# Cleaning Fermenter Taps



## Finite (6/6/06)

The fermenter tap can be one of the primary places to catch a bacterial infection, lets face it all the beer runs through it eventually and not everyone pulls them apart to clean them. I found out a mate of mine has never cleaned his and he got an infection through it. I told him how to do it and he said although he has cleaned the threads he didnt know to pull it apart. I had a quick search on the net and on the forums and couldnt find a thread which mentioned it in detail. I personally didnt know to pull them apart until I stumbled across a conversation on this forum about it and now I pull them apart to clean every time.

Even though its a basic thing and most people know how to do it. I was racking a brew today and I thought it cant hurt just to put up a quick few photos showing how to pull them apart to clean properly for new brewers as it is something that can understandably get forgotten.

Feel free to sticky it in the FAQ if you like or flame it. Just thought it would add to the great wealth of knowledge at AHB or at the very least help someone.

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*Cleaning Fermenter Taps:*
This is an explanation of how to clean a standard water tap normally found on most fermenters (not the 
snap tap kind)

*You will need:*
A wooden spoon or something to fit in the end of the tap which is blunt and wont create scratches or gouges in the plastic.
A butter knife
Your dirty tap
A bench with a 90 degree edge (eg. not rounded)




*Step 1:*

Turn your tap so it is half-on and half-off or so the indicator tab is halfway between on and off. A good way to be sure is to centre the tab on the line which runs across the side of the tap where the plastic mould has left a mark. The tab is shown in figure 2 by the blue square.



_fig.2_

*Step 2:*

Place the tap on a bench with a 90 degree edge so it is resting in the spout (fig.3)



_fig.3_


*Step 3:*

Insert the handle end of the wooden spoon into the end of the tap and grip it with your hand so to support the wooden spoon and put downward pressure on the tap. (fig.4)



_fig.4_

*Step 4:*

Using the palm of your outstretched hand hit down on the top of the wooden spoon. If the tap has been in one piece for a while its understandable for it to become stubborn. Place a rag or something over the top of the spoon to soften the impact on your hand. If it still doesnt come loose, give it a light tap with a hammer. If it still wont budge your better off just throwing it and buying a new one. If you clean your taps every brew they will be easier to pull apart and you will find that one or two hits with your palm will do the job and the tap will slide out. (fig.5), (fig.6) & (fig.7)



_(fig.5)_ - Click to play animation



(fig.6)



(fig.7)


*Step 5:*

Although not as essential as the tap itself you can remove the rubber o-ring and clean it too which I do. Get a butter knife and insert the tip under the o-ring and lift it up to remove the o-ring from the tap. (fig.8) & (fig.9) It might be a bit caked on the first time so run the knife around the diameter of the tap to free it up first.



_fig.8_



_fig.9_


*Step 6:*

The tap is now disassembled; I throw mine in the fermenter to soak in bleach overnight along with other bits (airlock, lid etc.), clean the thread and inside the tap with a soft bristled toothbrush. Rinse well and air dry.


*Step 7:*

To put it back together put the rubber o-ring back on the tap and place the two ends together with the tab again in the centre following that mould line (fig.10). Use the palms of both hands to push the tap back together (fig.11), you will feel it slot back into place, give it a bit of a twist to free it up. It maybe a bit stiff at first which is normal because there is no moisture in it and its so squeaky clean.



_Fig.10_



_Fig.11_


Youre all done!

This is a very long winded and detailed explanation obviously but once you know how it wont even take you 30 seconds to pull the tap apart and throw it in the cleaning solution with your other bits, at the same time reducing the chance of infection.

A clean brewer is a good brewer. Hope this helps someone.


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## goatherder (6/6/06)

Great post Finite. I would never have even thought of pulling it apart.


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## Kroozy (6/6/06)

Excellent post Finite. 

The first time I did this my wooden spoon snapped. Just another brewing related accident that I had to explain to the boss. So in order to save the day I filed down the broken bit and we now have a rather cool looking, but still functional cooking implement.


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## Stoodoo (6/6/06)

I'll have to give this a try. I've got a tap which is very slowly dripping. I was just going to throw it away, however will try to clean it and see how it goes. With a bit of luck there may have just been a bit of crud stopping it from sealing properly.

Cheers


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## PistolPatch (6/6/06)

Finite, stuff like this is really appreciated by new brewers. I, like you or Goatherder, had no idea that you actually had to pull the tap apart to clean it. I actually did a post here called, 'Stephen Method of Pulling Taps Apart.' after I found this out. Your thread is far better titled, not scrambled and it comes with pictures! I may be presumptious but I'm sure POL would be pleased to add this thread to Frequently Asked Questions For The New Brewer

One thing I found easier than using a solid bench was, when banging the tap down, to do it on a carpeted floor or for that matter anything that has a little more give than a bench. Works a treat!

