Is an Intertap Stainless Steel Faucet Worth It for a Home Draft or Kegerator Setup?

An intertap stainless steel faucet is a forward-sealing draft beer tap built entirely from 304-grade stainless steel, designed to seal at the front of the spout instead of deep inside the body like a traditional rear-sealing faucet. That single design change is the whole reason people upgrade to it: no beer sits trapped inside the faucet between pours, so it doesn’t gum up, stick shut, or grow the sticky residue that ruins the first pour of the day. If you run a kegerator, keezer, or jockey box at home and you’re tired of a faucet that sticks or tastes off, this is the tap most homebrewers reach for.

Below I’ll walk through exactly how it works, whether stainless actually matters, how it stacks up against Perlick and cheap chrome faucets, what the screw-on attachments do, and how to install and clean one — the way I’d explain it to a friend setting up their first keezer.

What exactly is a « forward-sealing » faucet, and why does it matter?

A forward-sealing faucet seals the beer right at the tip of the spout with a small internal shuttle, so no liquid stays behind in the faucet body after you close the handle. That’s the opposite of a standard rear-sealing faucet, where the shut-off happens at the back and a slug of beer sits inside the spout between pours — drying out, oxidizing, and gluing the lever in place overnight.

Why you should care: that trapped beer is exactly what causes three of the most common draft complaints. First, the « stuck faucet » every morning where you have to yank the handle. Second, the sour or stale taste in that first ounce. Third, fruit flies and sticky buildup around the spout. Because an Intertap seals forward, the spout drains empty every time, so the faucet stays clean, moves smoothly, and pours the same first thing in the morning as it did last night.

The Intertap does this with a stainless steel plunger and a food-grade seal, and the handle can be reversed to open with a push instead of a pull — handy if your tower sits tight against a wall or backsplash. It’s the same core benefit Perlick made famous, just at a lower price point.

Does the stainless steel actually matter, or is it marketing?

It genuinely matters. 304 stainless steel is non-reactive, doesn’t corrode, and won’t flake the way chrome plating over pot metal (zinc alloy) eventually does. On a cheap chrome faucet, once that thin chrome layer chips — usually right at the spout where you brush it cleaning — the base metal underneath oxidizes and can leach a faint metallic taste into your beer. Stainless has no plating to lose.

There’s also a hygiene angle that’s easy to overlook. Beer is mildly acidic, and it sits in contact with the faucet’s internals constantly. Stainless is the same material used for commercial brewery fittings and the reason serious kitchen and bar hardware trends toward it — the same logic behind choosing a heavy-duty stainless setup like a commercial kitchen faucet 8 inch rig over a lightweight residential one: the material shrugs off constant use, aggressive cleaning, and years of moisture without pitting or plating failure.

Chrome-plated faucets aren’t dangerous — millions of people pour through them fine. But if you plan to keep this faucet for years, or you’re sensitive to off-flavors, stainless removes an entire category of problems for about $15–$20 more. That’s the trade in one sentence.

Intertap vs Perlick vs a cheap chrome faucet — which should you buy?

Buy the Intertap if you want forward-sealing stainless performance without paying the Perlick premium; buy Perlick if you want the long-standing industry standard and don’t mind spending more; buy a chrome creamer faucet only if you’re on the tightest possible budget and pour often enough that beer never sits. For the large majority of home setups, the Intertap hits the value sweet spot.

The tie-breaker for a lot of buyers is the attachment system, which Perlick’s sealed body doesn’t offer. If you want to pour a nitro stout and fill growlers from the same faucet, the Intertap does both by simply unscrewing the spout — more on that next.

What do the screw-on attachments do, and which do I actually need?

The front of an Intertap unscrews, letting you swap the standard spout for purpose-built attachments — and this modularity is the feature that wins people over. You don’t need all of them; you buy the one that matches how you pour. Here’s what each does:

• Standard spout — comes on the faucet; fine for everyday ales, lagers, and CO2-carbonated beer.
• Stout spout (with restrictor plate) — creates the turbulence that produces the tight cascading head on nitro stouts and hard seltzers on nitro. Essential if you run nitrogen.
• Growler / bottle filler attachment — a long tube that fills growlers and bottles from the bottom up, minimizing foam and oxygen pickup for beer you’re taking to go.
• Ball-lock plug cap — screws on to seal the faucet completely for storage, transport, or to keep bugs out when a tap sits unused.
• Flow control version — a separate Intertap model with a rear screw that throttles flow, letting you dial in pour speed for over-carbonated kegs or long beer lines without changing pressure.

My honest advice: start with just the faucet and the standard spout. Add the stout spout only if you go nitro, and the growler filler only if you actually fill growlers. The flow-control model is worth it if you fight foamy pours and don’t want to re-balance your line length every time.

How do I install an Intertap faucet on my kegerator?

Installation takes about ten minutes and no special skill: the faucet screws onto a standard US shank with a faucet wrench, exactly like any other North American draft faucet, so it’s a direct swap for whatever tap you have now. The Intertap uses the standard 5/8″ faucet-to-shank thread, so it fits the vast majority of home towers and shank kits sold in the US.

