Keg Cleaning

[Yontsey]

Haven't brewed in about a month but finally just kicked the two home-brews I have on keg. I find cleaning kegs very annoying. Just ordered the SS Brewtech Keg cleaning system. Anyone have experience with this? Looks pretty slick. I feel this can do a better job then I can with scrubbing and taking things apart. The one corny I have I couldn't get the liquid dip tube off so I've just been force cleaning through the lock.

Need to get another brew session in soon but life has been in the way lately. Just picked up a keg of a double NEIPA from my favorite local brewery, Masthead (Cleveland, OH), last night so that will tide us over for awhile.

 

[Sandy Feet]

A little PB and hot water doesn't take much time. I experimented with recarbing the keg just to a minimum PSI a couple of times during the last session. I ran the cleaner through the lines the first time and the sanitizer the second. I made the mistake of taking apart the liquid line before and not tightening it enough. I only did that once and learned my lesson.
Hot water, wipey, wipey, shakey, shakey, flushy, flushy.
Done LOL.

 

[Minbari]

I use a cip nozzle in a water tub. 1000w heater gets the water hot. Add pbw, Invert the keg and let it go for 20 minutes.

After that, put 2 gallons of the water in the keg and use a pump to circulate the cleaner through the posts.

Always comes out sparkling

 

[Donoroto]

Haven't brewed in about a month but finally just kicked the two home-brews I have on keg. I find cleaning kegs very annoying. Just ordered the SS Brewtech Keg cleaning system. Anyone have experience with this? Looks pretty slick. I feel this can do a better job then I can with scrubbing and taking things apart. The one corny I have I couldn't get the liquid dip tube off so I've just been force cleaning through the lock.

Need to get another brew session in soon but life has been in the way lately. Just picked up a keg of a double NEIPA from my favorite local brewery, Masthead (Cleveland, OH), last night so that will tide us over for awhile.

Hunh. I clean my kegs with (clear) dishwashing soap and a long bottle brush. After a good hot water rinse, I scrub with the brush, then hot rinse thoroughly. The pipes, posts and fittings get hand-washed too. Reassemble with keg lube, Add a gallon of starsan, pressurize and done.

For that dip tube, try pushing it out from inside, wobbling it a bit. But before you do, have a spare O-ring, as the one in there is probably square by now. It can't be completely cleaned without removing it.

 

[Minbari]

Hunh. I clean my kegs with (clear) dishwashing soap and a long bottle brush. After a good hot water rinse, I scrub with the brush, then hot rinse thoroughly. The pipes, posts and fittings get hand-washed too. Reassemble with keg lube, Add a gallon of starsan, pressurize and done.

For that dip tube, try pushing it out from inside, wobbling it a bit. But before you do, have a spare O-ring, as the one in there is probably square by now. It can't be completely cleaned without removing it.

I have never disassembled the posts in 2 years, lol. I just force pbw through both posts with a high pressure pump. 60psi cleaner works wonders

 

[Donoroto]

I have never disassembled the posts in 2 years, lol. I just force pbw through both posts with a high pressure pump. 60psi cleaner works wonders

Yeah, but I always worry about them tiny little cracks where the edge of the gasket meets sealing surface. Gotta be a microbe in there somewhere. Maybe.

 

[Brewer #435783]

It doesn't take long to dissolve PB in hot water. I tried recarbing the keg to a minimum PSI twice during the last session, first with cleaner and then with sanitizer. I should have tightened the liquid line more thoroughly the first time I took it apart, but I only made that mistake once.

basketball stars​

 

[Craigerrr]

First I add some hot water to the keg, close it up, and give it a good shake. Then I have a dedicated hose that I connect from my laundry type faucet to the liquid post. I run hot water, tap full open with the keg upside down in the sink. If there is anything visible in the keg, I will give that a scrub. Next I add PBW to the keg then fill it to the tippy top with hot water through the liquid post. After leaving it sit for 15 to 20 minutes I use Co2 to push the cleaning solution to the next keg to be cleaned (yes, I will save dirty kegs to do at least 2, usually 3 at a time). This step pushes 19L of PBW solution through the liquid post on the first and the second keg. Next is a thorough rinsing. Next I fill with starsan solution, I have a spare keg that I keep filled with starsan. Afterfilling it with starsan to overflowing. Once filled I then use Co2 to push the starsan either back into the spare keg or into the next keg that has been cleaned and rinsed. This leaves me with cleaned, sanitized Co2 filled kegs ready to accept beer by closed transfer.
It seems like an elaborate process but it really isn't, especially when doing multiple kegs.
I should note that I never get any "debris" in my kegs, I use a floating pick up tube in the fermenter and pressure transfer from there to the keg.