Help! First brew and tap is leaking!

[Bashley]

Hi all

Just started my first brew and the tap is leaking. I have a brewferm deluxe starter kit. It didn;t state in the instructions where I should place the rubber washer. Logic told me on the inside of the brewing bin.
Is that wrong? I have another container. Could I just switch everything to that one? I wouldn;t have a problem putting silicone around the joint but as it's already leaking it might not work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bashley]

Scap that! The tap must have loosened up while I was stirring. Seems fine now!

 

[VW911]

Don't know about the Brewferm kit, but most tap washers go on the outside...
Should be fine to swap over, just try not to incorperate too much air.

 

[VW911]

D'oh!

 

[Bashley]

Haha! Yep, amateur hour!

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I put the sealing washer on the opposite "side" to the locknut.
A locknut turning against a seal can deform that seal.
In your case, it should be on the outside.
If you have another vessel, make the transfer from the leaking vessel.

 

[LarryF]

If you've not pitched your yeast then transferring your wort to the other container and back again won't be a problem as you'll be oxygenating the wort and that will help with the primary fermentation. Failing that if you have Starsan you could spray your arm and reach into the FV to tighten the nut inside. If you don't have Starsan then spray your arm with what you do have, rinse it off well and do the same. For your next brew order a couple washers, I have one inside and out.

 

[terrym]

Copied from the Homebrewshop site for the bin you have apparently bought

When you fit the tap to the bin, please make sure the washer is on the OUTSIDE of the fermenting bin not on the inside with the nut

Doh!

I would sort it now if you have the opportunity by transferring over to the other FV like LarryF has said

 

[Bashley]

What do you reckon the washer will do if on the inside? The washer is made of rubber I think. Just to note, the yeast was put in 3 hours ago

 

[terrym]

If its only been on the go for 3 hours in my view its not to late to change it over.
So if you are going to go for it, go for it, but do it soonest, and make sure the receiving kit is sanitised.
However chances are now its stopped leaking it it unlikely to restart but you don't really know that for certain.
Over to you!!

 

[Bashley]

OK, but there won't be a problem with the rubber seal messing up the brew will there? I only have a bottle of five star pbw and that stuff has to soak over night doesn't it?

 

[AdeDunn]

Uhm, if you only have PBW, how did you sanitise your equipment? PBW is cleaner, NOT sanitiser is it not?

You may have bigger problems than the seal.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Read in full - http://www.howtohomebrewbeers.com/2017/01/pbw-cleans-beer-equipment-very-well.html

Powdered Brewery Wash is not a sanitizer!

Let's get this super clear. PBW is for washing and cleaning your brewing equipment. It will not necessarily kill the bugs that might linger. Before brewing, and after ensuring you have clean gear, you must sterilize the fermenter and any gear you are using including any spoons, funnels or other utensils.

Many home brewers often use Star San. Like PBW, Star San is highly rated in the home brewing beer community as a sanitisation agent. A great thing about is that it is a no rinse agent. You spray or briefly soak your gear with it and you are good to go. Star San is very well priced on Amazon.

 

[GerritT]

Hi all

Just started my first brew and the tap is leaking. I have a brewferm deluxe starter kit. It didn;t state in the instructions where I should place the rubber washer. Logic told me on the inside of the brewing bin.
Is that wrong? I have another container. Could I just switch everything to that one? I wouldn;t have a problem putting silicone around the joint but as it's already leaking it might not work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I once too misplaced the rubber ring, the missus warned me the bedroom "smelt like brew". Luckily it was about 10 liters in a 23 liter bucket so sanitised hands, tilted the bucket with the tap to the top, unscrew, move ring to the outside, screw, untilt, put the bucket on a clean towel (they're always on towels, in case of little blowout accidents) et viola.

About sanitising: this powder works quite good. Good for 250 liters of sanitiser. That's 5 liters a week if you use it up in a year (you probably won't). I use another brand, Arsegan, that's even 30% cheaper.

 

[Bashley]

Uhm, if you only have PBW, how did you sanitise your equipment? PBW is cleaner, NOT sanitiser is it not?

You may have bigger problems than the seal.

The Brewferm starter kit came with some Chemipro OXY . I also purchased some PBW for future brews.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
The beauty of StarSan is that it only needs 30 seconds contact time - no need to wait until everything is dry, like Chemipro Oxi.

 

[Bashley]

Hi!
The beauty of StarSan is that it only needs 30 seconds contact time - no need to wait until everything is dry, like Chemipro Oxi.

Yeah, I ordered some today. So it seems that it's PBW for cleaning, StarSan for sanitizing. As it's a new kit I only cleaned everything with hot water and soap before rinsing then soaking in OXI for the recommended 5 mins. Guess all I can do it now is wait and see if I've messed up!

 

[Clint]

When I mentioned soap I got a big shouting at...
DON'T USE SOAP!!!

 

[Bashley]

When I mentioned soap I got a big shouting at...
DON'T USE SOAP!!!

Yeah I can imagine!! As I said, it was a completely new kit so I figured it would be ok. After the first brew I'll use PBW to clean.

 

[terrym]

Yeah I can imagine!! As I said, it was a completely new kit so I figured it would be ok. After the first brew I'll use PBW to clean.

Two tips. When cleaning your FV internal surfaces don't use anything even slightly abrasive. I use a soft spatula, wet kitchen roll and elbow grease. And don't put your kit away dirty and also allow the FV inside to dry completely before you put it way for storage. I also leave the FV lid off too.