Raising A Keg Form The Dead

[Uncle Fester]

All,
I have 2 kegs that have still got old brew in them from their previous owner (and I have owned them for 2 years)

I want to bring them back into circulation. Normally I would soak my fermenter in a solution of water and 1 dishwasher tablet to give it a nice clean. If Ido the same with a SS keg, am I going to corrode the hell out of it? I would be looking at leaving it for about 5 days before I pull it apart and get amongst the poppits and such.

I did a search, but the most I could work out was that Nappysan for an extended period will pitt the steel.


Should I use ammonia instead?

As always, your comments are appreciated and thankfully received.


Fester.

 

[raven19]

Will hot water, then a proprietary keg and line cleaner do the job?

Rinse and repeat a few times maybe?

How does it look inside? Once pulled apart it should be fairly easy to clean up?

You dont want to risk eating the metal as per your OP.

 

[mika]

...I did a search, but the most I could work out was that Nappysan for an extended period will pitt the steel.

A day or two won't hurt, I wouldn't get worried about it.

 

[Mantis]

All,
I have 2 kegs that have still got old brew in them from their previous owner (and I have owned them for 2 years)

WTF, why didnt you clean them when you got them.
Anyway, I reckon a kettle of boiling water in them , seal them, (after you have changed the seals), and give them a good shake. Vent then empty them , and then repeat the process. Boiling water under pressure with kill most things.
:icon_cheers:

 

[paul]

They should be fairly easy to clean as they will be full of co2.

 

[MVZOOM]

They should be fairly easy to clean as they [hopefully] will [still] be full of co2.

Cheers - ike

 

[marlow_coates]

+1 for the boiling water.

2L jug ob boiling, seal and shake, then vent the in and out post, relieve pressure and empty.

Repeat 2 or 3 times and the water should be running clear.

Marlow

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Caustic

Cheers

 

[newguy]

Caustic

+1.

Dump the contents, rinse with hot water (be sure to drain through the liquid out fitting) a couple of times, then dump in some drano crystals. If you can get access to "proper" NaOH, use that. Dump in about 5l of really hot water, then seal & slosh for a minute or two. Drain some of the solution through the gas in fitting and the liquid out fitting, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Dump the contents, rinse several times (be sure to let water drain through both fittings), and it's good to go. Breweries use hot caustic to clean their kegs.

Of course, wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

 

[PostModern]

+1.

Dump the contents, rinse with hot water (be sure to drain through the liquid out fitting) a couple of times, then dump in some drano crystals. If you can get access to "proper" NaOH, use that. Dump in about 5l of really hot water, then seal & slosh for a minute or two. Drain some of the solution through the gas in fitting and the liquid out fitting, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Dump the contents, rinse several times (be sure to let water drain through both fittings), and it's good to go. Breweries use hot caustic to clean their kegs.

Of course, wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

No Drano!!!!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drano

Drano has several things in it including metal shards designed to cut up hair and grease and other clog forming matter in drains. Generic or brand name Caustic Soda doesn't contain this stuff, just pure caustic soda, which is good for cleaning organic matter off stainless, but is less useful at unclogging drains.

 

[Screwtop]

PBW

 

[newguy]

No Drano!!!!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drano

Drano has several things in it including metal shards designed to cut up hair and grease and other clog forming matter in drains. Generic or brand name Caustic Soda doesn't contain this stuff, just pure caustic soda, which is good for cleaning organic matter off stainless.

Generic or brand name caustic soda is available there? Not around here. Only drano. FWIW, I pick the metal shards out with tweezers before I use it on my carboys or kegs.

 

[[email protected]]

PBW

+1
Cleaned a store bought keg on the weekend that stank like it had been used as an ashtray. After a soak in PBW overnight was clean as crystal and no trace of the ashtray smell.

 

[PostModern]

Generic or brand name caustic soda is available there? Not around here. Only drano. FWIW, I pick the metal shards out with tweezers before I use it on my carboys or kegs.

Yeah we can get "Diggers" brand caustic at most supermarkets. I use that for all kinds of brewery cleaning. When I got a nasty infection in my fermenters that survived percarbonate washes followed by iodophor, I gave them all a boil with Diggers caustic. No problems since, strangely

I wouldn't want swirling bits of metal in my fermenters, or stainless kegs for that matter.

 

[Sammus]

Nappisan/PBW or any sodium percarbonate based cleaner WONT pit your kegs as the OP believes.

I leave my kegs soaking in pure sodium percarb solution while not in use, some I have emptied and rinsed after 12-18months of soaking and have not shown any evidence of pitting, just really clean.

That said, if the passive coating on the SS has been comprimised anywhere on the keg, sodium percab will just help oxidise where it is already doing so. Caustic won't be good in that situation either. If you notice it is starting to rust somewhere, clean the rust off and passivate it before using any cleaning chemicals.

 

[Adamt]

+1.

Dump the contents, rinse with hot water (be sure to drain through the liquid out fitting) a couple of times, then dump in some drano crystals. If you can get access to "proper" NaOH, use that. Dump in about 5l of really hot water, then seal & slosh for a minute or two. Drain some of the solution through the gas in fitting and the liquid out fitting, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Dump the contents, rinse several times (be sure to let water drain through both fittings), and it's good to go. Breweries use hot caustic to clean their kegs.

Of course, wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

For safety's sake (even with rubber gloves/eye protection) I would put in the water before the caustic.