Cleaning A Micromatic Regulator!?

[Ross]

You don't need a repair kit, just strip it down and clean it up. Easy as !

Batz

Unless the main o'ring seal is soaked, as these tend to disintegrate once wet.

Cheers Ross

 

[MarkBastard]

I took it apart, yes it was quite easy to do. I only ended up needing a vice (I used the vice to hold the bottom nut bit, then twisted the actual reg by hand).

Everything was in pretty good order. Just a slight stickyness and beer smell. Cleaned it out, dried it, put it back together. Seems to be working fine though I haven't used it that much since. I'm going to be keeping the gas bottle off just in case.

 

[rmx boozer]

Hi Guys,
New keg system arrived day b4 yesterday and being (stupid and) in a rush to force carb the keg I tryed doing it before fitting the NRV... (yeah, smart I know!!!) and managed to drown my Micromatic reg ..... I did manage to carb the keg successfully and pour some amazing beers the first night.... great to be back into HB after 8yrs out of it!!

...so my question is....

I have taken the front section of the reg apart and cleaned the big spring and washers etc.... easy as...

but what do you use to undo the internal section seen here as part no. 4200685 http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...st&id=14202 . I need something to fit a large slot on either side of threaded section?

I'm not sure if this section even needs dismantling as it appears to be clean and dry.

Any help appreciated...... especially as I can't pour a beer until I re-assemble it all.... lol

thanks
cheers Neil

 

[SJW]

Its been a long time since I have posted, but I just wanted to thank the guys who contributed info to this thread.
I kegged a beer last night and over filled it a little. I carb mine up by hitting it hard with Co2 for 12 hours rthen backing it off to serve pressure. But when I turned of the gas and wound back the reg pressure beer came up the line and through my micromatic reg. I know I should of had my one way in-line valve in place but it has been years now and cant remember why I ever took it off. Maybe something to do with the way I gas my kegs up and vent the keg through the regulator that the valve does not let me do. Not sure.
Anyway its on now and I pulled the reg apart and flushed with iodophor and dried everything with a hairdrier. Even flushed out the gas lines. Blew co2 through the whole system and she is working now good as new.
Thanks for the exploded diagram whoever posted that.

Steve

 

[michael_aussie]

great thread ..... the tech details & internal photos and exploded diagrams need adding to a book-mark IMO

 

[mudd]

helpful thread. I got some beer in my reg a few months back and also thought it would be OK if I just blew it out. Been nagging at the back of my mind so I thought I'd pull it apart tonight. Full of wet rust

The exploded view was great. I was about to stick some of the assembly in the oven to dry it out as I don't have the right screwdriver to open the inner poppet thingy. Might butcher a screwdriver as looks like there's a o-ring in there.

ps: have to order a non return valve

 

[bignath]

slightly digging up an oldy but....

over the past few months i have started getting more disappointed with my kegged beers, but blown away by my bottled stock.
Some time ago i got beer in my regulator. Has been worrying me ever since, that the possibility of something nasty going on in the regulator is to blame for my disappointing kegs.

So i thought i'd open her up. **** me, what a mess. Full of rust. Bugger....

Cleaned it up as best as i could, (looks heaps better now) and put it all back together. Hooked it back up to bottle and kegs. Cool, all working well. Seems like i don't need a repair kit just yet.. Will keep an eye on it though.

Just a quick question, did the people who have cleaned out there regulators notice an improvement in their beers taste? Next keg through the system perhaps??

I'm hoping this is my problem with the flavour issue i'm having. It can't be too many things...I clean my taps and lines regularly, my keg cleaning as far as i know is well and truly up to scratch, have checked that i've got the correct "type" of gas even.

It's a weird twangy bite sometimes. I'm really hoping it is due to all the rust i found in my regulator, and that because i carbonate with the gas as opposed to naturally carb and only use gas to serve, that this could explain the weird taste. I'm not expecting the flavour to change until i put a fresh uncarbed keg through the system.

Any opinions???

might also start another thread incase someone doesn't read this one....

 

[matti]

Since I started the thread, I though I give you a response.

To answer your question if my beer started to taste better? NO!

I am actually proud to say I have never kegged a spoiled beer. - That's beacuse it never lasted more then two weeks in the keg and generally my taste buds were able to pick up if the beer was spoiled after finishing the fermentation.

(I have had many spoiled brews for other reasons but that is another story.)

As you can see on the grime and crap that was in the reg it amazingly did not affect any of my beers.
Mind you I was brewing porters and APA's that can hide slight flaws.

But because of the severy of the problem likelyhood rises with every beer it is advisable to keep the Beer out of your regulator. And any ale or lager deserves a better fate then being spoiled by a dirty regulator.
Too much hard work getting a good beer then spoil it by neglect.

Sorry for the long post, just practising typing at the same time LOL

 

[Ciderman]

I had bought a second hand one of these which wasnt working 100%. Carbonation was ok for force carbing, but set and forget just couldn't get past what you'd expect for an English bitter or stout.

I took it apart and it has had beer or something in it. No where near like some of the pictures on here but I've given it a good clean anyway.

My issue is the Orange fiber washer. It's perfectly intact but doesn't perfectly fit in the groove. Is that my problem or would it have been the gunk inside?

 

[Ciderman]

 

[welly2]

This thread is going to be useful when I take on the task of cleaning my Micromatic after yesterdays mishap. But firstly I'm going to wait until the spare Micromatic I just ordered arrives when I inevitably screw up cleaning the first!

 

[mofox1]

Lol. Smart man.

I'm usually happy to have a crack at fixing something I know nothing about. Rarely do I have the foresight to have a replacement just in case.