my filler is always a bit iffy. for me, the spring is fine, but the o ring at the end tends to slip. my solution: keg lube. works like a charm, and doesnt leak
do not use mason jars, they are only made for holding vacuums (for canning), not pressure. If you do, you will get shards of glass flying everywhere. Not fun!
pros: easy to use, look fancy, tend to to better with higher carbonation
cons: more expensive, have to replace gaskets every once in awhile
I use swing tops pretty often, i like using them because bottling is a good bit quicker, not having to deal with caps and whatnot.
not so much an issue, just a thing that happens. ive been thinking about replacing mine as well, though. stuck levers are a little off-putting sometimes
its residual beer in the faucet drying up and causing it to gum up. Be careful with the handle, the brass levels tend to be brittle. If they break, replace with SS levers and youll be good to go
rack to a secondary. I did this with a blonde after primary was finished, saw some nice looking pellicles a week or so later. Blonde ale came out amazing
My "favorite" part, in the recent issue, is them rating witbiers, and giving blue moon a 90 and shock top an 87, out of 100. Nothing got below an 85. I guess every beer in the world tastes amazing to them...
the point is you sanitize your vessel with bleach, then rinse it out with water that may have contaminants in it, therefore making your sanitized vessel no longer sanitized. to me its a no brainer, star san all the way