I had a corny keg in my garage and I forgot to clean the damn thing. I opened it up and it was a mess. Brown spots growing all over the inside. Anyway, I have double soaked this thing with PBW and would really love to give this thing a good heat soaking. Here’s the question. How hot of water can I put in an old pin lock corny keg? Will it ruin the rubber handles and bottom? Thanks. I also plan on soaking in iodophor or starsan after to do a CO2 purge. The heat may be overkill but I’m that guy.
In retrospect, I think I’m just going to change all of the gaskets and soak the stainless in sanitizer. What say you to this idea?
I have transferred boiling water into a ball lock. No problems. Put some CO2 on it and flip it upside down after a few minutes to get heat to the top. Wear gloves.
It’s big time over kill but if it makes you feel better … sure! Be careful, I have been burned badly a few times. Not fun. Like, at all.
… of yeah, also, if your keg has a mounted rubber base the heat can detach it. This happened to me a couple times.
Try Craftmeister Alkaline. It’s saved me a number of times.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!!! I am the overkill cleaning sanitizing guy! How do you reattach the rubber base? Craftmeister is better than pbw? or just different?
Craftmeister oxygen works better than PBW. Craftmeister alkaline kicks their butts. Craftmeister Cleaners – The Picturing – Carboy Test | Experimental Brewing
+1 on the Craftmeister alkaline wash. It has been my staple cleaner since I became aware of it several years back. I use it on kegs and fermenters with a sump pump in a bucket and pushing solution through a top mounted copper pipe with holes in it and gas and liquid QDC’s - it cleans them quickly and completely.
I’d skip the boiling water. Disassemble everything, soak everything in strong cleanser, scrub until all crud is gone,. and then sanitize. Be sure to run a long skinny bottle brush through the entire pick-up tube. Replace all seals.
+1 – You don’t need the keg heat sanitized. You just need it to be clean. I will spare you the picture of the burns I have had on my feet from brewing accidents. Stainless is easy to clean.