Jonnyv
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- Joined
- Aug 31, 2008
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Admin Notes:
This is a work-in-progress. Please leave feedback and suggestions - be as critical as possible so we get this right. For instance, if the photos look **** or my grammar/spelling is rubbish then just say - I'll not be offended
9th Jan update: Photos posted for dismantling & changing the seals on the cylinder.
-----------------------------
This guide is a collaborative effort from members of THBF. I'm collating my own experience with the information provided by others to create this guide. Suffice to say, this process is done entirely at your own risk.
Introduction
Got a cheap Hi-Gene beer engine off eBay? Or better still, free from your friendly landlord? If they're free or cheap then they're probably not in tip-top condition and may require servicing/refurbishing.
Colin Farrar Brewery Service operates a beer engine refurb service which may be worth looking into if you're not willing to attempt this yourself.
If you are, it's not difficult to pull the guts of the engine apart to clean, polish the brass & revarnish the wood to get a great looking engine with a little bit of effort.
The problems addressed in this guide are:
Replacement Parts
Top cylinder John Guest fitting: 1/2" BSP male to 3/8" Stem adapter (Possible part number: PM051014E)
Bottom cylinder John Guest fitting: 1/2" BSP male to 1/2" Stem adapter (Possible part number: PM052214E)
Piston seal kit: Colin Farrar Brewery Services - £13.50 + VAT
Handle washers: B&Q have a pack of two rubber washers which I cut to size. *** IMAGE ***
Drip Trays: Barley Bottom have 6" drip trays for £1.99 each
--- TBC ---
Deconstructing The Beer Engine
The main parts of the beer engine are easy to take apart, you'll need:
For dismantling the cylinder you'll need to the following:
It's a lot easier if you clamp the pump to a work-surface to start with - it keeps it nice and steady while you take apart the main parts.
Start by first removing the metal cage/drip tray holder. There are two screws on the front that hold this on, once removed it'll expose the cylinder:
The cylinder is held in place primarily by two brass bolts either side of the top plastic cap:
Removing these will release the cylinder from the metal frame and you then need to locate the thread where the piston meets the pump handle. Using a spanner loosen the nut and turn the cylinder anti-clockwise to unthread it from the pump handle. This can be a bit tedious.
With the cylinder now removed, now start to deconstruct the rest of the pump. Dismantling of the cylinder itself is discussed later when replacing the seals.
The spout is held on by two screws at the front. You'll need to remove the pipe from the back of the spout first (it may be held on by a jubilee clip).
Unscrew the pump from the work-surface and place upside down to get access to the two nuts either side of the metal cage. Remove these with your spanner and you'll feel the whole unit start to become loose.
Remove the knob from the top of the pump handle and then unscrew the brass base of the handle, the piece directly under the ceramic handle from the brass lever.
The brass base of the pump (which has two long bolts either side) can now be carefully removed from the wooden plinth:
The pump is now fully dismantled and can be cleaned easily.
Cleaning the Plastics
The plastic parts and fittings can be cleaned using standard-issue homebrew cleaning products. Oxiclean in hot water is good for shifting tough stains, as is Anti Formin' or diluted bleach. Remember to rinse well after shifting the gunk.
--- TBC ---
Replacing the Seals
Replacement seal kits are available from Colin Farrar Brewery Services, priced at £13.50.
Once the cylinder is removed from your pump, remove the cage that keeps the two end caps attached to the cylinder by removing the plastic wing nuts:
Remove the top and bottom John Guest fittings by unscrewing them - you may need a spanner to do this as they could be glued on with gunk:
This is where it gets a little tricky. The two end caps are held on to the stainless steel cylinder by the rubber seals inside. To remove the caps place a small sturdy piece of wood (or blunt screw driver) on the lip of the bottom plastic cap. Using a few sharp knocks with a hammer/mallet the cap should start to shift off the end. It requires quite a lot of persuasion. Once a gap has been created between the cap and the cylinder you can use a screwdriver to twist the gap further.
You should eventually see the black rubber seals appear - when you do then you're close to getting the cap off. Once the cap is removed the piston can be dismantled for cleaning and/or seal changing:
--- TBC ---
Polishing the Brass
Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF) is a very good abrasive cleaner that will remove the years of tarnish and neglect from the brass parts. This stuff will polishes the brass up bright, but not to a mirror finish, for that you'll need something like Simichrome polish.
