Switching standard faucet for Perlick

This should be posted in home bar, hopefully a mod will move this.

That being said Perlick faucets are forward sealing vs your past faucet which were rear sealing. The spring won't work and you can get rid of it. I think springs only exist in cheapo faucets, you shouldn't need a spring. When your pour is complete you push back and it seals fine with no need for a spring.

 

Certainly one of the greatest advancements w/keg dispensing in the last 20 years!! No springs in the Perlick. They work great -- I have a two tap set up and have used 'em for 5 years or so. No sticking. That said -- there are a couple of things to look out for when using. Because of the design -- they can be a little easier to open and harder to get a seal when closing -- so you need to be careful when pouring to make sure the valve doesn't stick open accidentally -- this is usually solved w a little extra nudge on the tap handle. Also -- when cleaning - be sure to reassemble exactly per the diagram - it can be tricky to get all the seals back in the correct location (part #2 especially) and the number of turns you apply to the collar thread cap (part #7) will dictate how easy it is to pull the tap -- requires a little adjusting when you first start pouring. Also watch the orientation of part #6. Good Luck!!

 

I never remove the seals/o-rings when cleaning. The picture you show above is an older version of the Perlick faucet. Not sure if the design has been altered in the past 5 years since you got yours. Parts 2, 3, and 4 all need to be force-ably removed when I take mine apart. Reading the cleaning instructions it even says you don't need to take it apart to clean, even though I do.

 

Spring loaded faucets are a gimmick and should be avoided. Nothing to be gained.

Perlick Perls (and you should refer to the forward sealing faucets as Perls, because Perlick makes traditional faucets as well) are very very good.

There is no special installation for the Perls.
I suspect your shank is junk though, as spring loaded faucets are crap that get installed with cut rate equipment all around. But, maybe.

Perls are quite sensitive to shanks. For example, they wont work with new UBC shanks. Sometimes Micromatic. It depends. (If you ask UBC it's Perlick, if you ask Perlick it's UBC etc) But generally they are simple plug and play and a great improvement.
Cheers.

 

Bill, indulge me in small thread hijack. I've been accumulating pieces for a keezer build. Currently pouring 4 kegs on picnic taps. Have 4 Perls I received for Christmas/birthdays. I don't have shanks yet. What brand should I get? SS of course. How long would you recommend? Assuming I use a 2by for the collar. Thanks.

 

Intertap put out some faucets recently that have had good reviews and are cheaper than perlick. They offer a spring, but like others said it's gimmicky don't buy it.

http://brulosophy.com/2017/01/12/intertap-forward-sealing-faucets-product-review/

 

If you get branded s/s shanks they will almost certainly be quality. Chrome can be really dismal but not always. It's the no name shit from China and now eastern Europe. We use the brand "Krome" when we can, they are fairly inexpensive and good quality. But any stainless is fine. Abeco is great. Krome is made in India if that matters.
Length depends on the thickness of the collar. Just be sure to get a bit more than the actual thickness. The beer nut and the flange take more length then you might assume. Too much though and they get in the way when loading kegs. Mine are always used, whatever is available, so I they are all sorts of brands and sizes. A few are from an install completed in 1986. So I really can't say the best length for certain.

I think the steel flanges make a big difference.
Cheers.

 

Steel/chrome escutcheons are purely ornamental...but nice

 

i'm going to say 90%.
If you screw the brass nut too tight you can crack open a black plastic escutcheon. Not so with the metal ones. Yeah. Guilty. But otherwise they just look better, like you're paying attention.

 

...but it still wouldn't leak precious beer ...I'm 90% sure my black escutcheons are painted pot metal, but I could be wrong

 

a chromed shower flange from a hardware is a quick and easy replacement

 

Idk if you've gotten an answer on this yet, but I just picked up 3 SS 4" shanks by Krome Dispense from my LHBS. The rest of my parts are on order, so nothing is assembled yet, but I hope that helps you.