Keg King Intertap

[Ferg]

An interesting back story and very positive review of the taps:

http://brulosophy.com/2017/01/12/intertap-forward-sealing-faucets-product-review/#more-81661

 

[claypot]

An interesting back story and very positive review of the taps:

http://brulosophy.com/2017/01/12/intertap-forward-sealing-faucets-product-review/#more-81661

Cheers for that. Your rite that's a good read, I'd read on other US forums about the striking similarities between intertap and Vent-matic. The vent-matic taps were said to be one of the best around in the US. Seems like the dude sold out the plans to intertap and is now busy trying to spend the cash!

That article has sold me on the intertaps now.

 

[damoninja]

Terrific value for money these taps are, never gum up and always have smooth action. The interchangeable spouts is just great too for various reasons. The only one I didn't get was the ball lock one, personally would never use it.

 

[clickeral]

Have two of these sitting on my desk at work right now (SS FC ones) will be installing tonight alongside my Perlic 650SS and will see how they go this weekend

Seem pretty solid, only issue I have is that the brush bungs I have brought don't seem to fit these or the perlics

Might post some feedback once I give them a good bit of use

 

[quadbox]

I've been quite happy with mine (ss fc). They arent as good as an andale da/floryte, but they're a bare fraction of the price and seem to perform very well.

 

[moonhead]

Thanks, mate. That was on my list of things to do, but was pulling my hair out and wanted to ask other ideas. I was about to, then saw peteru's post...
I did strip the tap right down, and it looked clean, but I did another proper clean just in case my vision is failing me


So, I went and had another look, and you are right. There was a lot of bubbles coming out of the beer in there. It may be because the pressure was inadequate (as I had turned it down), but I took your advice and shortened it to 2m. I actually then got a decent pour out of it. The beer was a bit flat for a wheat, but this might have solved the issue. No gas bubbles in there this morning. Have turned the pressure back up and I guess will see what happens when the beer carbs up a bit more.

Thanks for the help! :beer:

I reckon the trick with the flow control taps (I run 4 Perlick FCs) is having a short (about 1m), single piece of beer line for each tap with no connecters other than the necessary ones. Gives you less places to cause turbulent flow and knock the CO2 out of solution. Means your flow restrictors in the back of the tap do all the work.

JD

Any further feedback on shorter tube lengths with the FC taps? I'm having almost the exact same problem as Bougie!st, nicely carbed beers just coming out as foam with FC taps, no matter the restriction on the tap...

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I've got one, that I've been using mostly for soda water. But now I'm running beer through it, same issue with foaming.

The other taps are SS perlick FC taps. And I reckon that but for the FC lever, I'd be foaming out with that too.

So for mine, it's a line length issue, nothwithstanding that an airconditioned Qld home is still going to provide a first pour foaminess at any rate (another project that I've got to get sorted).

 

[Reman]

I have 2 of the FC taps and I keep only about 1m of line to the tap. There can be foam with first poor, but choking off the flow for the first 1/4 of the pour and then gradually opening helps out. I've also found dialling back the serving pressure to 10psi helps too.

 

[moonhead]

Right, so brought the tube length right back last night, probably less than 1 metre now. It's helped a little, but it was very, very marginal. I'm not getting air in the beer line anymore, but it still foams like a mofo. I don't really want to go down the path of reducing the pressure to serve, seems like a huge pain, degassing the keg, re-pressurising at 10psi, pouring, then re-pressurising at the higher psi afterwards...

 

[malt junkie]

Just note the issue of getting gas bubbles in the line, could be the seal at the ball lock, between the dip tube and the ball lock.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Right, so brought the tube length right back last night, probably less than 1 metre now. It's helped a little, but it was very, very marginal. I'm not getting air in the beer line anymore, but it still foams like a mofo. I don't really want to go down the path of reducing the pressure to serve, seems like a huge pain, degassing the keg, re-pressurising at 10psi, pouring, then re-pressurising at the higher psi afterwards...

This is basically where I'm at - repressuring is a pain. I can pour foam and then back the tap right back, but it isn't the most ideal thing, hence why I'll re-do the line with the extra length and slow the pour.

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

This is basically where I'm at - repressuring is a pain. I can pour foam and then back the tap right back, but it isn't the most ideal thing, hence why I'll re-do the line with the extra length and slow the pour.

Glad I am not the only one that has gone through this.

