# 3 Piece Ball Valve? I Think Not!



## WarmBeer (6/10/10)

Thought I'd best pull apart and clean out my Geordie 3-piece ball valve. It's only ever used on my boil kettle, so not too worried about infection from any build up of crud, as the metal is at ~100 degrees for the good part of an hour during the boil, but thought it good practice to break it down now and then.







Anyway, for anybody under the mistaken assumption that there are 3 pieces to their "3 piece" ball valve, he's the exploded view:






I count 18 pieces!


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## brettprevans (6/10/10)

bahaha

im more interested in what you found inside? lots of nice gunk?


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## WarmBeer (6/10/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> bahaha
> 
> im more interested in what you found inside? lots of nice gunk?


No, was reasonably clean, just needed a wipe with a cloth to get a little gummy wort and hop oils out.

I usually run hot water through it after a brew day, so I figure just needs a pull apart every 5 or 6 brews.


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## praxis178 (6/10/10)

WarmBeer said:


> Thought I'd best pull apart and clean out my Geordie 3-piece ball valve. It's only ever used on my boil kettle, so not too worried about infection from any build up of crud, as the metal is at ~100 degrees for the good part of an hour during the boil, but thought it good practice to break it down now and then.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



There's more, you didn't pull the handle off nor remove the stem or it's packing..... Which if you really want to clean out a ball valve you should do, you'd be amazed at where the liquid will get to and where bugs can live (the valve stem wouldn't even be close to 70C at best as there are too many heat sinks out that way).

BTW I've seen an exploded ball valve where the bang was from a small amount of trapped wort and yeast in the ball, something to bare in mind, admittedly the valve in question was a 6" job....


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## ekul (6/10/10)

If i don't use it to draw wort through do i need to clean it? I run napisan through it when i'm cleaning up afterward. I figure anything that gets stuck in there would get pretty sterilized from the heat. I siphon from the kettle rather than use the tap.

I have to siphon as the tap is screwed onto a tube that's welded there in a funny fashion so i can't have a pick up tube screwed in. So i can't use it to drain as where it hooks up to the kettle is a kind of oval hole which i can't screw anything into. I'm thinking of using a silicon bung and piece of copper as a pickup so that i can start using the tap. That my only complaint about my kettle.


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## razz (6/10/10)

Hi ekul, don't confuse sterile and clean. You need to make sure the valve is clean before you assume the heat from the kettle may sterilise the valve. A periodic break down of the valve will indicate how much gunk get's built up. The back of the valve may get wort deposits over time.


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## ekul (6/10/10)

But would this matter if i'm not transferring wort through it?

thanks


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## alowen474 (6/10/10)

ekul said:


> But would this matter if i'm not transferring wort through it?
> 
> thanks


If you weren't running wort through it it wouldn't get dirty.


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## warra48 (6/10/10)

I break mine down after every brew. Even though I've run hot water through it to clean it, it is surprising that I still get hop gunk / break in there which an ordinary flush through doesn't clean out.

I also soak mine in sanitiser before each brew and before I install it on my kettle. I agree that the heat from the kettle boil is not enough to totally sanitise it.

By the way, the white plastic seals in the bottom left corner of your image are in fact two piece, they come apart to two seperate pieces each. If you take them apart, have a good look at the orientation, as they are not quite the same front to back.


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## WarmBeer (6/10/10)

warra48 said:


> By the way, the white plastic seals in the bottom left corner of your image are in fact two piece, they come apart to two seperate pieces each. If you take them apart, have a good look at the orientation, as they are not quite the same front to back.


Must be a different model of seal, these we definitely a one-piece seal.

I spent the most time cleaning these plastic pieces, as unlike the stainless, they took a bit of close, fiddly work right in the recessed part of the plastic, to get clean.


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## warra48 (6/10/10)

Could be we have different models.

I'm using the one sold by CraftBrewer.


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## goomboogo (6/10/10)

warra48 said:


> Could be we have different models.
> 
> I'm using the one sold by CraftBrewer.



Warra, there are different models. I've got both; the one you've got with the two-piece plastic and the single piece one that Warmbeer is talking about.

I also break the taps down after every brew. It may be over-kill but it definitely doesn't do any harm.


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## WarmBeer (28/7/11)

Just a timely reminder for people to break down and _physically_ clean out their 3-piece ball valves.

I did both of mine tonight, after neglecting them for a couple of brews.

Smelled like cheese :icon_vomit:


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## zebba (28/7/11)

I broke mine open and they smelled like cantillon Lou Pepe gueuze.

I'm undecided if this was a good thing or a bad thing...


