Best way to store empty kegs?

General Homebrew Discussion
1

I have been storing my empty kegs full of water mixed with Star San, so they are clean and sanitized when I’m ready to use them again.  Any issues with this method?  Does the solution go bad over time?  Is there a better way?

Thanks,

Allen

2

Sounds like a lot of water being used. All it takes for StarSan to sanitize is contact and foam is contact. Cut that liquid volume back to a pint and shake the keg keeping the surface contact wet for a couple of minutes and then let it go until needed. Much less wasted H20.

3

StarSan will lose its acidity (and effectiveness) over time when exposed to the air. The NorthernBrewer site says it will last 3-4 weeks in a sealed container (i.e. Bucket with a lid). In a sealed, pressurized keg it will last a long time.

I use a similar technique when cleaning my kegs, but I fill them with StarSan and then use CO2 to push it out so that I’m left with an empty, sanitized keg at around 30psi. Often I sanitize multiple kegs at the same time, so I can just push the StarSan from one keg to the next.

I did hear advice long ago about using distilled or RO water to keep StarSan stable in a spray bottle over long periods of time (which I also do). I guess minerals in the water play a part in StarSan eventually losing its effectiveness. If you’re ever concerned and you have a pH meter, StarSan remains effective at a pH of 3 or lower.

4

Yes. However if you want the benefit of completely purging The keg of oxygen, filling  with StarSan and pushing with CO2 seems to be the only way (per the study presented at NHC this year).

To minimize water waste in that case I just reuse the solution and top off with a little more StarSan if needed. As long as you’re sanitizing very clean equipment you can reuse it many times this way.

5

Clean. Sanitize. Push the sanitizer out with CO2. Prairie it to some level, say 10 to 20 PSI. You then have a sanitized, O2 free keg ready to fill. If it does not hiss when you pull the PRV before filling, you have a leak to find and fix.

6

I would probably not leave the kegs filled with an acidic solution like star san. I always run hot PBW water through each keg after cleaning them out thoroughly with hot water first. Then, rinse with hot water again after the PBW rinse several times to be sure no residue remains. After that, the kegs are sealed and just left that way until I need them for packaging where they undergo an iodophor treatment and purging prior to filling with beer. That way I know they are freshly sanitized and ready to be filled.

7

Lots of great advice.  Thanks!

8

After cleaning I fill a keg with starsan and push it out. I too store under pressure, but I use a pressure that is less than my typical serving pressure. 10psi or so. The thought here is an issue might not present itself above serving pressure and I am then stuck scrambling to fix a full leaky keg.

Starsan made with mineral free water lasts a very long time if stored in a bucket. I keep mine for months .

9

You cou;d just clean them and then store them. No need at all to store them with sani in them, or water. If you want to be particularly anal clean, sani and purge them with co2.

10

Now that I better appreciate and understand the importance of purging kegs of oxygen, I fully agree with methods that Jeff mentions. Fill each keg with sanitizer and push it out with CO2 to provide a sanitized, oxygen-free, and pressure-holding keg. If you have multiple kegs, you can just fill the succeeding keg with the sanitizer that you’ve pushed from the last keg and won’t have a big waste of sanitizer.

11

That’s what I do.  I clean them and once they’re dry I put enough CO2 on them to seal them.  I sanitize right before I use them.  If they aren’t pressurized when I go to use them, I know I have a leaky keg.

12

I do this as well.

13

Same here.

14

It must be one of those days.  My first thought was put beer in them.  8)

I clean, rinse and pressurize them.  As was stated earlier, if they aren’t under pressure when I pull them out of storage I have a leak to find.

Paul

15

I clean, sanitize, dry completely, and then store sealed and dry.  I re-sanitize with Star San and drip-dry before filling.  Sometimes, for a really hoppy beer I’ll purge the keg with co2 before filling.

16

I have had keg/lid combinations that lose their ability to properly seal unless they are kept under pressure.  For some reason, leaving them sitting open over time misshapens the hole or lid.

17

Agreed. And a little keg lube on the lid O-ring goes a long way to sealing them tightly.