End of last year I bought the triple FC tap Kegerator4 from KK. It arrived minus beer and gas lines. I wasn't worried as I had heaps of spare 5mm line lying around. I purchased the FC taps with the thought that with them I can run minimal line and so I rigged my own short lengths up instead of waiting for the 2.5m/3m lengths that KK would send up from the missing package.

After chilling the kegs over 3 days I decided to give it all a whirl. I would have wasted at least half a keg each of Vienna Lager and ESB trying to get a good pour. They were all foam. I could not get them pouring right with changes in pressure and adjustment of the FC lever.

I ended up going with the original KK line lengths (what a pain having 3 coils of long line in there is!) and it has improved. First half a glass is always froth but that's probably got to do with 35+ degree temps.

Speaking of pressurising, a mate says he always burps the kegs before he begins a session. Is this recommended? I usually leave the gas connected at 12psi and go from there without releasing pressure.

Cheers!

 

[malt junkie]

12 PSI is probably a little high some where between 8 and 10 psi may bring everything inline for that consistent pour.

 

[bradsbrew]

So, what is the general concensus, are the taps good or not? I am up for another set and tossing up between the intertap and the perlick SS FC or is there another option?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Very good tap. I'm really happy with it alongside 2 perlick 545FC, and I reckon it's a fantastic tap. I'm thinking seriously of buying their FC taps to replace the Perlicks.

For the above foaming issue (mine's a line issue), I have my reg at 8PSI.

 

[moonhead]

This is basically where I'm at - repressuring is a pain. I can pour foam and then back the tap right back, but it isn't the most ideal thing, hence why I'll re-do the line with the extra length and slow the pour.

Didn't I just read before that the extra line length is contributing to the foam, though?

Anyway, are people just accepting that there's a need to depressurise your keg before pouring? (and if so, what's the point in getting the flow control taps?)

Has anyone compared these to the Perlick FC taps, do they have the same issues?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Didn't I just read before that the extra line length is contributing to the foam, though?

Anyway, are people just accepting that there's a need to depressurise your keg before pouring? (and if so, what's the point in getting the flow control taps?)

Has anyone compared these to the Perlick FC taps, do they have the same issues?

I have both taps, and the problem is the same. I have to get the Perlick FC taps (I only have a regular SS Intertap) right down to almost nothing to pour non-foam. The only difference is that the Intertap one, not being a FC, is harder to back the tap back easily (but can be done) to get the pour.

My issue with foam is purely a pressure issue - too much pressure and it's coming out way too quickly, even at 8PSI. So longer lines will solve it, by slowing that pressure down. (from what I've read)

 

[Bougie!st]

Now that I have reduced my line, I'm getting good pours, especially after the tap has cooled (more foam on first pour, but don't have to tip out - especially with a little patience).

That does bring me to the fact that patience is needed. I have to throttle it to slowest setting to start and, even once the tap's cold, can only open it a little more to finish the pour. It is a wheat beer, held at 18psi though.

Overall, I am now happy and would get more, but with the shorter line as I have it now

 

[Reman]

I don't bother repressurising, once the keg is carbed up, let's say at 20psi which to me seems about 2.5 vols, then I dial back to 10psi to serve. Been through 4-5 kegs this way and they appear to keep the carb levels even if i leave them sitting there at 10psi for the 2-3 weeks they tend to last.

 

[verysupple]

Any further feedback on shorter tube lengths with the FC taps? I'm having almost the exact same problem as Bougie!st, nicely carbed beers just coming out as foam with FC taps, no matter the restriction on the tap...

I'm a bit late on the scene here, but this might help.

I was having a bit of a foaming problem when I first got my FC Intertaps. A bit of searching turned up this thread. Basically I simply needed to tighten the connection between the shank and the tap. Maybe air was getting in?

Happy brewing.

Edit: Subsequent posts in this thread show people are still having foaming issues with the FC ones. Mine work perfectly fine so I'll detail my system for reference:
- I serve anywhere from about 80 to 110 kPa (about 11 to 16 PSI) depending on beer style. I haven't tried a weissbier yet, though.
- Beer lines are 5 mm ID and ~1 m long (basically the minimum I needed to have a little slack).
- At higher pressures I need to back off the flow a bit - maybe 1/2 to 2/3 open. Up to ~100 kPa I typically have them fully open. Again, I haven't tried anything really highly carbonated yet.
- As I've discussed previously in this thread, I always get a little bit of foam on the first pour until the tap cools down, but it's not really a problem.