# Diy Keg Cleaner



## Kleiny (25/1/10)

I have just made a keg and fermenter cleaner / sanitiser

I made it out of bits and pieces i had laying around the house and shed.

Parts

1m copper 1/2 inch tube
1 x copper T
1 x 6mm barb thread to fit copper T
1 x fountain pump
1 x thread (to fit top of pump) to olive lock brass to suit 1/2 copper pipe
drill
solder
Liquid disconnect
6mm vinyl tubing

The riser





on the pump




in the bucket




Spray




keg




fermenter





all up cost me nothing as i had everything laying around and it does a great job i filled the bucket with 7.5L of water and 3 t spoons of PBW and let a keg that was crusty with yeast sit on it for 20min just recircing and it came off as clean as new. Can just haveit running while im doing other things, doesn't waste water and can clean multiple kegs easily.

Kleiny


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## Leigh (25/1/10)

Would you take $30?

Brilliant job mate! I am impressed at its simplicity.


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## brendo (25/1/10)

top work Trav!!


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## KHB (25/1/10)

What size pump did you use??


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## Kleiny (25/1/10)

Leigh: no sale for $30

KHB: the pump must have come from the big green shed when i worked there many years ago as a return that i fixed up but it is a HYDOR Seltz L30 with a max head of 1.95m at 1200 l/h.

Thanks 
Kleiny


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## MarkBastard (25/1/10)

That is awesome!


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## gava (15/2/10)

Im so doing that! 

nice work trav..


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## gjhansford (15/2/10)

Great invention ... but doesn't the gunk drain into the bucket and get resprayed up into the keg? Or do you remove all of the gunk first?

You could modify the upright into a "L" shaped bit and have a drain bucket separate from the clean water supply bucket. Just a thought.

:icon_cheers: ghhb


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## gava (15/2/10)

could put a filter on the pond pump?? not sure but my pump i use for my chiller has a filter attached to the bottom of it.


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## amiddler (15/2/10)

Nice work. 

Question: The beer disconnect, does this get attached to the keg beer out post to wash out the pick up tube, or does it serve a different purpose?

Drew


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## sav (15/2/10)

Drew said:


> Nice work.
> 
> Question: The beer disconnect, does this get attached to the keg beer out post to wash out the pick up tube, or does it serve a different purpose?
> 
> Drew



I am guessing thats what it does I just saw this tread and just knocked 1 up not as flash but she will do


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## sav (15/2/10)

The pond pump is in the bucket,I dindt have a t peice for the dip tube so I used my john guest fitting drilled a few holes in the copper works a treat.


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## Kleiny (15/2/10)

ghhb said:


> Great invention ... but doesn't the gunk drain into the bucket and get resprayed up into the keg? Or do you remove all of the gunk first?
> 
> You could modify the upright into a "L" shaped bit and have a drain bucket separate from the clean water supply bucket. Just a thought.
> 
> :icon_cheers: ghhb






gava said:


> could put a filter on the pond pump?? not sure but my pump i use for my chiller has a filter attached to the bottom of it.



Pump already has a filter on it, but i do give it a quick squirt with the hose first to take excess gunk out



Drew said:


> Nice work.
> 
> Question: The beer disconnect, does this get attached to the keg beer out post to wash out the pick up tube, or does it serve a different purpose?
> 
> Drew



Yep on the beer out post just to clean the inside of the tube

Nice work SAV on your cleaner, keep up the brewinventions guys

Kleiny


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## gava (23/3/10)

trav,

Im going to make one of theses, Im just searching ebay for a cheap pond pump.. .what Litre/hour is your pump? 

-gav



Kleiny said:


> Pump already has a filter on it, but i do give it a quick squirt with the hose first to take excess gunk out
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## QldKev (23/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> Leigh: no sale for $30
> 
> KHB: the pump must have come from the big green shed when i worked there many years ago as a return that i fixed up but it is a HYDOR Seltz L30 with a max head of 1.95m at 1200 l/h.
> 
> ...






gava said:


> trav,
> 
> Im going to make one of theses, Im just searching ebay for a cheap pond pump.. .what Litre/hour is your pump?
> 
> -gav



I'm guessing HYDOR Seltz L30 with a max head of 1.95m at 1200 l/h.


