Cleaning kegerator lines

[JS]

Good info, thanks again!

Oxyclean does well on lots of brewery cleaning, but doesn't do very well at dissolving beer stone which is commonly found in beer lines. To be honest, I have used it to clean lines and faucets for some time without issue. I do let it soak for 15 minutes or so and then run more through and repeat until the output runs clear. Sometimes 4 or 5 times. The beer stone seems to form deposits where the lines go into the shanks. I cut off the discolored last few inches of the lines every 6 months or so and replace every couple of years.

Ironically, I have a quart of BLC that's been sitting for a couple of years and really should be using it. The main reason I have been using the oxyclean is that's what I use to clean kegs. Since it's in a keg it's easy to hook up to the CO2 and run through the lines. Quite simply, I'm lazy.
It would probably be best to use PBW for keg and line cleaning and the Oxyclean for everything else to save a few bucks. Since I just replaced all of my lines I'll probably start doing that as soon as the BLC is used up.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

yes I use BLC for cleaning lines, PBW for cleaning kegs, brew pots and hoses and star-sans for last minute sanitizing for everything, it's just a ritual for me

 

[JS]

I ordered a tub of KegWorks no-rinse beverage system cleaner and got to work. I re-tasked my Blichman QuickCarb and sourced a 1/4 MFL to 1/4 MFL adapter to hook up the keg line. I'll run each line through the pump for 20 min.

As an aside, the Blichman Quickcarb is a great piece of gear for kegging. After I keg I pressurize with CO2, chill for a day, and then run the QuickCarb. The beer is carbonated perfectly after 45 min, ready to drink. Turns out it doubles as a great pump for cleaning keg lines.

Thanks for the heads up on line cleaning...