Top post!

Cheers
PP

EDIT: Forgot to say that your pics are meticulous. Great of you to take the time.


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## Darren (6/6/06)

Hey guys,

Finite. That was a well documented process. Very clear and precise

You probably guessed it but I have to add something. My experience years ago was that hitting the taps in this way most certainly causes damage to the seals, scratching, and leaking.

Now days I just use a baby bottle "teat" brush to clean inside the tap. When I sanitise I just fill the tap with sanitiser and turn it a couple of times to ensures the sanitiser gets into the "barrel".

When it looks grungy or I can't remember when I bought my last one I simply go buy a new one (once a year).

Couldn't be simpler than that.


cheers

Darren


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## ausdb (6/6/06)

Finite said:


> Insert the handle end of the wooden spoon into the end of the tap and grip it with your hand so to support the wooden spoon and put downward pressure on the tap. (fig.4)
> 
> Using the palm of your outstretched hand hit down on the top of the wooden spoon. If the tap has been in one piece for a while its understandable for it to become stubborn. Place a rag or something over the top of the spoon to soften the impact on your hand. If it still doesnt come loose, give it a light tap with a hammer.



That's great info but there is a simpler method.

Instead of belting the crap out of your hand use a piece of dowel or 1/2" copper tube about 200mm long. Place this up inside the tap and hold the tap in one hand with the other one making sure the piece of tube/dowel stays up in the tap. Then lift it up and strike down on a hard surface (preferably one which won't get damaged if you are using a pice of copper tube). The tap will come apart in your hands, and as you say if you do it regularly they tend to come apart quite easily. I started using snap taps for a while but found they do not like fitting properly into some fermenters so have gone back to using these ones as they tend to screw in further.

The one I cleaned out on Saturday after fermenting some red wine was pretty grotty bit has come up spotless after a bit of a soak in caustic.

HTH


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## stoutdrinker (6/6/06)

Great post Finite.

As they say a picture's worth a thousand words and your pics make it a very simple process to follow. 

I was shown this by another HB'er but in all honesty had forgotten about it! Up until then I thought cleaning your taps meant bunging em in sterlising solution (whole) along with everything else.

Thanks for taking the time to put together such a helpful post for newer brewers. 

Cheers, 

Stout.


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## Finite (6/6/06)

Thats for support guys and thanks for the mention of the pics PP. Photography is a little interest of mine so you can thank to quality of image to my Cannon 350D.

More Info here


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## PistolPatch (6/6/06)

Replacing any tap from time to time is good advice. To not pull it apart is not. Any scratch will not be a problem as you have cleaned and sterilised the tap. A leak can occurr at any time, even with new taps as I found out the other day - LOL!

As far as possible, you should pull everything apart - especially fermenter taps. As an example on infected taps, one brewer here lost over 1000 litres of beer over many months to an infection. No one sugggested cleaning his kettle tap as it was exposed to boiling point. Unfortunately, the outside of the tap is not exposed to high temps so over 18 cases of beer went down the drain!

Pulling things apart is the way to go. Include that O-ring as well! It's all part of the fun.

Cheers
PP

P.S. You can go the other way of course and not worry. But, when you form a habit and get lucky, the last thing you'll think of is the obvious!


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## Slurpdog (6/6/06)

Outstanding Finite.
I've only just gotten back into brewing after a 3 year hiatus and will be clenaing my tap religously from now.
I had no idea that they could be pulled apart without damaging them.
I'm convinced that one old brew of mine made me sick and this may have been the cause of it as I never pulled the tap apart in the 2 years that I was brewing.
It certainly made me a bit more paranoid about sanitation even though I use to sanitise evertything with boiling water, which I thought was enough


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## stephen (6/6/06)

"As for the tap. I now pull all mine apart after every brew to clean. To do this you will need a short length (10-15 cm) of 10mm (3/8") dowel or similar. Position the tap so that the rotating part of the tap is at midway travel ie. not on and not off. Place the dowel inside tap. Wrap forefinger over spout, wrap little finger around dowel for stability and firmly bang the exposed end of the dowel on a firm surface. I use the kitchen bench. It may take a few hits to work out how much force is required - but don't use all your force first up - the little finger does not appreciate this! To reassemble, simply place the rotating part into the barrel - aligned as before and tap the rotating part back into the barrell. I find that I don't need as much force to reassemble as I do for disassembly."


