Sparkler Tap Problems

[mancer62]

Last year I bought a Sparkler Tap costing around £13/£15 for my king keg top tap.
My first two brews were great the beer shot out wonderfully and it looked like a good investment.
Since then however I have been very disappointed. My last 3 brews including the current one haven't been dispensing very well at all. I have taken out the Sparkler tap and washed every bit of it etc but still its working poorly.
In fact the last 2 brews I have actually ended up transferring into a basic pressure barrel where it works better.
I am getting a very loud gurgling foamy pour with large washing up like bubbles not tight little ones that normal beers have. I am going through a 8gram co2 bulb with just about every pint I pour.
Can anyone help with this problem please. Look forward to any replies:

 

[Godsdog]

What you have to watch with top taps is the float turning on its side in the beer or not fitted exactly with the ping pong ball upwards on top of the beer as this will give you these symptoms,had it a few times and ended up putting a little nick in the tubing where it attatches to the sparkler spigot on the top so I know its in the right position.hope that helps you as there is no other reason the sparkler tap should start to malfunction.I have them on 2 barrels

 

[mancer62]

Godsdog thank you for response. I have just made sure that the float is facing upwards in the beer which it is. I added another c02 bulb but again loud gurgling type noise large foamy bubbles...not a smooth pour at all...

 

[mancer62]

Afraid this batch not any better my Sparkler Tap on my King Keg Top Tap is still pouring with gurgling noise creating lots of foam. I don't know if this will help anyone identify my problem but when I attempted to put some C02 in last night the bulb basically let all the gas outside the barrel. Also I know for a fact that when I unscrew my lid it will hiss as all the gasses are released yet still I don't have enough gas to pour a pint..Any ideas? ty

 

[Spapro]

I have 2 sparkler taps on 2 kegs and not had any issues, sorry to hear your having problems (nowt worse than an issue with your kegged beer).

If the float is all as it should be it sounds like you have gas from the headspace in the keg getting into either the internal flexible tubing or the back of the tap itself.

When I first got my setup I used the supplied plastic connector between the back of the tap and the flexible hose but this was split before I fitted it. Phoned the supplier and they said wang the connector and just push the flexible hose directly onto the back of the tap - its a bit tight but a little vaseline helps and a tight (sealed) fit is what your after anyhow.

I would check the back of the tap and the hose for leaks/splits and do away with the connector and pop the internal hose directlly onto the back of the tap - with the float used in the same way as before.

I can't think of any other reason you are getting through so much CO2 if you are not getting leaks from anywhere else - must be CO2 getting into the back of the tap (which shouldn't happen) - only beer shoud be pushed through the tap from the inside of the keg when you open the tap on the outside.