Wondering how much clean up you all do on your kegs and lines?
Seems like if I do not wait too long after I kick one, I can just rinse it out and run some sanitizer through?
What about the lines? How the heck do you clean those?
Thanks.
Don’t know if it’s right, but here’s what I do:
Once the keg kicks, I rinse it a couple times with hot water. Then I fill about 1/2 way with hot water and oxyclean, seal it back up, and shake the hell out of it. I then force some oxyclean solution through my line ( cobra taps ) and leave some in there to soak. I’ll let the keg soak for a few hours, then flip it so the top gets a soak for a few hours ( or days if I forget ). Finally, empty the solution and rinse several times before sanitizing and refilling.
Once a year, I will break them down and replace the o-rings.
Once they’re empty, I sanitize them and refill. I fill them with star san, pressurize, and blow some out the dip tube to make sure it gets sanitized.
I replace the lines when they look a bit gross. I rinse them when I change kegs. I don’t really get too crazy about the lines. Maybe I should. I’m using picnic taps, so I don’t have a tower and faucets to worry about.
Rinse with hot water. Scrub with DEDICATED and sanitized toilet brush if anything caked in the bottom. Rinse again. Force water through the “OUT” connection (pressurized air on the “IN”) Fill with about 6" of sanitizer, shake, force some out the connector, and store…
When filling dump sanitizer and fill.
So far so good.
Complete disassembly and cleaning with pbw and a brush (as needed) every time. Replace what needs replacing, sanitize with starsan, then reassemble.
I guess I’m the slacker here. As kegs die, I’ll put them aside until I have 3 or 4 to clean. Then I make a strong PBW solution in 180F water and fill the first keg. Depress the poppet so the dip tube fills up I let it sit 30 minutes and push it with CO2 through a jumper hose to the next keg. I then rinse the first keg with hot water and repeat until all kegs are clean. Then I put about 3 gallons of 180F water in the first keg and push it through all the kegs to make sure all the kegs are rinsed, including the dip tubes. Once they’re clean I leave them upside down over night to drain, put the lids back on and pressurize. I haven’t changed o-rings on my kegs since I first got them, some of them have been in use 14 years now.
About every 2 months I use a line cleaning solution and pump a couple of gallons through each tap. ishould do it more often but I don’t.
I rinse the gunk out first. Sprinkle a little oxyclean in and add about a quart of hot water. Shake the crap out of the keg. Drain and rinse until oxyclean-free. Disassemble and rinse the posts/poppits and run a swab through the dip-tube. Sanitize. Reseal and it is ready to go.
Every now and then I run an oxyclean and boiling water solution through the lines. I still have the same lines that I bought in spring 2007.
This is what I do. If I clean more than one at once I can also push star san from one to the next with a jumper. Kegs end up pressurized, full of CO2, and sanitized.
+2, I take apart the posts and pressure relief valve and O-rings and hang them in a hop bag in the keg full of hot PBW.
+2 on the the StarSan too. I love transferring into kegs full of CO2.
I fill the keg up with hot tap water then add a 1/2 cup of OxiClean and place the lid on. Push both poppets to make sure some solution shoots up the tubes and leave it for two days. OxiClean can’t do its job if it’s put in and quickly rinsed out . .it needs time to scour. Rinse thoroughly with hot water both tank and tubes and rack new beer in. Been doing it this way for 7 years without issue.
Pretty much same routine with fermentors.
I agree Oxiclean takes time, but I find 2-3 hours is plenty of time for it to work. Also, I use less that 1/2 as much as you do. Maybe 2-3 Tbsp. per 5 gal. keg or fermenter.
- Hot rinse
- remove posts, dip tube, lid and o-rings
- brush dip tube
- hot PBW soak overnight
- hot rinse
- add 1 quart starsan solution
- replace fittings, o-rings and lid
- purge oxygen with CO2 and pressurize to 30psi
- RDWHAHB
This process ensures clean, sanitized and leak free kegs that are always ready to fill on demand.
Geez, I was unlucky enough to kick three kegs all at the same time on Sunday.
Who has time for complete disassembly! 
Thanks for the replies. I am going to have to make a jumper.
My two day time line is more a matter of convience of getting back to finish the process . . . I agree 2 to 3 hours (at least as far as the carboys I occasionally use) has every trace of the sticky junk line scrubbed clean. The stuff will continue to release its O2 for quite awhile. I’d be afraid to be so frugal as to only put in 2-3 Tbsp, but I have been known to overkill on more than one occasion!
Give it a try and see how it works for you.
I use sankey valve sixtels but my process is about the same:
1. Fill 1/4 with 140F water. Swirl and empty.
2. Fill and soak with 140F water.
3. Empty and fill with StarSan solution. Sit for 1 hour.
4. Empty, don’t fear the foam and…
Ready to go!