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## Hatchy (29/7/11)

Mine are 2 piece. I tried to pull them apart once & couldn't work out how to so assumed that it couldn't be done. 

Thinking about it now, the name sort of suggests that they do come apart.


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## pk.sax (23/6/12)

So glad I decided to break down my 3 piece ball valves before brewing today. That was friggin rank shit out of the MT ball valve.

Was only going to git some splatter guard mesh under the MT falsie, found bits of grain in the ball valve, stank like hell. Soaking.... First time I didn't completely disassemble after a brew.


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## JaseH (23/6/12)

I always leave my ball valves in the half open position between brews, this exposes the cavity between the ball and the plastic seal so it doesn't trap liquid and fester. Also when washing out the tuns, I work the valve between open and half closed whilst running sodium perc solution through it to make sure that cavity gets flushed properly. This way I can get a few brews in before having to break them down for a thorough clean.


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## Cocko (23/6/12)

practicalfool said:


> So glad I decided to break down my 3 piece ball valves before brewing today. That was friggin rank shit out of the MT ball valve.
> 
> Was only going to git some splatter guard mesh under the MT falsie, found bits of grain in the ball valve, stank like hell. Soaking.... First time I didn't completely disassemble after a brew.



What were the taps being c&nt?

So are we talking kettle tap? or MT etc?

More info please.


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## Florian (23/6/12)

I always wondered if there is actually so much crud in the 3 piece valves because they come apart. More places for crud to stick on to?

Would there be less crud in the two piece valves?


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## Cocko (23/6/12)

Florian said:


> I always wondered if there is actually so much crud in the 3 piece valves because they come apart. More places for crud to stick on to?
> 
> Would there be less crud in the two piece valves?



Awesome point.

But why is there crud? Is it chilling? I no chill and have never had an infection issue... How often should we be cleaning our taps?

All the same, dont want cruddy taps.. :huh:


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## pk.sax (23/6/12)

It was just little bits of grain trapped behind the ball valve in the cavity. Mash tun tap.

I can't even break apart the 2 piece version.. its jammed tight. You are welcome to try cnut.

I kept breaking them apart as each brew was an experiment with fixing up the rig... Last one went like a dream so I stopped messing with it :lol:


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## sama (23/6/12)

Went back to 2 piece,easier to clean and assemble I find.


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## Cocko (23/6/12)

practicalfool said:


> It was just little bits of grain trapped behind the ball valve in the cavity. Mash tun tap.
> 
> I can't even break apart the 2 piece version.. its jammed tight. You are welcome to try cnut.
> 
> I kept breaking them apart as each brew was an experiment with fixing up the rig... Last one went like a dream so I stopped messing with it :lol:



I am sincerely confused here...

You are geting ganky grain build up on you MT tap each time you brew?

wtf hom?


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## pk.sax (23/6/12)

been a few weeks between brews hom. I think it got trapped in there as I was controlling the recirc with the ball valve. Now wash your mouth out cnut.


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## Doogiechap (23/6/12)

practicalfool said:


> I can't even break apart the 2 piece version.. its jammed tight. You are welcome to try cnut.



PF you might have some more luck if you bung the valves in the freezer for a couple of hours first.
I've managed to get a few of mine opened this way when they were otherwise impossible to crack.
Cheers
Doug
PS here is an old image that I posted about 4 years ago which gave me plenty of incentive to break my valves down on a regular basis


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## pk.sax (23/6/12)

wow.. will give that a go, its just the hlt but who knows!


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## donburke (24/6/12)

i havent ever pulled my taps apart, its been 36 batches in a little over a year, some chilled, some no chilled

i do run napisan or pbw through the system after each brew

do i still need to pull my taps apart ?


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## Spiesy (24/6/12)

donburke said:


> i havent ever pulled my taps apart, its been 36 batches in a little over a year, some chilled, some no chilled
> 
> i do run napisan or pbw through the system after each brew
> 
> do i still need to pull my taps apart ?


no.


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## WarmBeer (24/6/12)

donburke said:


> i havent ever pulled my taps apart, its been 36 batches in a little over a year, some chilled, some no chilled
> 
> i do run napisan or pbw through the system after each brew
> 
> do i still need to pull my taps apart ?


It's a 10 minute job, even for a total tool-tard like myself.

Give it a go, and then give the insides a good whiff.

