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  • Mold On Faucet

    Hi, first post here. I have an 18 cu.ft. fridge that I converted to a double tap kegerator. it has worked great for almost a year. it's out in my garage. i normally clean everything every 2 weeks as recommended, but here lately, I'll get mold around the front of the faucet. what i have is this:

    the small button looking piece on the front of the faucet that moves in and out with the action of the handle has been growing mold around it after maybe 2 days of cleaning and pouring. is that normal? it hasn't happened before. i'm also getting mold inside the spout, but that's where the beer flows. i have bud light on one side and Longboard Lager on the other side. it's happening on both taps. any suggestions? i'm wondering if i'm going to have to remove the faucets and plug the shanks after each use with these:

    i was just going to buy some spout plugs, but that won't help the mold around the front, will it?

    will the spout plugs make things worse? should I just go with the shank plugs instead? would getting SS faucets help? i get green corrosion on the backside of the faucet and my keg coupler now. i figured that was due to the copper in the brass of the fittings. i'm tempted to buy all new SS faucets and keg couplers, but that will be $135 for all 4 pieces. not sure if it's worth the money. any opinions? TIA

  • #2
    The cleaning is probably not penetrating all the little nooks and crannies in the faucet. There's got to be a way to disassemble the entire faucet so that the whole thing can get sanitized. If not, I'd buy a new faucet.
    ____________________________________________
    Our beer, which commeth in barrels, hallowed be thy drink
    Thy will be drunk, I will be drunk, at home as it is in the tavern
    ____________________________________________


    Home Brew IPA

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    • #3
      Originally posted by cubby_swans View Post
      The cleaning is probably not penetrating all the little nooks and crannies in the faucet. There's got to be a way to disassemble the entire faucet so that the whole thing can get sanitized. If not, I'd buy a new faucet.
      hmmmm. not sure if it comes apart. anyone know? when i clean it, i scrub everywhere that i can with a brush, then i submerge it in cleaner and actuate the valve at least 10 times or so. i'm open to other suggestions on how to better clean it though.

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      • #4
        I'm pretty sure you can unscrew both sections right under the tap handle. I haven't taken mine apart, but sometimes I have to tighten it. Once off I think the insides come out. I'm sure someone out there has done this before.
        "No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."
        -John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough

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        • #5
          The faucet can completely come apart. Unthread the top knurled nob and it will be strait forward from there. I would pipe clean the whole thing, then soak in bleach for an hour to disinfect. The spout plug will help... it will keep the flies and majority of the air that is causing the growth.
          DKC645BLS (Jan. 08 Production)
          -All MM Hardware

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          • #6
            Open that thing up and clean it out!

            You ABSOLUTELY need to take your faucet apart and clean it.

            If you've never done this I can almost guarantee you've never really cleaned your system - you'll be amazed, really - and you might even want to go stainless after getting in there...

            Here is an exploded view, you almost certainly have bacteria and mold built up around #9.

            First remove your faucet using a faucet wrench (see below), then to disassemble it:

            Unscrew Your Tap Handle #1, then unscrew #2 far enough to unscrew #3.
            Pull #6 out of faucet body, and push #9 out of body from the "front" of the faucet. Next, use a faucet brush to ream out all passageways and finally, use a paperclip or similar to clear BOTH vent holes, look on underside of faucet, one of the vent holes is obvious, the other is inside the faucet and visible from the hole where #6 inserts.

            Replace #8 and #10 sealing gaskets periodically to maintain a good seal, and #4, and especially, #5 as necessary to maintain good faucet action. Do not remove #8 unless you have a replacement on hand, and you can probably get away with unscrewing #11 and cleaning #10 thoroughly, then re-installing until your replacements arrive. I recommend home users buy several of each of these parts to have on hand to keep their faucets running smoothly. Additionally consider an upgrade to a stainless steel faucet such as the MM 4933-SS. Additionally, you can look into a forward seat version if you want the most sanitary faucet and only pour occasionally.

            I recommend a spray bottle with a 1:512 part bleach mixture be sprayed in to rinse out all beer faucets at the end of each night / drinking session. This dilute amount slightly discourages things from growing and will blow off by the next pour so as to be undetectable. Similar to wiping tables with sanitizer and letting them dry.


            Get a Faucet Wrench:
            Having used all of the faucet wrench offerings from Micromatic on a semi-daily basis, the Heavy Duty faucet and nut wrench is my favorite, it's an overpriced piece of stamped metal, but it performs the job very well - there are other options if you are on a budget. Search for "wrench" on MM front page and click on "Faucet Wrenches" in the left, or

            http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-...s-cid-446.html

            Good luck!