*** IMAGE BEFORE ***
Depending on how soiled the brass is, use a moist dish cloth or non-scratch pot scrubber with a sprinkling of BKF. The stains should come off without too much trouble. For a mirror finish, have a look in your local home/hardware shop for a specific brass cleaner.
*** IMAGE AFTER ***
Revarnishing the Plinth
The wooden plinth may need restoring. This can be stripped down with some coarse sandpaper to remove the existing varnish and then with a fine sandpaper to create a smooth finish.
Clean the sandpaper dust off with a clean cloth & white spirit and use some wood stain to give the wood a bit of colour. I used mahogany:
*** IMAGE ***
Two coats of 'Ronseal Ultra Tough Clear Varnish' will give the wood a nice shine (sanding with very fine sandpaper between coats):
*** IMAGE ***
The wood was left to dry overnight.
--- TBC ---
Reconstructing
--- TBC ---
Testing
It's time to test with water to check the seals and make sure liquid is pumped through ok. Connect up a length of 1/2" hose to the back of the cylinder at the bottom and put the other end into a bucket/bowl of water.
Place a pint glass under the spout and pull the handle on the engine - within a few strokes you should have a pint of water, depending on whether you have the 1/2 pint or 1/4 pint model.
If the water doesn't pull through then deconstruct the engine again and check the seals on the piston/cylinder. Replace if necessary.
--- TBC ---
Final Clean/Rinse
It's best to give the whole thing a final clean through with sanitising fluid before connecting to your beloved beer.
Empty the bucket that you used for water and fill with your favourite sanitiser, i.e. bleach, iodine, anti-formin' at your usual concentration. Pull through four or five pints of sanitiser to give the engine a good final clean.
Rinse your bucket, fill with water and then pull through another four or five pints to rinse.
Your beer engine is now ready for beer!
--- TBC ---
Hooking Up
Here I'll link to the 'How To' that Wez will hopefully be putting together on how to hook up the engine to a Corni - and maybe some info on how to hook up to a keg and polypin.
This is a work-in-progress. Please leave feedback and suggestions - be as critical as possible so we get this right. For instance, if the photos look **** or my grammar/spelling is rubbish then just say - I'll not be offended
9th Jan update: Photos posted for dismantling & changing the seals on the cylinder.
-----------------------------
This guide is a collaborative effort from members of THBF. I'm collating my own experience with the information provided by others to create this guide. Suffice to say, this process is done entirely at your own risk.
Introduction
Got a cheap Hi-Gene beer engine off eBay? Or better still, free from your friendly landlord? If they're free or cheap then they're probably not in tip-top condition and may require servicing/refurbishing.
Colin Farrar Brewery Service operates a beer engine refurb service which may be worth looking into if you're not willing to attempt this yourself.
If you are, it's not difficult to pull the guts of the engine apart to clean, polish the brass & revarnish the wood to get a great looking engine with a little bit of effort.
The problems addressed in this guide are:
- The brass is tarnished and stained[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- The wooden plinth is scratched and requires revarnishing[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- The beer lines need cleaning/replacing[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- Fittings are broken or missing[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- The piston/cylinder is gunked up[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- The seals in the piston/cylinder need replacing[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
Replacement Parts
Top cylinder John Guest fitting: 1/2" BSP male to 3/8" Stem adapter (Possible part number: PM051014E)
Bottom cylinder John Guest fitting: 1/2" BSP male to 1/2" Stem adapter (Possible part number: PM052214E)
Piston seal kit: Colin Farrar Brewery Services - £13.50 + VAT
Handle washers: B&Q have a pack of two rubber washers which I cut to size. *** IMAGE ***
Drip Trays: Barley Bottom have 6" drip trays for £1.99 each
--- TBC ---
Deconstructing The Beer Engine
The main parts of the beer engine are easy to take apart, you'll need:
- 4mm Allen Key[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- Adjustable spanner[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- Cross-head screwdriver[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- Flat-head screwdriver[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
For dismantling the cylinder you'll need to the following:
- Small sturdy piece of wood or blunt screwdriver[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
- Mallet or hammer[/*:m:a4mlufbo]
It's a lot easier if you clamp the pump to a work-surface to start with - it keeps it nice and steady while you take apart the main parts.