Let everybody know what sort of brand of cheese you think it smells like


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## matho (24/6/12)

donburke said:


> i havent ever pulled my taps apart, its been 36 batches in a little over a year, some chilled, some no chilled
> 
> i do run napisan or pbw through the system after each brew
> 
> do i still need to pull my taps apart ?



hey don,

the only real answer I can give you is too pull your kettle tap apart and have a look, if its nice and clean then your cleaning process is working well and you don't have to worry about it, if its got a bit of crud then you will know to clean it every now and then.

every brew I pull apart my 3 piece valve on my kettle and wash it, takes about 3 min, and every 6 months I pull apart everything and give it a good clean. Its amazing how much crud gets stuck in the pick-up tube in the kettle, I don't PBW at the end of the brew though 

cheers steve


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## Maheel (24/6/12)

i do my 3 piece boiler one every brew PITA but they get heaps of crap in there... 

if your a no-cleaner you should pull one apart and have a sniff


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## Cocko (24/6/12)

Maheel said:


> *if your a no-cleaner* you should pull one apart and have a sniff



WTF? Who doesn't clean their kettle and tap?

I would say if you are a 'no-cleaner', pull your tap apart, clean it and then become a 'cleaner'...


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## goomboogo (24/6/12)

Cocko said:


> WTF? Who doesn't clean their kettle and tap?
> 
> I would say if you are a 'no-cleaner', pull your tap apart, clean it and then become a 'cleaner'...



There's a possibility for a new entry in the 'First World Problems' thread. I can't pull apart my 3-piece kettle valve because it takes a few minutes.


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## beerdrinkingbob (24/6/12)

Guilty your Honor, every brew day i mean to......Have some time today, so I'm going to take the posts off a couple of kegs, break down the taps and clean that 3 piece :blink:


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## Wolfy (24/6/12)

Cocko said:


> WTF? Who doesn't clean their kettle and tap?


SWMBO won't do it! She says it is my job. 

Parents visited the other day and I was sitting on the porch cleaning stuff, dad immediately said "_Cleaning beer stuff are you?_" so they know what I'm usually like with cleaning.


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## Spiesy (24/6/12)

I "cooked" my tap a couple of brews ago, due to direct contact with heat source... couldn't drain the kettle (BIAG), as the valve wouldn't open. After a moment of panic, and a phone call to Cocko, I poked a coathanger up the spout (sc) and dislodged whatever was in there... out she came. 

Got a new tap on there now.

Thought I'd take the old one apart while mashing today... far out... wtf is all the black stuff in there? whatever it is, that's what cooked and blocked the valve previously... and no, it doesn't seem to be those white rubber seals, they're still intact. Reckon I could probably use this again.


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## Cocko (24/6/12)

Spiesy said:


> I "cooked" my tap a couple of brews ago, due to direct contact with heat source... couldn't drain the kettle (BIAG), as the valve wouldn't open. After a moment of panic, and a phone call to Cocko, I poked a coathanger up the spout (sc) and dislodged whatever was in there... out she came.
> 
> Got a new tap on there now.
> 
> Thought I'd take the old one apart while mashing today... far out... wtf is all the black stuff in there? whatever it is, that's what cooked and blocked the valve previously... and no, it doesn't seem to be those white rubber seals, they're still intact. Reckon I could probably use this again.



Was it gooey or hard and crusty?

If hard and crusty that will be the seals you char grilled. Check the OP's pic, the white thing are plastic....

If it was gooey - I am afraid, very afraid of your cleaning regime and won't be brewing at your house any more  

Cheers
sc.


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## nathan_madness (24/6/12)

Pull it apart every time scrub it with PBW and then sits in the Starsan bucket till next use. Takes about 2 minutes and is so easy.


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## Spiesy (24/6/12)

Cocko said:


> Was it gooey or hard and crusty?
> 
> If hard and crusty that will be the seals you char grilled. Check the OP's pic, the white thing are plastic....
> 
> ...


Maybe you should read the post c**nt.

Gooey.

Seals are fine. I'm guessing it was this > sample drawn off for pre-boil gravity test, some remaining in the tap... most likely the denser stuff at the bottom of the pot (and possibly some remnants from yesteryear). 90mins of direct exposure to flames has cooked it.... 

It had probably only had 3-4 brews on it. Whilst I'll admit it hadn't been disassembled before, I had done a scrub, PBW wash and sanitise (before and after) for every brew. 

Oh well, lesson learnt... I now not only shelter the tap, but take the bastard apart and clean it every brew.


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## Cocko (24/6/12)

Spiesy said:


> Maybe you should read the post c**nt.



It got boring.



Edit: BTW: Your above assumptions seems viable..


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## donburke (17/11/12)

replaced my silicone hoses today, after a year and a half of use, and saw an opportune time to soak the camlocks in some pbw ... then thought, why dont i do the ball valves given they've never been pulled apart

they were full of gunk, hop debris, break material and smegma

here i was thinking my cleaning regime of recirculating hot pbw was good enough

obviously not


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