How often do you strip your ball valves down?

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patwestlake
Steady Drinker
Posts: 73
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 1:23 pm
Location: Penarth, South Wales

Re: How often do you strip your ball valves down?

Post by patwestlake » Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:34 pm

I bought my 4 from China via eBay and have stripped them all down if only to check I could (chemical engineer - force of habit!) - 2 of each flavour, all 316ss, so can take a spanner and some leverage! No issues with any and at <£10 each delivered very happy camper! The worst part of the valve for gunk is always the cavity between the ball and the body, so when blasting it through with water or whatever, make sure you work the valve a few times - leaving it fully open is pointless. I was also rather shocked to find half a wind of ptfe tap across the outlet of my kettle outlet when I checked after the last brew - great hop filter but pretty crappy for flow!

Pat
FV : #99 Highway to Helles (Munich Helles)
Next up - #100 Farmhouse in Your Soul (Saison)

Drinking :
#98 Bells Light Hearted (3.9% IPA)
#97 Decadence 64 (Mosaic IPA)
#96 Wicked Weasel (Fursty Ferret Clone)
#95 Penarth Gold (Loweswater Gold Clone)
#94 Cheeseburger Cavalry (US IPA)

hebbstar
Steady Drinker
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:54 pm
Location: ChesVegas (Chesterfield - Town of the Crooked Spire)

Re: How often do you strip your ball valves down?

Post by hebbstar » Sun Oct 15, 2017 11:39 am

All

Just checked mine and it was a bit murky and worth a clean...
Murkey Ball Valve.jpg
I'll have to add this to my Spring clean regime...

Thanks chaps

Paul

CubaLibre

Re: How often do you strip your ball valves down?

Post by CubaLibre » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:49 am

I give mine a wipe down after every brew, but only strip it every 3-4.

Matt in Birdham
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 764
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:27 pm

Re: How often do you strip your ball valves down?

Post by Matt in Birdham » Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:37 am

Every brew for me, ever since an infection that I traced to it (it was disgusting, on inspection). I got caught out when I moved from gas to electric - over gas, the valve would get so hot that sanitation wasn't an issue. On an induction hob I can keep my hand on the valve mid-boil, and soon after that I got my first ever infection..

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