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Author Topic: Clogged dip tube?  (Read 4303 times)

Offline pointyskull

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Clogged dip tube?
« on: January 06, 2018, 10:42:11 am »
I kegged (ball lock corny) a DIPA about 7 days ago, and have been carbing at 12 psi (as I'm sharing a CO2 tank with some 'live' kegs). That has worked well for me before, just takes a bit longer to carb.

I sampled it last night, and while where was some carbonation the pour itself (out of a flow control Perlick) is a trickle, and the sample was pretty cloudy. I speculating a clogged drip tube and/or clogged poppet on the liquid out. I had just cleaned my tap lines the day before kegging, so they should be all clean.

I have an empty keg so I can sanitize/swap out the components, but my questions are:
- does that appear to be indicative of clogged drip tube and/or clogged poppet on the liquid out?
- if I were to swap parts, I assume I need to disconnect the C02 and purge the keg first?
- does that raise oxidation concerns?

I have read some folks suggesting to connect the CO2 in to the liquid out and attempt to blow out any possible clogs? Is that a viable option? If so, would I just disconnect the CO2 in and connect to the liquid out? Purge before this step?

Thanks in advance!
 

Offline Robert

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Re: Clogged dip tube?
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2018, 11:05:10 am »
If you try blowing gas in the liquid side, remember you need to put a liquid disconnect on the gas line. I'd also set psi a little higher (14?) to make sure the pressure in your keg doesn't back liquid up into the gas line when you attach it (paranoid maybe but who needs extra cleaning.) If you dry hopped, and there's a lot of sediment coming through,  I'd be thinking just like you are.  FWIW I have changed dip tubes on a live keg (release PRV, take off the post, swap for sanitized dip tube and replace post, which I had squirted with StarSan) and just assumed the oxygen exposure was insignificant through that tiny hole, and as soon as you pour a beer, the air in the post is gone!
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Online denny

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Re: Clogged dip tube?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2018, 11:07:39 am »
release pressure on keg, remove dip tube and clean it, sanitize and reinsert, repressurize keg.
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Offline pointyskull

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Re: Clogged dip tube?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2018, 07:20:33 am »
Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.

It was a clogged liquid out post/poppet (dip tube was clean fwiw)...