Beer out of faucet looks like rolled tongue

[daswerve]

Danby box, been pouring good for years but all of the sudden the beer coming out of the tap is very fast and resembles a rolled tongue in shape. I clean the entire system after every keg, even soaking the tap for 30 minutes in cleaning solution the last 2 times with the same results. Any ideas?

[KillianBoy]

daswerve,
If vented faucet (standard, rear closing), have you cleaned the air holes, one is at bottom, second is visible only when everything disassembled, have you taken everything apart?
KB

[daswerve]

I've never disassembled it, was paranoid about getting it all put back together right. I've cleaned the air hole at the bottom several times, for it really gets nasty with a black tar-like substance.

[KillianBoy]

daswerve,
If you don't disassemble you can't get to 2nd air hole, putting back together not so bad, 3 parts, stopper section captured by lever, ain't to hard.
KB

[daswerve]

KillianBoy, appreciate the help sir. As cheap as faucets are on MM, I just ordered a new SS one a few minutes ago (my current one is 7 years old, so time to upgrade). Hopefully that will fix the issue. Just wanted to make sure I was going down the correct road.

[KillianBoy]

daswerve,
No problem, I guess it's good to have money to burn, all it would take is a little work every time you clean, instead of just soaking.
Betcha you notice a difference in taste of beer with new faucet, disassembling faucet and cleaning every 3-4 weeks will keep beer tasting fresh.
Try and clean old faucet the way you always did and then disassemble, you'll see all the black crap all over the place that soaking missed.
KB

[daswerve]

Ha ha ha, I'm not loaded with $$$ but after 7 years I have no problem spending $35 on a new faucet that will probably last another 7 years Thanks again for the help, much appreciated.

[daswerve]

FYI, my "money to burn" purchase of a new faucet did the trick.

[djc]

You should still disassemble the old one. Once you see the crap you will be motivated to always disassemble and clean. It is the sanitary thing to do and your beer will taste better.

[KillianBoy]

Thank you djc, but don't think OP will respond or doesn't understand what we are trying to say.

I've been taking care of a an inherited Haier, the last keg was installed in October, and I have been distracted by some family health problems and haven't been too attentive about foam problems, nonetheless to say keg got overcarbed, owner didn't let me know and keg had a metallic taste, sometime in January owner let me know, so without much drama, owner said beer was bad, so for the passed 5 months I've been trying to finish keg and noticed progressively sour tasting beer (after taste), finally I kicked keg without cleaning for about 6 months, during this time I've noticed rolled tongue flow, slow flow, ribbon flow, etc.

Best to DISASSEMBLE faucet (been posted MANY times) to get a better taste and better flow after cleaning, ANY faucet will last 10+ years if cleaned properly. I'll let you know if the taste changes when cleaned properly.
I posted in my extinct Haier thread that I have used the stock parts of the Haier and with proper cleaning has lasted at least 3 years (again inherited unit that was at least 3+ years old).
To any other newbie, if you see black grunge on any parts, clean and disassemble is the best way to get the best tasting beer.
KB

[PremiumVADraftTech]

Just dont buy the faucets with copper stems/shafts! I dont think any of my accounts have them any more.... they break so easily if you get rookie bar tenders that grab the tap handles from the top heh

Also, dont tighten the tap handle nut down on the tension nut ... this causes friction on the stem/shaft causing breakage as well.. I always leave a little gap between the tap handle and tension nuts