Cheap Chinese Aliexpress Flow control taps.

[MrChoat]

Hi all.

I've been the sorry owner of a pair of aliexpress flow control taps for the past week and I thought I'd share.

I upgraded from a single bronco to a pair of flow control door mounted taps. I paid 19 a piece for them. I paid a bit extra on postage but that's because I'm an impatient *******. All up I'm in em about 70 bucks, and I couldn't be happier.

Well I could, but that's down to my own dumbassery.

I bought the short shank version since I measured the fridge door and thought there'd be excess shaft. There wasn't.

No problem, I cut the door away and mounted the taps to timber. Just had to seal the foam away from the damp and its good to go.

The pour is good. Starts out foamy as you'd expect, but if I start slow and increase the flow gradually I get a perfect pour even if the taps are warm. Second pour is perfect every time.

All up.I couldn't be happier. There were a couple of cosmetic imperfections, but I took them apart and cleaned them inside and out before use and I can't see anything likely to go wrong any time soon.

A comparable set from a local shop would have been close to 300.

If anyone is trying to put together a kegerator on the cheap I'd have to give these the thumbs up.

The seller I bought from was sallydai. Just pay the extra four bucks and get the long shanks.

 

[MrDave]

"Ching Chong"?
Really?

 

[MrChoat]

"Ching Chong"?
Really?

Sorry all. I'm about ten APA's in and I get a bit lazy with my endearing racism.

Monday is my day off, apologies if my casual head up my own arse offends anyone. It really isn't meant to, I'm just a ********.

It doesn't seem I can change the subject either. Sorry blokes.

 

[AndrewQLD]

Sorted the topic title, enjoy your APA's.

 

[MrChoat]

Cheers dude, i didn't set out to be offensive. Happy Oktoberfest!

 

[MrChoat]

The photos

 

[MrChoat]

The hack job thanks to a victoriox army knife, brute force and willpower, and the motherload.

If there's anything to pick that was wrong with the taps when I got them, it would be as follows.

The body of one is scuffed due to insufficient packing. The screws in the front were assembled with the wrong size screwdriver and have worn accordingly. The flow control knobs are of differing size, and are polished differently. The black handles are of different quality, one is black and shiny, the other is dark grey and matte. One barb is for 5mm line, the other for 6mm line.

Overall, they work as described. If it does what it says on the tin then there isn't much I can nitpick about. You get what you pay for, I went cheap, and I got cheap. It pours beer, it stops when I want it to. There isn't much more to it than that.

As long as your not expecting cellis then you're probably going to have a good time taking a gamble on the chinese knock off.

 

[jaypes]

Wait till they start leaking!

 

[MrChoat]

Wait till they start leaking!

Nothing yet. I had a problem with a bad jg link between the co2 bottle and the main line. Couldn't find it to save myself, until the jg spat out its teeth when removing it.

Since that was removed the systems held pressure when off for more than 24 hours.

Aside from that, there are new seals on everything. The seals in the taps looked fine. If they go, I'll cut some new ones from some gasket rubber.

There's new o rings in every keg, and spares in case something goes wrong.

If the taps die too soon I'll post again, but when I had them in pieces I couldn't see anything that would be likely to fail in a hurry.

 

[MrDave]

Despite the quality control issues, it looks like you've done a great job. I especially like the shelf engineering!

 

[MrChoat]

Despite the quality control issues, it looks like you've done a great job. I especially like the shelf engineering!

Despite the quality control issues, it looks like you've done a great job. I especially like the shelf engineering!

Lol yeah, it isn't the best looking piece of timber, but it holds. Sort of just threw it in there for the time being as I don't have a saw.

The plan is to cut 6 uprights out of that 18x32mm pine and screw them to that big piece of pine, and use the wire shelf in between the legs and the timber shelf. Its just a matter of getting around to it.

Thanks! Overall I'm happy with it. My beer is cold and my recycling bin is empty, that's gotta be a good thing.

 

[lukasfab]

How are these taps going mate?

 

[MrChoat]

They're fine.

They pour well, they turn off when you let go and you don't need to be too careful with the pressure on the regulator since you control it at the tap.

I do clean the lines and taps weekly though, with about a litre of hot water and then warm starsan. Only because I've seen yeast gunk sitting in the lines. I'm thinking of filtering my beer and dropping back to cleaning once a fortnight or whenever a keg kicks but overall I'm happy enough.

 

[lukasfab]

good stuff, cheers for update

may have to get some and give them a go

 

[MrChoat]

Thought I'd post an update.

I went to use one of the taps today after about 3 weeks of letting it sit dry.

After the last keg kicked I dropped down to one keg/tap for a while so I didnt drink too much.
When that keg kicked I rinsed the lines with no scent napi San, then washed that out with hot water and then another couple of litres of star san after that.

I went to use it today after carbing up a fresh keg and the handle was stuck. With a bit of gentle persuasion I got it moving again, and ran some more warm star san through it before tapping a keg.

It got leaky after the first pour.

I pulled it down, cleaned all the parts with warm soapy water and gave the inside a blast with a spray bottle.

It isn't leaking anymore, and I haven't had any trouble with the other tap that's been in use every few days to a week in between pours.

All the o rings looked fine, it just didn't seem to like sitting dry.

My guess is maybe some drops of star san got stuck and froze in it giving it a crummy seal until I warmed it up, as my fridge sits pretty close to zero, since its fine now and I could find anything wrong inside it.

I also loosened the lock nut that holds the handle on, so that it can sit back in place easier.

Just thought I'd give an update on how they're holding up, and I'm wondering if anyone else has any maintenance tips for keeping taps in good shape.

Cheers

 

[mxd]

too help keep my taps maintained I like to pour at least 1 glass a day

Could you ad a link to the dealer you bought them from.

 

[pcmfisher]

A small amount of keg lube on the internal bits helps.

A lot of taps get a bit sticky if you do not use them enough.

Drink more often.

 

[MrChoat]

too help keep my taps maintained I like to pour at least 1 glass a day

Could you ad a link to the dealer you bought them from.

That's the shop there.
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/600253

A small amount of keg lube on the internal bits helps.

A lot of taps get a bit sticky if you do not use them enough.

Drink more often.

Trying not to, but good advice is good advice. Cheers

 

[Spiesy]

A comparable set from a local shop would have been close to 300.

300 seems a bit excessive.

Are your taps all stainless?

 

[Pogierob]

From what I can see. It's a difference of $20-$30 per tap depending on shank length.
Can take up to 2 months to deliver
Some people have complained about faulty taps and received little to no service from the seller.
Great pricing if you get the taps in working order though.
Perhaps the $300 includes all hose and connections, and the six pack required for the build?