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            • #7
              great info! thanks. i'll be doing this this weekend. i just bought the standard version of the wrench you posted, so we'll see how it does. for the last year, i've been using a cresent wrench for the nuts and channel locks for the faucets. i also ordered 1 stainless D coupler and stainless faucet. do the couplers come apart too like the faucets?

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              • #8
                Let us know how it works out, and even with stainless, keep those vent holes clear!

                Couplers CAN be disassembled, but that isn't usually necessary, if the lever becomes hard to operate, you can pull it apart and use some keg lube to restore smooth operation. When cleaning couplers, I wash the body and then remove the check ball and retainer with a Bic pen, brush out the probe, and re-install the check ball and retainer.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by BrewGuru View Post
                  Let us know how it works out, and even with stainless, keep those vent holes clear!

                  Couplers CAN be disassembled, but that isn't usually necessary, if the lever becomes hard to operate, you can pull it apart and use some keg lube to restore smooth operation. When cleaning couplers, I wash the body and then remove the check ball and retainer with a Bic pen, brush out the probe, and re-install the check ball and retainer.
                  my parts should be here in the next couple days. i also bought 2 spout plugs, 2 shank plugs, and a couple other types of brushes for cleaning. i'm going to wait till they all come to take the kegerator apart for a thorough cleaning armed with this new knowledge. i searched the "forward seat" you mentioned and found the "Perlick Design" faucets. is that what you were talking about? reading their description, it sounds like it. 2 places online that sell them are $45 each. are they really worth the extra money? i haven't poured a beer since i posted this after finding out i "haven't really been cleaning my faucets." so maybe i'll take pics when i clean them and really gross you all out! man, this is like like any other hobby, you can't ever stop learning!

                  on a different note, since i'll have an extra faucet and coupler, i bought the 12" upright tube

                  so that we can "elegantly" have kegs at the NASCAR races we go to like this:

                  i'll of course make sure the faucet and coupler are cleaned and ready to go before hand!
                  Last edited by electric130; 07-13-2008, 01:35 PM.

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                  • #10
                    keg lube

                    quick question on the keg lube as i have never seen it talked about before. what parts do i need to lube on the whole system? i have been lubing all the rubber o-rings and gaskets that are everyware. Like the hose connections, the tap coupler, the faucet. Is this good to do or is the lube only for the coupler?
                    ....ONE KEG OF BEER FOR THE FOUR OF US......FOR ONE OF US COULD DRINK IT ALL ALONE.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Sammy1759 View Post
                      quick question on the keg lube as i have never seen it talked about before. what parts do i need to lube on the whole system? i have been lubing all the rubber o-rings and gaskets that are everyware. Like the hose connections, the tap coupler, the faucet. Is this good to do or is the lube only for the coupler?
                      The keg coupler sealing parts do not generally need lube, the lube is for the "O-rings" on the probe inside the coupler. You do not need to tear apart your coupler unless the action is not smooth, just clean out the inside of the probe with a brush and you're good to go, you will see the O-ring on the probe when you disassemble it, or look at the exploded view pics.

                      The lube can also be used on the pump O-ring on a party pump setup.

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                      • #12
                        thanks guru

                        I have replaced all the o-rings in the couplers because I have bought them all used and didnt want any faliure in the Guinness that I have dispensed. Now I am working on a 2 or 3 1/2 barrel set up with guinness on one tap and lite or warstiner or heineken on the other 1 or 2. I bought all the taps used again and I just want to be safe than sorry so I dont find a river of beer flowing thru my kitchen from o-ring failure. Thanks for the help!!!
                        ....ONE KEG OF BEER FOR THE FOUR OF US......FOR ONE OF US COULD DRINK IT ALL ALONE.

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                        • #13
                          There was a problem with moldiness on the walls. I had been surfing the Net for a long time until I found a more or less efficient way. At first, I would like to note - do not scrape the dry mold, so the fungus would not spread around the apartment. And it is better to wear rubber gloves, a mask, and safety spectacles. I just want to say that folk remedies will not help here, I have tried everything. As a result, I forced myself to buy rmr-86 mold remover which really helped, although I doubted it till the last moment.

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                          • #14
                            great info! thanks. i'll be doing this this weekend. i just bought the standard version of the wrench you posted, so we'll see how it does. for the last year, i've been using a cresent wrench for the nuts and channel locks for the faucets. i also ordered 1 stainless D coupler and stainless faucet. do the couplers come apart too like the faucets?

                            Comment

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