Start by first removing the metal cage/drip tray holder. There are two screws on the front that hold this on, once removed it'll expose the cylinder:
The cylinder is held in place primarily by two brass bolts either side of the top plastic cap:
Removing these will release the cylinder from the metal frame and you then need to locate the thread where the piston meets the pump handle. Using a spanner loosen the nut and turn the cylinder anti-clockwise to unthread it from the pump handle. This can be a bit tedious.
With the cylinder now removed, now start to deconstruct the rest of the pump. Dismantling of the cylinder itself is discussed later when replacing the seals.
The spout is held on by two screws at the front. You'll need to remove the pipe from the back of the spout first (it may be held on by a jubilee clip).
Unscrew the pump from the work-surface and place upside down to get access to the two nuts either side of the metal cage. Remove these with your spanner and you'll feel the whole unit start to become loose.
Remove the knob from the top of the pump handle and then unscrew the brass base of the handle, the piece directly under the ceramic handle from the brass lever.
The brass base of the pump (which has two long bolts either side) can now be carefully removed from the wooden plinth:
The pump is now fully dismantled and can be cleaned easily.
Cleaning the Plastics
The plastic parts and fittings can be cleaned using standard-issue homebrew cleaning products. Oxiclean in hot water is good for shifting tough stains, as is Anti Formin' or diluted bleach. Remember to rinse well after shifting the gunk.
--- TBC ---
Replacing the Seals
Replacement seal kits are available from Colin Farrar Brewery Services, priced at £13.50.
Once the cylinder is removed from your pump, remove the cage that keeps the two end caps attached to the cylinder by removing the plastic wing nuts:
Remove the top and bottom John Guest fittings by unscrewing them - you may need a spanner to do this as they could be glued on with gunk:
This is where it gets a little tricky. The two end caps are held on to the stainless steel cylinder by the rubber seals inside. To remove the caps place a small sturdy piece of wood (or blunt screw driver) on the lip of the bottom plastic cap. Using a few sharp knocks with a hammer/mallet the cap should start to shift off the end. It requires quite a lot of persuasion. Once a gap has been created between the cap and the cylinder you can use a screwdriver to twist the gap further.
You should eventually see the black rubber seals appear - when you do then you're close to getting the cap off. Once the cap is removed the piston can be dismantled for cleaning and/or seal changing:
--- TBC ---
Polishing the Brass
Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF) is a very good abrasive cleaner that will remove the years of tarnish and neglect from the brass parts. This stuff will polishes the brass up bright, but not to a mirror finish, for that you'll need something like Simichrome polish.
*** IMAGE BEFORE ***
Depending on how soiled the brass is, use a moist dish cloth or non-scratch pot scrubber with a sprinkling of BKF. The stains should come off without too much trouble. For a mirror finish, have a look in your local home/hardware shop for a specific brass cleaner.
*** IMAGE AFTER ***
Revarnishing the Plinth
The wooden plinth may need restoring. This can be stripped down with some coarse sandpaper to remove the existing varnish and then with a fine sandpaper to create a smooth finish.
Clean the sandpaper dust off with a clean cloth & white spirit and use some wood stain to give the wood a bit of colour. I used mahogany:
*** IMAGE ***
Two coats of 'Ronseal Ultra Tough Clear Varnish' will give the wood a nice shine (sanding with very fine sandpaper between coats):
*** IMAGE ***
The wood was left to dry overnight.
--- TBC ---
Reconstructing
--- TBC ---
Testing
It's time to test with water to check the seals and make sure liquid is pumped through ok. Connect up a length of 1/2" hose to the back of the cylinder at the bottom and put the other end into a bucket/bowl of water.
Place a pint glass under the spout and pull the handle on the engine - within a few strokes you should have a pint of water, depending on whether you have the 1/2 pint or 1/4 pint model.
If the water doesn't pull through then deconstruct the engine again and check the seals on the piston/cylinder. Replace if necessary.
--- TBC ---
Final Clean/Rinse
It's best to give the whole thing a final clean through with sanitising fluid before connecting to your beloved beer.
Empty the bucket that you used for water and fill with your favourite sanitiser, i.e. bleach, iodine, anti-formin' at your usual concentration. Pull through four or five pints of sanitiser to give the engine a good final clean.
Rinse your bucket, fill with water and then pull through another four or five pints to rinse.
Your beer engine is now ready for beer!
--- TBC ---
Hooking Up
Here I'll link to the 'How To' that Wez will hopefully be putting together on how to hook up the engine to a Corni - and maybe some info on how to hook up to a keg and polypin.
