# Keg Cleaning



## joeoz1 (16/9/08)

Inquiring if i can use pink stain remover for cleaning my kegs


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## KGB (16/9/08)

Yep, but its not a good idea to leave it in there for extended periods as it can pit the surface of the stainless steel.


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## Green Iguana (16/9/08)

joeoz said:


> Inquiring if i can use pink stain remover for cleaning my kegs



Yes, limit exposure though as it's chlorine based. 

Green Iguana


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## mckenry (16/9/08)

I hate caustics with my SS :angry: . I only ever use boiling water, shake a few times, sit upside down, sit for 10-15mins, then run through the lines/tap. If the boiling water doesnt remove all the scale, use elbow grease. Bleach, Neo Pink etc etc have their place - their place is not with my SS


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## Carbonator (16/9/08)

joeoz said:


> Inquiring if i can use pink stain remover for cleaning my kegs



Your keg must be *"physically"* clean before you start

1 To clean the keg, use* caustic soda* or non fragrant automatic dishwasher detergent making sure to read and observe all safety instructions.
2 Do not use sodium met (SO2) as this will permanently damage all stainless steel components.
3 After cleaning keg, rinse entire keg and keg parts in hot water then drain.
4 To sterilise your keg, you can use any brew shop's powder or liquid sterilising agents as long as they do not contain sodium met. Please follow the instructions.

I use pure Iodophores myself to sterilise my kegs, - 1.2ml per litre of water and contact must be for at least 60 seconds to sterilise correctly.

City tap water contains Sodium, leave it in your keg or under the rubber seals at your own peril! I will post pictures of a keg with corrosion pits from a drop of tap water left under a seal while it was being assembled if I remember later.


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## buttersd70 (16/9/08)

Acid based cleaners are best (as acid is used to de nucleate ss impurities). But alkali cleaners are fine as long as contact time is limited, and they are rinsed. And there is no pitting in the steel to start with.

Edit: pink stain is the one thing I use other than acidulated bleach at pH6, and have never had a problem. It's a matter of being sensible.


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## dre (16/9/08)

I've been using sodium percarbonate to soak my kegs (days-weeks) between use.

Will it pit my cornys if left in for too long?


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## peas_and_corn (16/9/08)

I rinse all my kegs immediately after emptying with napisan (the tight-ass sodium percarbonate), and that does it nicely.


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## joeoz1 (16/9/08)

Cheers thanks for the help guys


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## Carbonator (16/9/08)

dre said:


> I've been using sodium percarbonate to soak my kegs (days-weeks) between use.
> 
> Will it pit my cornys if left in for too long?


It all depends on the right mix of sodium, air, water, time, scratches.

Just be sure to dry everything when assembling and storing. Use of Beer grease or Vaso should be OK to lubricate seals.

I have seen kegs pitted next to welds (pin holes) as well as pitted plug seal faces and the plugs themselves.

I had a quick look through the remaining kegs and plugs I have to take a picture, but must have scrapped the corroded units when I moved interstate.


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## gregs (17/9/08)

joeoz said:


> Inquiring if i can use pink stain remover for cleaning my kegs




Look I've been reading theses blogs for over 12 months and after brewing for over 15 years, can't for the life of me see why people put so mutch trust in the readings. I've used pink stain remover in my kegs for the past 3 years to no ill effects.


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## Carbonator (17/9/08)

No matter what any "Home Brew", "Mealroom expert", "Shop owner", "web blog", "girl next door","celebrity" or "big personality" has to say, sodium and stainless steel are a bad combination!

I found a tank plug that had been wet with city tap water when assembled into a keg. I just put a strong magnet to it to confirm it is not magnetic too. The keg was a write-off:


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## Carbonator (17/9/08)

Here is another example of SODIUM corrosion I found.

City tap water left in product line, corrosion from sodium evidence on left tank plug;


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## quadbox (17/9/08)

I use sodium percarbonate. Cleans it like nothing else I've tried, have never noticed any pitting or corrosion. Works bloody wonders with chromed-brass espresso machine group-heads too. Dont use it on anything aluminium, it corrodes the **** out of it very rapidly. Same applies to bare copper (and thus bare brass) or anything galvanised. It's also cheap as can be. 25kg sacks cost me $45, from a mate. I've seen them for $90 retail. Considering you use 40grams if that to soak a keg...

I dont leave them sitting for longer than six hours, and nor would I with pretty much any highly reactive chemical. Including chlorine.

soak them with the percarbonate solution for about three hours on each end, inspect them, swish a litre of iodophor about, seal, burp with co2 and store. Done.


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## quack.sawbones (30/5/12)

Sorry to stir up an old thread, but I hate things that are not correct :icon_offtopic: :
*
*


> Here is another example of SODIUM corrosion I found.
> 
> City tap water left in product line, corrosion from sodium evidence on left tank plug


*

*It is the CHLORIDE ions (or Fluoride in some places) in water that is generally responsible for that kind of corrosion, NOT Sodium. Stainless Steel kegs should be pretty resistant to most caustic line cleaners. Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) cleaners should work well in tearing through most biological material (including careless hands and eyes). Scale and "hard" residues need an acidic cleaner (they dissolve salts much better), but if you leave them to soak, it may start reacting with the steel, however it will take a while.


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