Above is a post I made back in Feb 06 sometime. Slightly different to using a wooden spoon, but, hey whatever works for you.

Steve

PS Finite, excellent post.

Edit: Added PS


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## dicko (6/6/06)

Hi Finite,
What a top piece of impotant info on the HB scene.
Well done.
If I may add my experiences with these taps. B) 
What I do is boil a half litre of water in a kettle and drop the boiling water and the tap into a 1 litre container.
Wait thirty seconds and take the tap from the water and split as per finites method.( it comes undone really easily when it is hot).

I then soak it in any sanitiser you choose, I use 1 % phosphoric acid. I have a small container with about half a dozen taps soaking at any one time depending on the demand of my brewery.

When I am ready to use this tap again I boil a kettle with water and apply a thin smear of food grade vaseline to the male part of the tap and place the tap into a 1 litre jug.
With the tap components in the 1 litre jug and covered with boiling water I tip the lot out onto the sink and then proceed to refit the tap back together again as per Finites method.

You may be surprised to find that the tap is not only sanitised to ferment standards but it also turns so easily - that you wont believe it.
No more having the tap turn in the thread of the fermenter when you are doing a SG sample or having the need to grow another hand when bottling or racking. :lol:

I find that if I tighten the hot tap into a cold fermenter barrel or a cold gerry cooler it usually tightens up spot on facing down, although I think that all the threads in plastic have a mind of their own and probably just get used to the amount that you choose to tighten each component.

One other thing that I have noticed over years of using plastic components, is that if you choose to tighten a tap into a *hot* fermenter or gerry that, inevitably it will strip the thread or the tap will not seal at the thread.

One thing I really hate is a fridge with a pool of beer in the bottom due to a leaking tap or thread.
Try my method and you wont be dissapointed and you wont need those leaky snap taps at more than twice the price.
Cheers and the flame suit is now firmly buttoned up


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## Ross (6/6/06)

Excellent post Finite. I used to pull apart like this & it works well, but as Darren said, it can still lead to damage inside the tap & can be quite painful on the hands too. I now just just the handle of a tooth brush squeezed between the tap handle & the out spout of the tap - This can be then be twisted to lever apart the tap. Not sure if this makes sense without pics, but it's much easier on the hands & there's no risk of gouging the inside of the tap.

cheers Ross


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## Thunderlips (6/6/06)

Finite said:


> The fermenter tap can be one of the primary places to catch a bacterial infection



Nice post Finite. Lots of effort there.
There is an easier way of course, though maybe not as much fun as your method 
Buy a snaptap.


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## Beerpig (6/6/06)

Great post Finite

The pictures make it easy to follow ....................... will give it a go this weekend

Thanks & Cheers


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## BrissyBrew (6/6/06)

Great Post!

The same goes for the ball valves, after baz told me the story of the ball valve on his kettle I always pull my ball valves apart between brews.


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## Finite (6/6/06)

Thunderlips said:


> Finite said:
> 
> 
> > The fermenter tap can be one of the primary places to catch a bacterial infection
> ...



Thunderlips absolutley these taps are much easier to take apart and clean, the only issue is as others have mentioned is that they have been known to leak with age.

I havn't had any experiance with this kind but thats just what ive heard from some people.


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## Darren (6/6/06)

And the damage caused by "cracking" them is worse that than the original problem

cheers

darren


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## Screwtop (6/6/06)

I'm with Darren and Ross. Thanks to previous posts I discovered that taps can be dismantled for cleaning. My experience was that taps failed and leaked all due to damaged lugs inside the tap from breaking them apart. Bindi showed me his method of sterilising taps which I have adopted and never had a problem since. See below:

Mix a tablespoon of Napisan Plus in 1 litre of warm water and store in a 2 litre ice cream container with lid. Remove tap O ring and store dry, place tap in Napisan solution until required. Dip O ring seal in napisan and refit to tap when required, rinse before fitting to fermenter. Napisan solution needs to thrown out and replaced about every fortnight or so. Use it for taps and airlocks, but don't toss in rubber seals or O rings they break down in bleach solution. 

All this kafuffel about taps and who treats the thread in the fermenter with as much respect. Remember to spray some sanitiser in the thread before fitting your tap. I keep a bottle of Phos Acid Solution in a spray bottle in the brewery and spray everything (hands included) whenever preparing equipment which will come into contact with cooled wort.


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## peas_and_corn (7/6/06)

Good point about the threads in the fermenter. I have got to admit that while I clean them, I don't pay as much attention to them as I do to making sure my taps are sanitised!


