Cleaning Kegs

[Tim F]

I pulled out all my kegging gear today to get it going after a long break in the shed. Couple of observations:

• Pipe cleaners are excellent for getting gunk out of the QD barb!
• It is well worth cleaning out your beer QD and taps regularly. I pulled out solid chunks of moldy beer from every crack and crevice. It's not hard to pull QDs apart, they just have a spring and 2 little parts inside so worth the effort. Bronco taps are even easier, no parts inside!
• Did I mention the moldy chunks smelled like ass?
• Same for the beer post, that was choked with goo.
• I was going to swap to the stepless hose clamps that crimp closed but after seeing what was in my beer QD I think I will stick with the screw up clamps on the beer side so I can take the hose off easily and get to the beer QD and tap for cleaning.
• From now on I am going to flush all the lines out as soon as the keg is empty. I had to pump caustic through the beer line to get out the solidified beer.
• Karcher or similar pressure cleaners are excellent for getting goo out of the bottom of the keg after soaking (if your arm is too fat to get to the bottom of the keg)

Anyone else got cleaning tips?

 

[fergi]

PROBABLY IF YOU HAD CLEANED THEM BEFORE YOU PUT THEM AWAY YOU WOULDNT HAVE HAD ALL THAT GOO,oops caps on, anyway it just shows what can get into all your lines and connects,.

i always clean my kegs straight away and flush the lines after keg is empty,taps i pull off about once a month and soak them in soapy hot water and rinse them out,.
the taps seem to pull smoother too after they are cleaned.
fergi

 

[TasChris]

Karcher or similar pressure cleaners are excellent for getting goo out of the bottom of the keg after soaking (if your arm is too fat to get to the bottom of the keg)

I prefer to think of my arms as too "muscular".
Cheers
Chris

 

[fcmcg]

about once a month and soak them in soapy hot water and rinse them out,.
the taps seem to pull smoother too after they are cleaned.
fergi

I never let soapy water go any where near my kegs ( same for bottles ) it's oxyper , PBW or napisan only..and then iodopher ! I just think soapy water isn't strong enough to really clean ..
Mind you , I used to just use boiling water before I discovered AHB , nearly 4 years ago..lol
Cheers
Ferg

 

[Cocko]

:icon_offtopic:

Thank F&CK your sig pic has come down to a size that wont explode my download limit!

Good work!

Now go burp...

 

[fcmcg]

:icon_offtopic:

Thank F&CK your sig pic has come down to a size that wont explode my download limit!

Good work!

Now go burp...

Oh shoot..is it too big..I've had so many dramas trying to get it to work..