use or sell the complete shell.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by mikeyrb1 View Post
              Unless you work in a brewery where nothing ever breaks, and you have a lot of time on your hands to repair things, I'd keep them ready for when one fails.
              I don't get this--and you're the second poster to mention it. It takes me a couple of minutes or less (most of that time is cleaning) to replace all the rubber once a spear is pulled. Am I the only one who does this?

              If I pull a spear for any reason, I replace the rubber. Every time. It's cheap insurance.

              I have, once out of many, many thousands of returned kegs, seen a spear that was sheared off below the valve. I'll keep a spare or two in case that happens again.
              Last edited by TGTimm; 02-02-2015, 03:50 PM.
              Timm Turrentine

              Brewerywright,
              Terminal Gravity Brewing,
              Enterprise. Oregon.

              Comment


              • #8
                Where do you get your replacement parts?
                Prost!
                Eric Brandjes
                Cole Street Brewery
                Enumclaw, WA

                Comment


                • #9
                  Brandjes--I get the parts from several sources, but mostly our keg supplier, Eurosource. These folks have been very good to me. There are only two rubber bits in a (Micromatic Sanke) keg valve: the main seal and the o-ring that seals it to the keg. I did DIY a tool to make taking the valve apart/reassembly easier, which I'll be happy to share--takes a couple of minutes, a hacksaw, and some scrap pipe to make.

                  I'm wondering if maybe there's a major liability problem with rebuilding a keg valve/spear, or is it just... what? I can see lawyers not wanting us to take the spears out--getting one in wrong could result in the spear becoming, well, a spear, but getting the valve together wrong would just waste beer.
                  Timm Turrentine

                  Brewerywright,
                  Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                  Enterprise. Oregon.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    spear o-rings are designed to last about 2 years, even MicroMatic only warranty craftsmanship for 2 years not including o-rings.
                    I would save a few for insurance, but you are are looking to get rid of them, I can trade you a few kegs for them.

                    Prost!

                    Zhi
                    StandardKegs.com
                    Cheers!

                    Zhi Yang
                    Twitter @StandardKEGS
                    Facebook.com/standardkegs
                    www.standardkegs.com
                    info@standardkegs.com

                    Better Kegs, Better Service

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I took a spear and turned it into a jockey box cleaner that could hook up to my keg washer. My brewing hoses (1") are about the perfect diameter to go over the spear, and I clamped the hell out of it. The other end is 1.5" triclamp. I hook the coupler to the spear and lock it down. I am able to clean and sanitize jockey boxes quickly and efficiently without having to make kegs of cleaner and sanitizer. Also, I've heard that co2 makes caustic not as effective. I eliminate this problem because I pump the cleaner and sanitizer, as opposed to pushing with co2. I also don't waste co2 that way.

                      I keep it assembled and ready to go, so I don't waste time reassembling it. The section of hose and 1.5" hose barb was worth the convenience for me.

                      Just a thought.

                      David M. Smith
                      LyonSmith Brewing Co.
                      Penn Yan, NY

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I could use a couple of those spears......

                        Cheers
                        Scott


                        Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Scott--PM me--I just cleaned out my inbox.

                          David--buy four faucet adapters and some braided hose to fit and make a real continuous jockey box/beer line cleaner. I can clean two double-faucet boxes simultaneously.
                          Timm Turrentine

                          Brewerywright,
                          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                          Enterprise. Oregon.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X