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## normell (7/6/06)

The thing about this thread is that after pulling apart a couple of times for cleaning, why not replace the complete tap, they are not expensive, better safe than sorry.
Normell


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## PistolPatch (7/6/06)

I stand corrected by the more experienced brewers!

It's just that when I did first pull a tap apart, even though I had been cleaning the inside with a toothbrush etc. I noticed a lovely brown ring so I'm a little paranoid.

dicko's idea above about the boiling water though sounds like a great idea.

Cheers
PP


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## Jye (7/6/06)

Darren said:


> Now days I just use a baby bottle "teat" brush to clean inside the tap. When I sanitise I just fill the tap with sanitiser and turn it a couple of times to ensures the sanitiser gets into the "barrel".



Great post Finite  I have tried to pull my taps apart a few time but with no success. I have always had yeast and trub in between the barrel and after taking the tap off to clean the thread I reattach it, fill the fermenter with napisan then open and close the tap half a dozen times to work the cleaner through. The next day the tap is clean but I will be giving this ago next time.

Cheers
Jye


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## Trough Lolly (7/6/06)

Excellent thread folks - I have two 10 year old taps that have ugly brown rings inside - they're getting cleaned this weekend!

Cheers,
TL


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## Steve (7/6/06)

I've been splitting my taps for a while now with great success. Phillips screwdriver up the middle, bang on laundry floor, pop, usually have to scramble under washing machine for the top part that is now covered in hair, dust and the usual black gungky stuff that lives under washing machines!!!. Will try with the wooden spoon now though as the screwdriver may be scratching the inside. I then chuck these into boiling water for half an hour then into the iodophor with everything else after bottling.....I buy new taps every time im in Bunnings $1.70 from memory. Cheap as chips.
Cheers
Steve


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## PostModern (7/6/06)

Steve said:


> $1.70 from memory. Cheap as chips.



$1.48 at Wollongong Bunnings last time I bought some. I keep a stock of them and as soon as they look even slightly suspect, they're pulled from service and newly sanitised one goes in. The old ones get a quick clean if I'm going to pass them on to others to use or straight to the bin (95% of them). Never made the leap to picnic taps because I think at $7 ea, I figure I may as well use 3 cheap ones in place of one "premium" one.


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## Trough Lolly (7/6/06)

PoMo,
Don't toss the suspect taps - use them on your Belgians and old ales for that extra bit of tang!!  
Cheers,
TL


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## AngelTearsOnMyTongue (7/6/06)

Thank you thank you thank you Finite.

I never knew......HONESTLY OFFICER! :blink: 

I had thought there must be a way as I had often wondered. NOW I KNOW.

I had jsut been soaking them in really hot water and turning them off and on repeatedly in sanitiser.

Cheers

ATOMT


Mine eyes have seen the glory of the  cleaning of  the tap......


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## Foz (7/6/06)

Just wondering something else all,

How do i get out the 'sedimentation blocker' that goes in the 'main' end of the tap (the end that goes into the fermentor)? Tried getting it out one day to no success. I've had no probs with any of my K&K brews so far... but if i could manage to get it out i'd be cleaning the divided tap also.

Cheers everyone - And great original post Finite!

Foz.


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## AngelTearsOnMyTongue (7/6/06)

Foz said:


> Just wondering something else all,
> 
> How do i get out the 'sedimentation blocker' that goes in the 'main' end of the tap (the end that goes into the fermentor)? Tried getting it out one day to no success. I've had no probs with any of my K&K brews so far... but if i could manage to get it out i'd be cleaning the divided tap also.
> 
> ...



Mine just pulls of easy. Ive never had a problem with that.

I am presuming you mean the little cap with the slit in it, that fits on the inside of the tap?





ATOMT


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## Zizzle (7/6/06)

I must admit I only broke my tap appart after a few brews were already done.

I think I saw the advice on here. Someone said that they don't come appart to which someone else replied "rubbish, just put it in a vice and pull".

That is exactly what I have been doing since.

The tap does seem to hold on to some crud. I can't imagine just soaking would get to it all.


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## fifteenbeerslater (8/6/06)

YES Thunderlips you have the right idea, i used those taps for a long time. They have two operating positions spring loaded ON if you want to take a quick sample or FULL ON, unscrew to pull apart. i don't use them anymore i find siphoning better for my set up.
Cheers15BL :beer:


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## Finite (8/6/06)

Foz,

Mine just slides out too like doc said Ive never had a problem. I purchased two new fermenters though and they dont fit it so I just dont use it anymore. If Im racking which I always do its not really a problem


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## Hopsta (8/6/06)

Thanks Finite, my taps are now squeaky clean!


