Check Your Taps.

[Spork]

Today, I learned to check my taps.
Not just before transferring wort / beer to another FV / cube / jerrycan, but after moving the vessel as well.
Yesterday I racked my "Little perler" to secondary and put the cube in my chesty to CC along with a jerrycan of an IPA.
The tap was sound and leak free when I filled the cube.
I must have knocked the tap when putting the cube in the freezer, because when I opened the lid to have a squizz today...

Thats with the leaking cube, which had been on the ledge, removed for cleaning and tap checking. Yep, tap is fine, but it had obviously been knocked and leaked all the contents into my chesty.
Fhark.
Got some cleaning up to do, but worse still, that beer was the result of %100 of my first hop harvest, and was looking / smelling / tasting pretty good.
Buggabuggabugga...

 

[grantiesbrew]

Today, I learned to check my taps.
Not just before transferring wort / beer to another FV / cube / jerrycan, but after moving the vessel as well.
Yesterday I racked my "Little perler" to secondary and put the cube in my chesty to CC along with a jerrycan of an IPA.
The tap was sound and leak free when I filled the cube.
I must have knocked the tap when putting the cube in the freezer, because when I opened the lid to have a squizz today...
Hey Spork dont bloody waste it !!! Get in there and wash yourself in it.You will smell great mate.

Thats with the leaking cube, which had been on the ledge, removed for cleaning and tap checking. Yep, tap is fine, but it had obviously been knocked and leaked all the contents into my chesty.
Fhark.
Got some cleaning up to do, but worse still, that beer was the result of %100 of my first hop harvest, and was looking / smelling / tasting pretty good.
Buggabuggabugga...

 

[Rob S]

^^ What Grantiesbrew said

 

[hsb]

Sorry for your loss...

 

[bullsneck]

I just ran upstairs to check. All good.

Condolences, by the way.

 

[MaltyHops]

... The tap was sound and leak free when I filled the cube.
I must have knocked the tap when putting the cube in the freezer, ...

Real bumma, what a waste. Might you have tightened the tap body (into the cube
mount thread) a bit too much?

I've found in the past that if I tighten the tap body too much (usually because
the spout is pointing at the about the 3 o'clock direction when it's pretty much
fully tightened and I want to tighten it just a bit more so it's pointing down )
that it's very easy for the tap to jump a rung by being knocked and become leaky.

Thinking about it, it isn't really necessary for the spout to point straight down so
no need to tighten the bejezzis out of them - just enough to stop any leaks and
no further - and wait till the final drain into keg or bottling before turning it
nominally downwards.

 

[crd0902]

Ah sorry dude. I had the same prob with a new fermenter using the sediment reducer wasnt getting a good seal and leaked about 5 lt into my fridge and seals and shed floor. Sucks. Now don't use them and tighten the shite out of the tap and check as I fill it make sure it's not dripping. I have a habit now of mixing a batch and just checking the temp when stable I leave it for couple weeks

 

[iralosavic]

Happened to me once - fortunately I was right there when it started leaking. Unfortunately, I had to transfer to another vessle as the tap would not seal properly unless I undid it, so I lost a fair bit. My story has nothing on your loss, but I know how easily it can happen. I hope your next hop harvest comes soon so you can forget this misfortune.

 

[stux]

Anyone else tempted to just toss some yeast in

 

[DanteHicks]

Sorry for your loss...

Yeah, sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved first hop harvest, will you be ok? I am here if you need to talk it out.

 

[Spork]

Anyone else tempted to just toss some yeast in

hehe.
It's already fermented. I was CC'ing it after racking to secondary.
I'd given the freezer a wash the day before I put the cube in too, so fairly clean... however the other jerry in there - the inside was sanitised, but not so the outside. Is tempting to just keg it and drink it anyway, but I know there was some gunk in the drain hole of the chesty, so it's lawn food.

 

[Tony]

When i rack to secondary to chill and condition the beer before carbing, i rack it to a keg.

 

[Spork]

When i rack to secondary to chill and condition the beer before carbing, i rack it to a keg.

I think I'll be doing that in the future too Tony if I have a keg empty. I had 3 empty when this tragedy occurred.