Picnic taps, overlooked when cleaning!

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I purchased some used equipment which included QD s and picnic taps. These were still attached to discolored tubing, so I dismantled them and broke down the QDs for cleaning and soaked the taps. Foolishly I didn’t realize until today that the taps come apart. Holy smokes! What filth was in one.

So now that they are apart, they’re going back into a soak. I’m also going to clean the two I’ve been using. I hope that because I run cleaning solution and sanitizer through them between kegs they won’t look as nasty as this one did.

 

[TheMadKing]

I purchased some used equipment which included QD s and picnic taps. These were still attached to discolored tubing, so I dismantled them and broke down the QDs for cleaning and soaked the taps. Foolishly I didn’t realize until today that the taps come apart. Holy smokes! What filth was in one. View attachment 687495View attachment 687496
So now that they are apart, they’re going back into a soak. I’m also going to clean the two I’ve been using. I hope that because I run cleaning solution and sanitizer through them between kegs they won’t look as nasty as this one did.

I've had that happen before.. I just tossed em and bought a 10 pack of new ones

 

[Yooper]

I take apart my QDs and party taps every time I use them- and even just with a short time use (I serve our dinner wine out of a keg with them), they get really yucky!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Well, that super nasty one looked better after a soak, but not clean enough to use even after a little scrubbing. It‘s in the trash now.

 

[IslandLizard]

FWIW, that white silicone "plunger" also comes off, for deep cleaning the assembly. You need to remove/slide off the handle, which is mounted on a short, notched plastic shaft that goes inside that plunger. The spring is in there too. The shaft can also be pulled out of the plunger. Don't lose any parts. Reassemble in reverse order.

Since I was about 2 years old I started to acquire the knack of taking everything apart to their bare elements. Putting things back together takes much longer and more skill, a lifetime of experience in some cases, I slowly discovered...

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

FWIW, that white silicone "plunger" also comes off, for deep cleaning the assembly. You need to remove/slide off the handle, which is mounted on a short, notched plastic shaft that goes inside that plunger. The spring is in there too. The shaft can also be pulled out of the plunger. Don't lose any parts. Reassemble in reverse order.

Since I was about 2 years old I started to acquire the knack of taking everything apart to their bare elements. Putting things back together takes much longer and more skill, a lifetime of experience in some cases, I slowly discovered...

Thank you, there is a little gunk inside that part too.

 

[IslandLizard]

Thank you, there is a little gunk inside that part too.

I've soaked those disassembled parts in (boiling hot) PBW for a few hours to a day. Then use a few small brushes (old toothbrush) to clean off any leftover, more tenacious residue. Rinse > Starsan > Reassemble.

To slide the handle off, push the outer (black) lid/ring down while the plunger tip is resting on the countertop. To reassemble, do the same.

 

[IslandLizard]

Really, they're very cleanable and sanitizable to fairly high standards.
Unless they're broken, there's no need to throw them out.