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## cleaninglady (20/4/10)

Finite said:


> The fermenter tap can be one of the primary places to catch a bacterial infection, lets face it all the beer runs through it eventually and not everyone pulls them apart to clean them. I found out a mate of mine has never cleaned his and he got an infection through it. I told him how to do it and he said although he has cleaned the threads he didnt know to pull it apart. I had a quick search on the net and on the forums and couldnt find a thread which mentioned it in detail. I personally didnt know to pull them apart until I stumbled across a conversation on this forum about it and now I pull them apart to clean every time.
> 
> Even though its a basic thing and most people know how to do it. I was racking a brew today and I thought it cant hurt just to put up a quick few photos showing how to pull them apart to clean properly for new brewers as it is something that can understandably get forgotten.
> 
> ...


I know it's been around 4 years since you posted this but can i just say THANK YOU ! I thought i'd never get those suckers apart !!

regards

cL


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## rendo (13/5/10)

If you find the taps are really stiff to turn afterwards you can use some keg lube (a really really TINY bit) to keep them turning freely.

I've used vaseline.....a tiny tint bit.....works a treat

rendo




cleaninglady said:


> I know it's been around 4 years since you posted this but can i just say THANK YOU ! I thought i'd never get those suckers apart !!
> 
> regards
> 
> cL


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## going down a hill (15/9/11)

Just cleaned my tap using this technique. It's such a great idea I thought I'd give it a bump.


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## felten (16/9/11)

I find that keg lube is a must if you're doing this, it makes the tap a helluva lot easier to turn and stops the leaking issue.


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## michael_aussie (16/9/11)

AngelTearsOnMyTongue said:


> Mine just pulls of easy. Ive never had a problem with that.
> 
> I am presuming you mean the little cap with the slit in it, that fits on the inside of the tap?
> 
> ...


sorry for the off topic question .. where can i buy the tap filter? like this one


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## rendo (16/9/11)

IMHO guys...
U should either be 

1) cleaning your taps OR

2) buying new ones frequently

What I believe you shouldnt be doing is not cleaning your taps or not replacing them. U wont believe the gunk that builds up in them until you open it up and see for yourself

Rendo



felten said:


> I find that keg lube is a must if you're doing this, it makes the tap a helluva lot easier to turn and stops the leaking issue.


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## sic_vl (19/9/11)

Great post, thank you. Ive always wondered about the brown colour on the inside of the tap. Im really good with cleaning and sanitising, and ive always thought that it couldnt be cleaned out.
How often is everyone replacing their taps? Months? Years? Brews?


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## cdbrown (19/9/11)

Only replace the taps once they start to leak. Why replace it if it's clean and working properly!


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## Amber Fluid (11/11/12)

Any chance the first post here can be made into a wiki or airlock this thread?


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## shaunous (12/11/12)

Amber Fluid said:


> Any chance the first post here can be made into a wiki or airlock this thread?



x2


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## idzy (16/12/13)

So simple, yet so effective. Didn't know you could do this. Will be doing it for all my new and used taps.

Cheers,
Idzy


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## robbo137 (24/8/15)

Thanks heaps Finite, excellent post on tap disassembly


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## robbo137 (24/8/15)

Thanks heaps Finite, excellent post on tap disassembly


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## greatwombatski (25/8/15)

Glad I stumbled onto this, as a new brewer I wasn't aware that they were able to be pulled apart for cleaning. Hopefully this new found knowledge will keep my brews infection free. 

My 1st brew had choc grain added to it and left a brown ring under the inside of my tap and even after soaking in PSR for around 4 hours it still didn't budge it all so I just replaced it. 1 less expense no matter how small after a batch is always welcome 
Thanks for the post
Finite [emoji482]


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## Grott (25/8/15)

Don't forget to put some food grade lube on the inner shaft, this makes the tap turn easier and stops potential leakages.
Cheers


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## greatwombatski (25/8/15)

Ahhhh, more words of wisdom!!
Thanks grott [emoji482][emoji482]


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## GregMeady (20/6/17)

Great thread. I tried & tried over the past couple of months to get these apart, had no success, only sore hands until I found this thread. So went and gave it a go and to my surprise they came apart easily.
Just one question though, *can I use normal vaseline as lube on my taps?*


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## Grott (20/6/17)

Yes you can


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## GregMeady (20/6/17)

Grott said:


> Yes you can


Thanks for the quick response Grott


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