Shiny Tap on a budget barrel

[grmski]

Like many of us I find the taps on budget barrels annoyingly fiddly and poor at pouring a decent pint. So looking around there doesn't seem to be many options to change them. The small cap makes it impossible to fit a back nut and the thread stops other taps working.

But I saw these 2 things

A decent looking stainless tap with a 5/8 thread which doesn't fit a pressure barrel

http://ebay.eu/2kDH2m5

but I was wondering if the tap were fitted into this adapter

https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/3q-x-58-x-half-adaptor.html?page=all

and that then screwed into the pb would it fit?

I know next to nothing about thread sizes and that kind of thing so this might not work but hopefully someone could confirm if this would work or not?

 

[Fil]

imho you could be a lot better off using a proper dalex style tap, you will need a reducing bush with a smaller inner female thread of 1/2" bsp and an outer thread to match your current tap.
beyond that all you need is a roll of ptfe tape to bulk out threads to seal and orientate the h/w.

you can ebay a 2nd use dalex style tap quite cheaply �£3-5 + pnp for a branded one �£7+ for less offensive branded taps and unbranded. dont bother with flow control versions the dynamic state of a pb means you will never be able to set it right.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...C0.H0.Xdalex+tap.TRS0&_nkw=dalex+tap&_sacat=0

dalex taps rule for 1 huge reason, you can pull the spouts between servings for a cleaning soak,
may not sound like a big deal BUT without it your vulnerable to wineflies or fungus gnats (same beast afaik) sniffing out the sour residue in the spout and spreading microlife that will thrive on it,

without removable spouts the solution is to squeezy bottle a rinsing wash up the spout or buy cute little girly silicone booties to seal the spout between sessions ( they come in pretty colours too).

 

[grmski]

I already have a couple of dalex taps and was looking for an adapter to connect them to the pb when I stumbled upon this tap. Any idea what's the size of a standard dalex thread? I assume they're all the same.

 

[Fil]

you will need a reducing bush with a smaller inner female thread of 1/2" bsp and an outer thread to match your current tap..

:thumb: :thumb:

 

[grmski]

For anyone else looking to replace the tap on the budget barrel I think this
http://www.screwfix.com/p/brass-bush-x/98427
should work between the dalex tap and pressure barrel, I'll pick one up this afternoon and give it a test tonight.

Thanks for the input Fil, I saw you'd answered similar questions over on Jims, so thanks for responding again.

 

[grmski]

Well that was nice and easy, wish I'd done it years ago, all screwed together with no leaks under pressure and pouring much better than the original tap.

 

[Fil]

great result

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
These are also available in stainless steel: http://www.nero.co.uk/Catalogue/150...6Rs2k91U_gjPQNxXQRHiyulc4puHH8gDQ4aAmb88P8HAQ

 

[photek1000]

Well that was nice and easy, wish I'd done it years ago, all screwed together with no leaks under pressure and pouring much better than the original tap.

Can you post up a photo of what it looks like all set up, and was copious amounts of PTFE tape required to make a good seal.

Defintely sounds like something I want to set up on my PB's

 

[grmski]

Can you post up a photo of what it looks like all set up, and was copious amounts of PTFE tape required to make a good seal.

Defintely sounds like something I want to set up on my PB's

I tested it with pressurised water rather than beer but didn't need any PTFE at all. Surprisingly it just worked, which is odd because normally it's a right pain in the butt to do these basic mods.
I'll be barreling up an English IPA soon, hopefully next weekend, and will post a picture of the set up in action. It's using Windsor so may or may not get much beyond the 1018 it's on right now. That being the case I'll barrel it next weekend and post a picture.
But in reality it looks like a pressure barrel with a dalex tap at the bottom. One thing to consider is that with the spout of the tap on the barrel would need to be raised about 5cm off of a surface or the tap won't point straight down.

 

[Graz]

Can you post up a photo of what it looks like all set up, and was copious amounts of PTFE tape required to make a good seal.

Defintely sounds like something I want to set up on my PB's

I was just going to ask the same!

Would be interested in doing something similar with King Kegs.

 

[grmski]

I've read a number of post on the net about people putting these on top tap king kegs so it must be possible. I don't have one of those barrels so couldn't be sure how it was done though.

 

[Redron]

I was just going to ask the same!

Would be interested in doing something similar with King Kegs.

I use alumasc taps on my King Keg bottom tap kegs . Much better than standard. I bought another one from eBay for a new keg I had bought and was dismayed to find the aperture in the keg was too big for the tap thread.
I posted on here in the 'brewing equipment' section for answers and got an answer I was looking for with a link attached. It was a link to a reducer and where to get it.
If you scroll back through my posts you will find it. Prob around two years ago or so.
I'd put a link on but not sure how.
Hope that helps.

 

[photek1000]

Time to hit eBay and screwfix and test on my empty PB ahead of filling in a few weeks.

 

[Alside101]

have you guys got any pictures of the tap setups im interested

 

[grmski]

have you guys got any pictures of the tap setups im interested

I should be barreling up an ipa this weekend so I'll post a pic of the barrel with dalex tap and (fingers crossed) no leaks.

I saw a john guest fitting that screws onto the sparkler thread and has a 3/16 push fit connector which would make it easy to go fro the tap to a check valve and onto a beer engine...very tempted.

 

[grmski]

have you guys got any pictures of the tap setups im interested

Here is my standard pressure barrel with the dalex tap fitted you'll notice the Corona tray to catch the small leakage that did happen when the barrel full and pressurised. It's stopped now but for the next time I use this I'll put a lot of PTFE.

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[terrym]

the small leakage that did happen when the barrel full and pressurised. It's stopped now but for the next time I use this I'll put a lot of PTFE.

I suggest the primary seal between tap and barrel is the rubber gasket, so if that doesn't seat properly then it will possibly leak under pressure. I also use PTFE tape on tap threads but wouldn't rely on it. Did you put vaseline on the rubber gasket faces?

 

[grmski]

Actually I didn't put the rubber gasket on at all I suppose it should fit between the adapter and the barrel, in hindsight that was a mistake. On the next one I'll do that which should seal the brass adapter thing to the barrel and then get another rubber washer/gasket and fit that between the tap and the adapter. That and a bit of PTFE should do the job. I didn't put any vaseline on it at all.