Beer Line Cleaning

[Steve SPF]

So I have a kegerator/Heath Robinson thingy plus a portable unit and need to clean the beer lines. I have a social club too and there we don't give it a second thought, just clean them with the nasty caustic solution and rinse them through but we have dedicated cleaning bottles and gas assisted pumps down there so no problem.

With my stuff I really don't want to introduce caustic to one of my precious corny kegs if I can avoid it but can't see how else I'm going to push cleaning fluid through the system.

Any creative cleaning systems here?

 

[thunderwagn]

Five Star, the makers of Star San, have a beer stone remover product that works great. I usually start with a regular cleaning, with oxy or pbw, then the beer stone remover, then star san. Works great.

 

[Mase]

I use a product called BLC (beer line cleaner). Not much of an original name, but I recirculate it with my keg cleaning pump and a growler filler, then rinse it well with water afterwards. Admittedly, I tried cleaning my lines last month a got most of the crud out, but some remained, so I just replaced the line. Having a lot of dark beers makes it hard to tell when the lines are ready for a good cleaning or replacement.

link to beer line cleaner solution: https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/beer-line-cleaner

 

[GFHomebrew]

I use a pump sprayer with a carb cap stuck on the end . Not a good pick but you can push cleaner through anything beer related then without using co2.

 

[Steve SPF]

I use a pump sprayer with a carb cap stuck on the end . Not a good pick but you can push cleaner through anything beer related then without using co2.

That's a clever solution right there. Maybe that's the right idea for me. Not using CO2 would be a bonus.

 

[Group W]

idk, so many good ways to get er done. I just rinse out the empty keg, put a gallon of hot tap water and PBW in it. Run that through the tap with a little CO2 then a gallon of rinse water and presto, all is good.

 

[BOB357]

I do the same as Group W, but with Oxyclean Free. Every 3 months or so, after the rinse, I run a Citric acid solution through followed by another rinse. I use vinyl beer lines and replace them every year.

 

[Craigerrr]

X3
I have two taps, bought 100' box of tubing, dirt cheap, have enough to last for years atm

 

[BOB357]

Thinking or just buying a roll. I use 30' between the 3 taps.

 

[Mase]

Sliding the hose over the barbs, even with soaking the beer line in hot water is a pain.

 

[BOB357]

Getting the line on is easy. What's hard is cutting the old off without scoring the barbs.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Getting the line on is easy. What's hard is cutting the old off without scoring the barbs.

Stanley knife back towards the disconnect .
I cut the line first.

@Mase I got two words due tight fittings and MFL threaded disconnects. See pick above that's not a duotight fitting though but similar. Push the collar in to release the hose when fitting push it home then give the hose a good tug to seat it.

 

[Steve SPF]

X3
I have two taps, bought 100' box of tubing, dirt cheap, have enough to last for years atm

Got to say that this occurred to me too because I can get beer line pretty much for free. Throwing all that plastic away doesn't sit well with my sustainability aspirations but it is tempting

 

[thunderwagn]

I do want to set up a little hand pump like @Trialben has.

 

[GFHomebrew]

It's a goer.

 

[Hopfunk]

I personally don’t think a 3% solution of caustic would harm your corny keg or future brews. Just make sure to rinse with water and push through the out tube on your corny

 

[Steve SPF]

I personally don’t think a 3% solution of caustic would harm your corny keg or future brews. Just make sure to rinse with water and push through the out tube on your corny

I don't think it would either, it's just a nasty product that I'm always cautious around

 

[Hopfunk]

I don't think it would either, it's just a nasty product that I'm always cautious around

I see what you mean. Pbw and war, water should work fine for you as well.

 

[coreyman]

So I don't have a fancy setup. I've been using a picnic tap and just running hot water mixed with starsan through my keg and line. The line is getting noticeably dingier from running dark beers through it, is that something caustic cleaner would help with?

 

[bob@robertgarner.com]

I ended up having to replace the two lines to my kegerator tower
What a pain that was