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## gava (23/3/10)

cheers.. next time I guess I should read it correctly.


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## Kleiny (23/3/10)

Gav got the home invention bug going.

Kleiny


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## QldKev (23/3/10)

gava said:


> cheers.. next time I guess I should read it correctly.




lol, I fogot to add the smiley face :beerbang: 

QldKev


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## gava (23/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> Gav got the home invention bug going.
> 
> Kleiny



Sick of cleaning Kegs and Vats... Did a brew last friday and forgot to get the vat out to clean until I was chilling.. I'd rather a set and forget solution  im a lazy man at heart..


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## MarkBastard (23/3/10)

I have an idea I wanna run by you capable chaps and thought it better not to make a new thread.

You know those hose attachments you can get where you put some detergent in them and the hose automatically picks up a bit of the detergent and mixes it inline? They're used to clean cars and I think you can get attachments like that to add fertiliser and seasol to your garden.

What I was thinking was it'd be good to make something like the above, but without the need for the pump. Just a hose attachment. The hard part would be finding a good cleaner that works with cold water.

The best part though would be that you could put the right amount of cleaner in so there's enough to just do the job, and then once it runs out it just starts spraying straight water and thus automatically going into a rinse cycle.

So all you'd have to do is fill up the canister with cleaner, hook the system up to the tap, and then turn on the tap and come back x minutes later.


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## QldKev (23/3/10)

Here's the cleaners I use.





The left one is using a small pump to re-circ the PBW cleaner. I only use this one if I have left crap to dry in the keg.

The one on the right is just a water wash. Unclip the fittings from the pump and clip it onto a hose. I use this one often. I find by the time the water starts to overflow the keg is clean. 

QldKev


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## QldKev (23/3/10)

We all need one of these 

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...st&p=486715

QldKev


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## gava (23/3/10)

Im sure that would work but I think the idea with the bucket and pump is to use minimal amount of water. 

With the bucket system you could just leave it go and you can come back whenever and you still use the same amount. With the setup your talking about it could use a lot of water if you forgot you were doing it. In a brew day that can happen  

I haven't used the inline feeders your talking about so I wouldn't know.. 

Personally I'm going to go the bucket route due to using minimal amount of water for max results... I can always to a first pass with kegs and vats I want with the some PBW then do a second pass with water in the bucket..

edit:spelling



Mark^Bastard said:


> I have an idea I wanna run by you capable chaps and thought it better not to make a new thread.
> 
> You know those hose attachments you can get where you put some detergent in them and the hose automatically picks up a bit of the detergent and mixes it inline? They're used to clean cars and I think you can get attachments like that to add fertiliser and seasol to your garden.
> 
> ...


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## MarkBastard (23/3/10)

True gava, it'd definitely be a matter of paying for a pump vs wasting water.


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## gava (23/3/10)

trav is your 1200 L/T plenty enough? Do you think I'd get away with a 450~ l/t pump?


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## Thorby (26/3/10)

Just bought a bildge pump from Super Cheap Auto, $25.98 1200 l/p/m and does a great job so no need for a pond pump.


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## MarkBastard (26/3/10)

Thorby said:


> Just bought a bildge pump from Super Cheap Auto, $25.98 1200 l/p/m and does a great job so no need for a pond pump.



Got any details / photos?

Do you have to submerge it?


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## Thorby (26/3/10)

Thorby said:


> Just bought a bildge pump from Super Cheap Auto, $25.98 1200 l/p/m and does a great job so no need for a pond pump.



Does submerge same as a pond pump...will get some pics tomorrow.


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## Kleiny (26/3/10)

gava said:


> trav is your 1200 L/T plenty enough? Do you think I'd get away with a 450~ l/t pump?



Gav 

What was the max head on the pump it doesn't really matter about the flow (but more is probably better) as long as the max head is below the height you want to pump.


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## Uncle Fester (26/3/10)

Thorby said:


> Just bought a bildge pump from Super Cheap Auto, $25.98 1200 l/p/m and does a great job so no need for a pond pump.



Do you think this would be ok to use as a glycol pump for a flooded font? Is it in-line?


Fester


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## gava (29/5/10)

made one of theses today.. works a treat!!

cheers for the idea.


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