beer lines

[Keemju]

about to set up my first keg system. I am just wondering what everyone out there is cleaning their beer lines with? and how often?

 

[Grott]

I clean with sodium percarbonate and then sanitise with starsan.
Put solution in a pet bottle with carbonation cap, pressurise to 10psi, connect to beer line, open tap etc.

 

[Batz]

I clean with sodium percarbonate and then sanitise with starsan.
Put solution in a pet bottle with carbonation cap, pressurise to 10psi, connect to beer line, open tap etc.

You use the carbonation cap for both gas in and liquid out?

 

[unwrittenlaw]

Yeah it swings both ways

I run pink keg and line cleaner mixed with hot water thru twice from the keg. Then rinse with cold water using carbonation cap and bottle. Then run about 100ml of no rinse starsan thru from carb cap/bottle. That foams up nicely in the beer line and stays there until it's ready to be used next.

 

[Grott]

You use the carbonation cap for both gas in and liquid out?

Yes, as the cap allows both types of disconnects.

 

[malt junkie]

Pubs etc flush them nightly(or should flush with water nightly and clean weekly), but note they have sections of line that are not refrigerated. I do mine at keg change or if I realise the keg has been on for an extended time. Changing line for a pub etc is a pain and costly, for us not so expensive but still a bit of a pain, even with as little use as mine get I renew line about every two years. Of course this doesn't include upgrading keezers or adding Taps and other crazy stuff. (yes I NEED all 9 taps) if I had a flush manifold I'd flush at the end of each session.... hmm something else to build!!

 

[Keemju]

Thanks guys heaps of info and quick too. just had a look at one of those carb caps, looks like a useful bit of gear.

 

[GalBrew]

Pubs etc flush them nightly(or should flush with water nightly and clean weekly)

Ha! Not the pub near my house......I would say they never clean them. Pint of diacetyl anyone?

 

[malt junkie]

Ha! Not the pub near my house......I would say they never clean them. Pint of diacetyl anyone?

See you should have turned up to the opening on the weekend at The Foragers Drop, you could have watched Yob do it as he changed kegs.

Pernicious Weed!!!

...nuf said

ED: you live closer than me

 

[unwrittenlaw]

Carb cap is 20 bucks well spent

 

[Grott]

One of many suppliers

http://www.nationalhomebrew.com.au/beerkeggingother-carbonation-cap

 

[Batz]

One of many suppliers

http://www.nationalhomebrew.com.au/beerkeggingother-carbonation-cap

I have one of the blue plastic ones somewhere, never liked it for it's intended carbonation. Must dig it out now.

edit: ok perhaps not quite as suitable as the one linked.

 

[n87]

I have one of the blue plastic ones somewhere, never liked it for it's intended carbonation. Must dig it out now.

edit: ok perhaps not quite as suitable as the one linked.

I think the plastic ones only fit the gas disconnects.
You need to make sure you get one that is designed for counter pressure filling, or line cleaning so it will fit both.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Must get onto this too, my current process is squirting some hydrogen peroxide down the line with a squirty bottle and then flushing out (gravity) with some boiling water ... slow, tedious and the boiling water is somewhat dangerous. . Never had an infection though.

 

[Fro-Daddy]

Another vote for the metal cap, I put mine on an empty coke bottle, takes no time to clean them.

 

[Pnutapper]

Bracton Twin zero degree detergent. I clean after each keg. I pump it in with a detergent pump, then flush with water.

 

[///]

Ha! Not the pub near my house......I would say they never clean them. Pint of diacetyl anyone?

There's no pub with a long draw system that flushes with water nor can afford to take the waste. Harts has 75l of beer in the lines, called flow backs and a regular clean. Aside from the fact the lines would freeze due to a glycol tank at -2c

Aeris enzyme cleaner or the pink Andale caustic product works well. 2% caustic also works well, main thing is to do it fortnightly at least

 

[malt junkie]

There's no pub with a long draw system that flushes with water nor can afford to take the waste. Harts has 75l of beer in the lines, called flow backs and a regular clean. Aside from the fact the lines would freeze due to a glycol tank at -2c

Aeris enzyme cleaner or the pink Andale caustic product works well. 2% caustic also works well, main thing is to do it fortnightly at least

Pub south of Sydney, we use to: kill the chillers (ice banks no glycol), flowback, flush with water and then blow dry with Co2 nightly, I think the boss was a little anal about his lines.

 

[GalBrew]

There's no pub with a long draw system that flushes with water nor can afford to take the waste. Harts has 75l of beer in the lines, called flow backs and a regular clean. Aside from the fact the lines would freeze due to a glycol tank at -2c

Aeris enzyme cleaner or the pink Andale caustic product works well. 2% caustic also works well, main thing is to do it fortnightly at least

Well either way I don't go there anymore as every beer from every tap tastes like diacetyl. It's disgusting.

 

[koshari]

If your lines are fully refrigereted and not exposed to light you can go ages without cleaning provided you kerp beer in them and use them regulary. No way a pub with glycol system is flushing every night. And nor should they. Old temprite systems totally different story.