Dalex tap cleaning

[JabbA]

Hi Guys, when sorting out the taps for my kegerator build I simply soaked my Dalex taps, complete, in Oxy cleaner for a few hours before rinsing and hooking up to a keg and flushing with a Betadine solution. Both are a little temperamental in the flow control department and when fully open a trickle of beer comes out of the rear of the control ring.

Any advice as to how I get the things apart so as I can give them a propper clean and hopefully get them working properly? I've been able to get the leaver and nozzle off; is it just a case of getting a spanner to the nut formed in the shank in order to take the body apart?

I also noted that they seem to be greased, I'm thinking that maybe the Oxy cleaner has perhaps dissolved the grease resulting in the leak. If they need to be regressed, I assume that Norms keg lube, if not the cheap, will do the trick?

Cheers,
Jamie

[Fil]

Unscrew the small sprung grub screw under the barrel and unscrew the barrel..

check the orings for wear..

and use a dab of vasaline to grease the threads n orings for reassembly.

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when assembling the lever is sprung so screw it in but dont force it, when tight opperate the lever and try again and repeat this will allow you to tighten it without forcing and stop the fountain of beer errupting cos its not screw on tight

when rescrewing in the grub screw in the barrel make sure the holes are perfectly lined up first. if you eat plastic screwing it in pull it appart and clean again as i have had a bit of plastic from this error break the seal and leave me with a dripping tap.

i soaked my first 2nd hand tap like you and when first used with beer i got scabby crud comming thru ive stripped em down since for a first clean, subsequently i just flush the pipe and tap thru after i empty a keg.. .

BE CAREFUL when screwing the cleaned tap into your kegorator,the threaded barrel wiuth the jg fitting can snap if not screwed in straight, its quite brittle plastic used.. i snapped one screwing it into a metal font..


also ive found that when tunning the flow control of the tap its easier to open the flow control and tighten it to restrict than trying to modify the flow from closed.

[JabbA]

Hi Fil, mine look diffrent to yours; as it happens the Postie deliverd another one this morning, the same as the ones I already have:



They have no grub screw going through the barrel?

Cheers,
Jamie

[Kev888]

Hi Jamie,

mine, like yours, have no grub screw. Its so second-nature by now that (embarrasingly) sitting here thinking about it I can't remember specifically what to do, but I use an adjustable spanner on that hex-shaped part of the shaft just behind the flow control knob and then IIRC it all just happens. The only problem I have is a small mental block that means I always try to put the flow control knob on backwards when reassembling..

I'll have a look when I get home tonight if no one else answers and you still need help.

Cheers
Kev

[JabbA]

Cheers Kev, I know what you mean about having mental blocks with these things, sometimes it's just impossible to explain the simplest of tasks to someone else! I'll attack one with an adjustable tonight!

Cheers,
Jamie

[Kev888]

Yep, I checked and the part with a hexagonal section unscrews with the help of a spanner (hold the tee-shaped front piece with your other hand), the front and back parts of the tap assembly can then be pulled apart. The flow control nut can be unscrewed afterwards, and the tapered inner part comes out with it.

Cheers
kev

[JabbA]

Thanks a lot Kev

Not wanting to take apart a brand new one, and with both the others behaving themselves last night I didn't bother taking one apart! I guess the two I had installed settled down under pressure, I'll keep an eye on them and see how they go!

Cheers,
Jamie

[Kev888]

No probs. I find that you can mostly get away with flushing them through with beer line cleaner, but when I 'only' did that a grey/green crudd could build up on the internal bits over time, which I think is organic and potentially dodgy, so now every month or so I'll take them apart and give the separate bits a proper soak.

Cheers
kev

[edonald774]

I've just bought some taps same as jabba, he someone is feeling brave, a bit of a show and tell would be of serious help to us numpties.