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Beerdroid Issues


Shane McDonnell

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I have had 3 BeerDroids which has had this issue so I guess I have been really unlucky.

It has been a bit frustrating but the BrewArt service and support has been great each time and they replaced them all very quickly.

The main disappointment for me was the downtime in brewing while waiting for the replacement so I have only managed to complete 4 brews so far.

I am due to receive my 4th BeerDroid this week so I'm really hoping that I have better luck with this one and have no issues.

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4th Droid?

Not sure about unlucky, sounds like a production issue that needs to be addressed.

I'm sure that there is serious discussions with the manufacturer as  this appears to be a repeat fault that is causing angst amongst the purchasers and giving the system a bad reputation.

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Yeah I think there may have been a bad batch.

From what I have heard it is not a common problem as there have only been a dozen or so cases of this happening.

It's one of those things that happens sometimes, just look at a certain phone that was recalled recently due to cases of them exploding so I don't think this problem is as bad as that.

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  • 2 weeks later...
10 hours ago, Duffman said:

Yikes - what do you use to clean your tap, Pursya?

At the moment nothing but a wipe down externally.

Internally, just the Droid Cleanse tablet.

Brewart are sending me a replacement, which of course is appreciated.

I hope there is plenty of profit in the Droid/Beerflow/Brewprints, because it sounds like they have to do an awful lot of replacements parts/hardware.

There is now another thread on  the forum about the durability of the tap. Looks like the best solution is to abandon the plastic tap and supply a solid metal version.

Will be interesting to see the solution to these issues.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have found that my tape has shed its chrome finish in the same place. I too have only done an external wipe down.   I have done around 10 brews all being ales and all fermenting at 17 degC.  The current brew is a lager (thought a change would be nice) fermenting at 12 degC and the ambient temp in the room has been over 25 degC for the last week.  I wonder if the difference in internal to external temp is causing the shedding issue.  I also noticed for the first time that there was some condensation on the tape, which has never happened before.  Figure the chrome to plastic bond is just weak.

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Stephen, Your tap's silver external coating delamination is identical to my previous experience.  I have also only completed one lager brew (out of a total of 8 so far) under very similar ambient temp conditions.  It to produced some condensation around the tap which I considered normal given the much lower fermination (12 degree) temp for lager.  For what it is worth I don't think the lower lager fermentation temp has anything to do with the tap shedding its external silver coating.  In my view the tap is under engineered for its long term purpose.  However, the tap's external coating does not affect the taste of my beer!!!?

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Looks like an endemic problem.

And no doubt there has only been one batch produced so it's not going to go away.

The word I got when asking for a replacement part on another issue, my fault not BrewArts, is that the company is happy to simply replace at this stage as every machine is under warranty.

The problem for us consumers is what happens when warranty expires?

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As Big Pop said even with the chrome coating coming off the function of the machine and taste of the beer is unchanged.  I will continue to use the tap as it is not causing any problems.  Pursya does raise a good point hopeful the Brewart team are working on a more robust tap design, as there seems to be a few issues coming up on the chat boards.

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You are correct Stephen.

The issue does not affect the product coming through its pipe.

But the machine is not cheap and is marketed as a premium product.

Mine failed its coating in under three brews. 6 weeks, and I'm being generous.

The biggest issue in my mind is that there are several teething issues across the two hardware units that need addressing. Question remains, how invested are Coopers in continuing the system and the supplies, if the problems start to cost more than the profit margin?

I'm hoping the company is fully invested, and that also needs the buying public to continue to buy the hardware and invest in the prints/accessories.

Profit is king and if the product gets poor reviews the buying public will not take up the system. These niggles need to be fixed in V2 of the hardware, and hopefully the fixes are retrofitted to the V1's.

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I'm on my 8th brew since September/October and have had no issues with droid or tap. I've only removed the tap once, after about the 2nd brew, and am reluctant to do so in case of damage. I only use the issued sanitiser with an external wipe down. I hope the gear holds up as I've ramped up production.

I'm no expert but to me the beer has been very good. Onto my 2nd keg with the BeerFlow (I seem to get a much better head than the bottles) for which I'm developing feelings beyond mere tenderness!

Paddy

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Unfortunately my beerdroid tap has given up after 8 brewprints.  I was fortunate that it occurred during sanitisation and not during kegging (Mountain Range IPA) earlier this evening.  The failure occurred releasing sanitised water through the tap in the normal manner when the tap top broke off in my hand.  I have only carefully dismantled and reassembled the tap for cleaning after the last 3 or 4 brews.  The BrewArt Team has been advised via the homepage contact facility.

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They'll get you a replacement tap. Hopefully by express mail so you can get brewing again asap.

I have been nothing but amazed by the after sales service of BrewArt. And as someone who was extremely upset after my Droid failed after 4 hours of operation, the way BrewArt have responded to that major issue, and every little issue since, has made a convert of me,

There are some quality issues, no doubt. And I'm hoping there is a team working on these issues for a permanent solution.

Thats the risk you take with the first model of any production unit, in any industry.

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Thanks to Iain at the BrewArt Team for sending me a replacement tap for my beerdroid.  Actually he sent me two replacements, at my request for when it very likely fails again.  First class customer service form Iain and the BrewArt Team once again. ?

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