1. Shut off gas and relieve pressure, then disconnect and remove your old faucet with a faucet wrench (turn counter-clockwise from the front).
2. Check the faucet washer inside the shank collar — replace it if it’s flattened or torn; a bad washer here is a classic source of a slow drip.
3. Thread the Intertap onto the shank by hand, then snug it about a quarter-turn with the wrench. Don’t gorilla it — stainless threads seat firmly without heavy force.
4. Reattach the handle (and reverse the internal cam first if you want push-to-open).
5. Restore pressure and test-pour. Watch the seal at the collar for weeping.

Where people get tripped up is the connection behind the shank, not the faucet itself — matching beer-line barbs, tailpieces, and thread standards. If you’re building or rebuilding the plumbing side and aren’t sure what mates with what, it’s worth understanding the basics of how these connections are sized and sealed, the same way you’d double-check a faucet supply line thread type before tightening anything down — a cross-threaded or mismatched fitting is the number-one cause of a mystery leak.

How do I clean and maintain a stainless Intertap so it lasts?

Clean it the same way you’d clean any draft faucet — run line cleaner every 2–4 weeks — but the Intertap makes deep-cleaning easier because it fully disassembles by hand, and the forward seal means far less residue builds up in the first place. That’s the maintenance payoff of the design.

A simple routine that keeps it pouring like new:

• Every couple of weeks: run a beer-line cleaning solution through the faucet with a cleaning kit, then flush with water.
• Monthly or when swapping kegs: unscrew the spout, pull the plunger and spring, and soak the parts in cleaner. A soft brush clears any film.
• Every few months: inspect the internal seal and O-rings; Intertap sells cheap replacement seal kits, so you’re never forced to buy a whole new faucet over a worn gasket.

Because it’s stainless, you don’t have to baby the finish the way you would chrome — no worrying about scrubbing through a plated layer. And if a faucet ever starts weeping or dripping between pours, don’t ignore it; a persistent drip on any tap usually points to a tired seal or washer rather than the faucet being « worn out, » the same principle covered in why the meaning of a dripping faucet is almost always a cheap, replaceable part rather than a reason to scrap the whole fixture.

Who is the Intertap NOT the right choice for?

Skip it if you pour constantly at high volume in a commercial bar that’s standardized on a specific faucet, or if you want a truly no-maintenance sealed unit and money is no object — in those cases a shop may prefer Perlick for parts consistency. It’s also overkill if you have a single low-use tap that you pour dry within a day or two, where a basic faucet would rarely stick anyway.

But for the classic scenario — a home kegerator or keezer with one to four taps, mixed styles, and pours spread across a week — the Intertap is close to ideal. It gives you forward-sealing stainless performance, attachment versatility, and easy cleaning at a price that leaves budget for the rest of your build.

FAQ

Is the Intertap faucet actually stainless steel or just coated?

The stainless model is solid 304 stainless steel throughout the wetted parts, not a plated coating. Intertap also sells other finishes (like PVD-coated black or brass-look versions) built on the same stainless core, so if you want the raw stainless, buy the model specifically labeled « stainless steel. »

Will an Intertap fit my existing kegerator shank?

In almost all cases, yes. It uses the standard North American 5/8″ faucet-to-shank thread, so it’s a direct replacement for a standard chrome or Perlick-style faucet on US towers and shank kits. If you have an unusual European (e.g., some Guinness/UK) system, confirm the thread standard first.

Do I need the flow control version?

Only if you regularly fight foamy pours from over-carbonated kegs or long beer lines. The standard Intertap pours perfectly when your system is balanced. The flow-control model adds a screw that throttles the pour so you can fix foam without re-cutting beer lines or dropping pressure.

Why does my Intertap still stick a little?

A forward-sealing faucet greatly reduces sticking but doesn’t eliminate cleaning. If it’s getting sticky, you’re overdue for a line/faucet clean, or the internal seal needs a fresh coat of food-grade keg lube. Disassemble the spout, clean the plunger and spring, and it should move freely again.

Is it worth paying more for Intertap over a $15 chrome faucet?

For most people, yes. The extra $20–$35 buys you no stuck handles, no stale first pour, no plating to chip, and swappable attachments. If you pour often and want it to last years without off-flavors, the stainless forward-sealing design pays for itself in cleaner beer and less hassle.

Can I use an Intertap for nitro beer or cold brew coffee?

Yes — with the stout spout attachment. Screw on the stout spout with its restrictor plate and the faucet produces the tight, creamy cascade nitro stouts and nitro cold brew are known for. It’s one of the biggest reasons people choose Intertap over a fixed-spout faucet.

About the author: This guide was written by the arcorarobinet fixtures team, drawing on hands-on testing of forward-sealing and rear-sealing faucets across home kegerator and draft setups. We evaluate taps on seal design, material grade, pour quality, and long-term durability rather than spec sheets alone.

Why trust arcorarobinet: We’re a dedicated faucet and fixtures retailer, and every faucet we recommend is judged against real-world use — corrosion resistance, food-grade seal materials, and serviceability. Look for faucets built from 304 stainless steel with readily available replacement seal kits and a manufacturer warranty; those three signals separate a tap you’ll keep for years from one you’ll be replacing next season.