Tap-a-boom

[Wardhog]

A warning to anyone with a PET-based pressurised system such as a Tap-A-Draft, you may think that your PET gear will pretty much last forever (I did), and you ignore the manufacturer's recommendation that the bottles have an operating life of 10 or so brews.

Here's the 11th time I filled a bottle.



Thankfully it was 6L of a beer I wasn't too keen on.

 

[65bellett]

Wardhog, I bet that was a shock when you opened the fridge door. I was under the impression that the tap a draft had a pressure relief valve that would stop any thing like that from happening.

Apart from the explosion factor how have you found the tap-a-draft. Do you force carb or do secondary ferment in the bottle?

65B

 

[winkle]

It was the close proximity to the crown lager that caused the system failure

 

[altstart]

I agree with Winkles diagnosis.

Cheers Altstart

 

[Wardhog]

65bellet - My shorts never used to be brown.....

Nasty.

I've never seen a PET bottle explode - never thought they would "let go" in such a manner.

Any idea how much pressure was in the system?

Wally

I had naturally carbed in the bottle at a rate of 5g/litre. Last night I put a soda bulb into it, and tried to pour a glass today. Nothing came out, I guess the beer absorbed all the CO2 in the bulb, so I put in another bulb. That's when the boom came - I still haven't brought myself to clean the inside of the fridge yet.

Those Crownies - the megaswill drinkers in my family didn't quite finish them off - they're leftovers from Christmas.






Christmas 2006.

 

[staggalee]

Holey Moley!!!
Now you got me worried- the instuctions say use 2 {TWO} chargers per 6l. bottle, which I`ve been doing, with no problems. Are you sure you only primed with 5g. per litre? Last time I primed mine with 7g. per litre.
Never thought I`d see one go off like yours did. Some blokes reckon they got up to 30 uses out of a bottle.
Might of been a factory flaw?
{I hope}

 

[ozpowell]

Glad I just moved from T-A-D to kegging. Never thrown any of my PET bottles out.... :huh: Got my last two 6L PET bottles on tap now - hope they hold out a little longer.

Cheers,
Michael.

 

[staggalee]

how many uses?

stagga.

 

[Fents]

Just another reason to convince the boss for a proper setup hogward no? surley cant be deemed safe around the little fella...

 

[Fatgodzilla]

YOU SHALLOW BASTARDS HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THIS POOR ******* HAS LOST BEER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you no decency !!













:lol:

 

[Wardhog]

Holey Moley!!!
Now you got me worried- the instuctions say use 2 {TWO} chargers per 6l. bottle, which I`ve been doing, with no problems. Are you sure you only primed with 5g. per litre? Last time I primed mine with 7g. per litre.
Never thought I`d see one go off like yours did. Some blokes reckon they got up to 30 uses out of a bottle.
Might of been a factory flaw?
{I hope}

Generally, I would use two if force carbing, and one at a time once carbed. The beer in question was a dark mild - I definitely did 5g/L.

I'm thinking it was just a factory flaw, and I got off lightly. That bottle of beer had been lugged from Melbourne to Portland and back while on holidays. Imagine if it had've let go in the back of a fully loaded station wagon...
However, I've thrown out the other bottle that I got at the same time just to be sure. Now down to two (new) bottles, will have to replace the old.

 

[staggalee]

Yeah, I think you might have been very unlucky there. Yank forums post about blowouts but I`m yet to see anything or anybody to back it up. So carry on camping

stagga.

 

[ozpowell]

how many uses?

stagga.

Can't say for sure stagga, but my estimates for the oldest of my PET bottles would be at least 20. I've often wondered how much pressure those things can take, when force carbing with 2 charges, they feel pretty tight....

Cheers,
Michael.

 

[staggalee]

I naturally carb. mine {priming sugar}then after a couple of weeks chill down and hit with one charger, then when presure drops off halfway thru the bottle, bung the 2nd co2 in to it.
What surprises me is how little sediment comes thru the pour.
When you think about it, you wonder if it WAS a fault in Wardhogs bottle or the relief valve failed to vent excess pressure.
Whatever, I`m running a thin strip of masking tape down the side of my bottles, and marking each use with a felt pen- you never know :unsure:

stagga.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I was under the impression that the tap has a relief valve set to (from memory) 65PSi

It also has an internal reg set to 15 PSi.

Sounds to me like either or both of these have failed. I would also pull the tap apart and have a close look at the silicon hose. Mine was crimped shut after being left in the closed position for a long time. Pulling the hose out and reversing it worked a treat.

All dismantling instructions were available from the ibrew.com.au website as pdf's

Fester.

 

[staggalee]

A warning to anyone with a PET-based pressurised system such as a Tap-A-Draft, you may think that your PET gear will pretty much last forever (I did), and you ignore the manufacturer's recommendation that the bottles have an operating life of 10 or so brews.

Here's the 11th time I filled a bottle.



Thankfully it was 6L of a beer I wasn't too keen on.

After persisting with the Tap a Draft for too long, I convinced myself it was more trouble than it was worth and went back to 750 ml. tallies.

staggalee.