Keg line cleaning - who uses what?

[pist]

Just recently bought a basic kegging system, which came with 2 kegs, and the pluto gun and disconnects are all barbed with the cheapo stepless clamps which means ill have to clean the lines in place, already made my mind up on getting one of those line cleaner caps for a pet bottle. What chemicals do i need to buy to clean the lines and kegs with? I already have sodium perc and starsan for my ag setup, do i need any extra stuff to properly clean the lines and remove beer stone?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I use proxitane for my hand pumps.

 

[Yob]

2 lids pure perc / 1 lid metasillicate and a few liters of boiling water into a keg, charge to 5 psi and run through

religiously once every when I can be arsed

 

[Blind Dog]

PBW made up with hot water every time (sort of) a keg gets cleaned

Think it's fake PBW though (so probably similar mix to Yobs) as it's in HBSs own packaging. Works well though for all cleaning apps

 

[Grott]

I sit sodium percarbonate in the line for a couple of ours, flush out with star San. Use pressurised PET bottle for both applications.
Cheers

 

[DU99]

You also use sugar soap read post 13

 

[Crakkers]

Tricleanium at 1 tablespoon per litre. Seems to get more gunk out than sodium perc.

 

[Mr B]

I've just used beer so far.

I have used a little brush and starsan to clean the tap spouts.

Probably should do something about that........

 

[HBHB]

I used to just run the pink stuff through and let it sit for a while before flushing with water, then moved tosodium percarbonate through the lines and always thought they were pretty clean. Then tried the craft beer line cleaner from Bracton. Couldn't believe the crap that came out. Been using it ever since. Available pretty widely.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Bracton line cleaner. What the pubs use. Organise a bulk buy with other Brewers.

 

[fraser_john]

Saniclean available from some of the sponsors, same manufacturer as Starsan.

I keep a keg full of it mixed up, whenever changing over kegs, I run some through and leave it in the line for 24 hours.

 

[WarmerBeer]

Bracton line cleaner. What the pubs use. Organise a bulk buy with other Brewers.

I cleaned my Perlick 545 PC taps with Bracton Twin line cleaner, and it stripped the chrome plating off the inside of the tap spout. There were little flakes of chrome plating floating around in the bottom of my beer glass afterwards. Not good.

I can't see anything in the MSDS about avoiding plated chrome, but anecdotally, it was a costly clean.
I've since moved to SS taps.

 

[sponge]

I use proxitane for my hand pumps.

I use Vaseline h34r:

 

[Grott]

Looking at some of the different cleaners used above and their effects, it would seem frequency would play a part in what you would use?

 

[n87]

And after WarmBeer's comments, what cleaners are chrome friendly?

 

[WarmerBeer]

And after WarmBeer's comments, what cleaners are chrome friendly?

I never had any problems with sodium percarbonate or PBW, but got given a bottle of the Bracton for free. The mistake is all mine, I just wanted to share my experience to possibly help other Brewers.

If you're at all concerned, stick to PBW.

 

[pist]

Thanks for all the input. I want to try to stay away from the harsher chemicals if I can (they cant be good for you), so sounds like sodium perc or pbw will get it done. Will keep the bracton stuff in mind if the lines ever look like they need a big clean.