Cleaning Your Kegs System?

[SJW]

OK. So how do u clean your keg system? and what do u use?
I was thinking of, once the keg is empty just rinse with warm water. Then add a Pink Stain mix, about a litre, shake, maybe stand on its head for a while, then hit with a little Co2 and run thru the tap/taps then rinse. Then repeat with Iodophor and fill with beer.
Is there any fundamental errors in this that would cause a bang?

Steve

 

[dr K]

If the beer that came out was clean perhaps just a rinse!
Caustic Soda, I buy the Diggers brand cause its cheap, you need a fair bit..google it..but you can store the solution if you wish...just flush well.

K

 

[oldbugman]

What chemical is the pink stain stuff? remember you want to keep chlorine away from stainless(at least that's what I recall after a few beers)

 

[SJW]

Pink Stain is Chlorinated trisodium phosphate, they say it's similar to Napi-san? But I guess if u dont dry hop in the keg it should be pretty clean, I guess?

 

[big d]

Cellarman beer line cleaner works a treat.

Cheers
Big D

 

[Sammus]

dunno who said PSR is like napisan? doesn't sound right. I'd be too scared to used PSR on my kegs due to the whole chlorine thing.

When a kegs empty I disassemble, rinse all the bits, then drop them into the keg and fill it with 1/2 a cup of sodium percarbonate and hot water. I don't remove the post o-rings (ive buggered too many of em trying to take them off ). I Leave it to soak overnight, then rinse and lubricate all seals in the morning before putting it back together.

Every now and then Ill push a sodium percarb solution through all the beer lines and taps, leave it for as long as I can stand without beer, then push through water to rinse, then sanitiser. works a treat.

Once in a blue moon I disassemble the taps and do the same (soak in sodium percarb for a while, rinse then lube)

 

[cloudy]

hey SJW,

don't use pink stain on your kegs, apparently it's not good for them. use KGB from Mark. at least thats what he will recommend.

Cheers.

 

[Fents]

finish keg and rinse keg. fill keg with warm water and flush.

 

[therook]

Wasn't this discussed several times over the past month????????

I'll try and find the link

Rook

 

[SJW]

Wasn't this discussed several times over the past month????????

I'll try and find the link

Rook

I would say so, but this is not the easiest site to seach for old threads. :angry:
Any advice on doing searchs on old stuff

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Finish keg

Eventually get around to taking it out of the fridge

Rinse out contents

Mix in sodium percarbonate and 2 litres boiling water - seal and shake - leave for a little while - shake periodically

Rinse out sodium percarbonate

Mix up 500ml solution of idophor - into keg seal and shake

Leave in keg until beer is ready

Tip out idophor and fill with beer

I have a spray bottle with idophor solution that i give every thing a shot with when swapping QD's

Taps I occasionally pull apart - but not often at all

Also I have a keg of soda water which I flush the lines with occasionally

Cheers

 

[crozdog]

I would say so, but this is not the easiest site to seach for old threads. :angry:
Any advice on doing searchs on old stuff

Steve,

Agreed. just do an advanced google search which allows you to limit your search to 1 domain ie www.aussiehomebrewer.com. Too easy.

 

[frogman]

I use a product called TRICLEAN.

It is designed for beer line cleaning as well as manual/auto glass washing.
I also use it for cleaning all my fermenters and kegs.

I have cleaned 2 fermenters, 3 kegs and my beerlines with a 20 batch which is only 250ml of triclean.
I get it through the cemical rep at my work for $50 for 5lt bottle.

I belive the best thing for cleaning your beer lines is something designed for the job.

FROGMAN

 

[Disco_tezz]

Would you be able to use Starsan that Craftbrewer sell, to clean the lines?

 

[SJW]

Steve,

Agreed. just do an advanced google search which allows you to limit your search to 1 domain ie www.aussiehomebrewer.com. Too easy.

Thanks mate

 

[etbandit]

Is oxyper the same as sodium percarbonate?

Is sodium percarbonate not corrosive to stainless steel?

 

[tangent]

yes, i'd say starsan would be a good option
proper line cleaner as bigD mentioned is the right product for the job, but it's also nasty stuff from memory. the first part was caustic based?

 

[etbandit]

Finish keg

Mix up 500ml solution of idophor - into keg seal and shake

Leave in keg until beer is ready

Tip out idophor and fill with beer

Cheers

Cortez,

Do you get brown staining of your kegs when you soak for long periods with Iodophor, like you do with plastic?

 

[Sammus]

Would you be able to use Starsan that Craftbrewer sell, to clean the lines?

I think thats for sanitising, not cleaning...

 

[tangent]

you always want to finish with clean sanitised lines.
i use a flush of hot water, followed by another flush of orthophos sanitiser,
then a short flush of beer.