leaking tap

cleverpig · Post by **cleverpig** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 8:01 am

I put down a brew yesterday, and noticed a few drips from the tap, not the thread but the tap itself, later on it was still dripping, enough to partially soak a paper towel over night. It seems the tap is a little worn and does not seal properly anymore.

I'm not worried about losing wort, but was wondering if this is going to be a cause for infection, especially when I transfer to the secondary?

KEG · Post by **KEG** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 8:04 am

i noticed one of my taps lost a few drops per day on a brew i just did.. i just rinsed the tap nozzle with some dilute bleach in a spray bottle, then with clean water, before racking into another container to prime.

SpillsMostOfIt · Post by **SpillsMostOfIt** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 8:15 am

Nasties are unlikely to swim up against the flow of liquid into the tap and the balance of the brew.

I always now spray my taps with Iodophor solution and let sit before using them just to rouse anything living in there.

I also have more taps than fermenters because I figure that at $1.49 from the B-place, they're not too expensive if I manage to completely stuff one when pulling it apart and putting it back together...

cleverpig · Post by **cleverpig** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 8:22 am

I like the idea of the spray.

Yes I will get a new tap next, time.

SpillsMostOfIt · Post by **SpillsMostOfIt** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 8:27 am

Since buying a small spray bottle, I have probably decreased my use of sanitiser to one-tenth of before-hand. That's a win-win-win situation, if you like good value...

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Monday Mar 19, 2007 10:12 am

I made a tap leaky by immersing it in boiling water. I found that the leaking would eventually stop during the brew; I'm assuming it's because the leak was eventually plugged by something, whether it was trub or hops or whatever. The bigger problem was that I'd end up with a deposit of dried wort on the inside of the tap, and I didn't trust that that would be sanitary, so I had to clean the inside of the tap with a cotton bud each time I wanted to use it.

Until I lashed out and bought a new tap.

Oh, and for those that don't know the tap cleaning technique, I highly recommend it:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i ... opic=10484