I upgraded my Home Depot kegerator 5 months ago and pull the original faucet and ordered a Perlick. I was price shopping and decided on the Perlick 630PC chrome plated faucet. I'd had the original chrome plated faucet for a while and it seemed in decent condition but I didn't like that it would be stuck with dried beer if I left it for a few weeks.
After the switch the to 630PC I moved my kegerator to my covered back porch because that is where I drink most of my beer. The fridge stays plenty cold but is certainly working harder than if it was inside the house.
After 5 months outside (covered patio. No rain. In Texas) this is what my faucet looks like. The beer is starting to taste funny. I also never replaced the shank when I added the new faucet. Same cheap one that came with it. Probably 25 gallons of home brew passed through it. I use a keg of starsan in between to rinse the line and tap between kegs.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463453374.048952.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463453436.006942.jpg
Nice golden color? I rubbed it with my finger and tasted the brown residue that came off. Definitely rusty and gross. Probably why my last few kegs have tasted bad for the first pour. I got to the point of pulling 3 ounces and tossing it before my first full glass if I hadn't used the tap in two days or so.
Switched to a Perlick 650ss with flow control. Also replaced the shank with a stainless one So far so good. I don't taste any of the off flavor I used to and don't have any of the sulfur taste that some people mention so I'm happy about that.
Buying a chrome plated faucet and then buying a stainless one is certainly more expensive than just popping for the stainless first. I hope reading this will save someone from making the same mistake I did.
After the switch the to 630PC I moved my kegerator to my covered back porch because that is where I drink most of my beer. The fridge stays plenty cold but is certainly working harder than if it was inside the house.
After 5 months outside (covered patio. No rain. In Texas) this is what my faucet looks like. The beer is starting to taste funny. I also never replaced the shank when I added the new faucet. Same cheap one that came with it. Probably 25 gallons of home brew passed through it. I use a keg of starsan in between to rinse the line and tap between kegs.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463453374.048952.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463453436.006942.jpg
Nice golden color? I rubbed it with my finger and tasted the brown residue that came off. Definitely rusty and gross. Probably why my last few kegs have tasted bad for the first pour. I got to the point of pulling 3 ounces and tossing it before my first full glass if I hadn't used the tap in two days or so.
Switched to a Perlick 650ss with flow control. Also replaced the shank with a stainless one So far so good. I don't taste any of the off flavor I used to and don't have any of the sulfur taste that some people mention so I'm happy about that.
Buying a chrome plated faucet and then buying a stainless one is certainly more expensive than just popping for the stainless first. I hope reading this will save someone from making the same mistake I did.
