Tap Faucet quality - how much does it matter?

[Jay Newbie]

Basically I'm looking at the all SS Perlick 680SS. Just wondering do I need that level or quality in a faucet.?

Do you have brass plated faucets? How long have you had them and are they showing signs of age?

Also I found what I'm guessing are older Perlicks (SS525) online. Perlick doesn't sell them any longer. Any issues with these? Are all the parts the same size for replacement parts as the 680SS?

Any and all suggestions welcome. Looking to buy 20 to 25 taps.

Thank you

[Jim Lieb]

Definitely go with the stainless steel faucets. Depending on your cleaning schedule and cleaning chemicals, the chrome comes off after a few years. With stainless you don't have to worry about that.

Not sure about the different faucet numbers, probably change the look a little, if the parts are the same I see no reason to go with the older faucets, and save a few dollars. May want to buy and extra one or two in case there are problems in the future and you want all of them to look thesame.

Jim Lieb
Rocky River Brewing Co.

[Jay Newbie]

Definitely go with the stainless steel faucets. Depending on your cleaning schedule and cleaning chemicals, the chrome comes off after a few years. With stainless you don't have to worry about that.

Not sure about the different faucet numbers, probably change the look a little, if the parts are the same I see no reason to go with the older faucets, and save a few dollars. May want to buy and extra one or two in case there are problems in the future and you want all of them to look thesame.

Jim Lieb
Rocky River Brewing Co.

Thank you Jim. I was worried about pitting and wear on the chrome.

I'm asking about the older 525 because of a price break at qty25. if you buy 25 its the same price as 20 630. no price break on the 630. I wanted the 5 extras for replacements. You're prob right. Go with the latest and greatest.

[roc-craven]

Do yourself a favor and buy the intertap SS faucets. They are far superior to the perlicks, and less expensive. They have lots of options.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Larry Horwitz]

any stainless steel faucet is better than any chrome coated brass faucet. The chrome eventually wears off....into beer!!

[beerme]

make all components that touch beer stainless, including beer nut nipples and couplers (at least probes). Do it right the first time.

Take an old plated component and put it in a jar with peracetic acid, and watch it corrode. you don't want that touching your beer.

[Jay Newbie]

Do yourself a favor and buy the intertap SS faucets. They are far superior to the perlicks, and less expensive. They have lots of options.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Thx
Intertap and Micro matic were also on my list. I do like the screw in nozzle for growler fills and stouts. And they are 10 buck cheaper per.

Dam, now I see the 12" shank I need to get through the wall cost more that the taps. cha ching mo money mo money lol

[lhall]

If you do a taste test on a hoppy beer, you'll never mess with anything but stainless again. Try an old faucet with some brass exposed, and the same beer through a stainless faucet. It's amazing how much it changes the flavor, for the worse.

[roc-craven]

Thx
Intertap and Micro matic were also on my list. I do like the screw in nozzle for growler fills and stouts. And they are 10 buck cheaper per.

Dam, now I see the 12" shank I need to get through the wall cost more that the taps. cha ching mo money mo money lol

Use a shadow box in the wall. This will go two things. Shorten your shank length and help keep the faucet cool longer.

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

[TGTimm]

Thx
Intertap and Micro matic were also on my list. I do like the screw in nozzle for growler fills and stouts. And they are 10 buck cheaper per.

Dam, now I see the 12" shank I need to get through the wall cost more that the taps. cha ching mo money mo money lol

As above, use a shadowbox or live to regret it. With the shanks inside the wall, your first few pours any time the taps haven't been used for a half-hour will be foam until the shank--a pretty hefty hunk of metal--and faucet have cooled down. I like to see the faucets sweating on a warm day.

As for the SS facets, go for it. As mentioned above, if possible get every thing that touches beer in stainless. Chrome doesn't last at all in a draught system. It seems to me that the hardest thing to source in SS is the shank.

[Jay Newbie]

Thx guys
my coldroom is the back of this solid cinderblock concrete filled wall that the draft lines are coming through. I put a rectangle slot in the wall and insulated it like a box. The long shank is for easy of line removal.

[Jay Newbie]

How about the adjustable faucets? Does anyone use them?
I like to carb beers differently. Mostly higher than the norm. Looks like a good way to keep higher co2 in the keg without it shooting out of the tap.

[gitchegumee]

"Does anyone use them?" Well of course there's a market for them! I don't like them, but some folks do. I'm in favor of a line designed to pour beer correctly and not using a "tweaker" on the end to try to adjust the flow/back pressure. Others like to fiddle with these adjustable taps to get the pour they want by trial and error rather than (or perhaps in addition to) proper design. I'm fairly certain that my approach wastes less beer over the long run. As for "carb beers differently", does that mean that one day your tap pours a 2.65 volume beer and the next a 1.90 volume beer? That might be a bit more problematic. I like KISS and keep all beers about same carbonation level. And use beer pumps to smooth out any small differences. Beer pumps are an excellent way to get different carbonation levels poured, but I love them even more for cleaning beer lines. Very easy to drop a beer tail into a bucket and open the tap to clean your lines. No extra equipment or tools required. Best of luck!

[Jay Newbie]

As for "carb beers differently", does that mean that one day your tap pours a 2.65 volume beer and the next a 1.90 volume beer? That might be a bit more problematic. I like KISS and keep all beers about same carbonation level. And use beer pumps to smooth out any small differences. Beer pumps are an excellent way to get different carbonation levels poured, but I love them even more for cleaning beer lines. Very easy to drop a beer tail into a bucket and open the tap to clean your lines. No extra equipment or tools required. Best of luck!

yes. I like my IPAs to have more carbonation that my brown Ale. I'm thinking I'll put a regulator on each keg line to control the pressure going in while adjust the taps for the outflow.

[gitchegumee]

That would work. I never had good luck with adjustable faucets. Seems like an afterthought or bandage for a tap system that wasn't thought out well. I'd still opt for the separate regulators on each keg for carbonation control and then use beer pumps to get the flow required for perfect flows. Just love how easy it is to clean beer lines, adjust for pouring, and generally have more control over tap line dispense. I'm stuck on beer pumps. Just a bit more effort to install, but a lifetime of easy pour control and fast, efficient tap line cleaning. How will you clean your lines otherwise?