Initially I made a single head keg washer but it took the whole day to wash and sanitise.
I usually wash 30 to 40 kegs when I run out of clean kegs.
Today was a first day I used double head and I am quite happy with it.
Definitely makes cleaning go faster. I remember running a single and the feeling of overwhelming joy when I first got the 4 head installed at Ice Harbor.
Hey, I like your double head washer. It’s funny that they can charge so much for the same thing that you just built. If your’s doesn’t work out you could always try one of these http://breweryparts.com/index.php/fittings-and-valves/fittings-custom-amp-specialities/manifold.html with a few valves and a few triclamp/hosebarb fittings you could build the same thing. I’ve used a similar set-up and it worked well. cheers, j
with all other valves closed and your drain line (the co2 line of the keg coupler) on the floor or in a drain, open the valve on the keg to relieve pressure and drain out the remaining beer
open valve for rinse water (hot works better) - that’s water into manifold, out the hose to the keg coupler, through keg and out drain hose onto floor
close valve on keg, place drain hose into the cleaning agent (hot) holding container, turn on pump, open valve to flow cleaning agent into the manifold and into the keg, open valve on keg to allow flow but maintain pressure. run clean cycle
use co2 to push all cleaning agent out of keg and back into holding container
place drain hose back onto floor or drain, run rinse water cycle.
use co2 to push all rinse water from keg
set keg aside
Run all kegs through this set up, then swap sanitizer for cleaning agent and run a sani cycle through all the kegs. Push all sani out with co2 and pressurize the keg to storage pressure. Done (go home and cry, wonder why you decided to be a brewer. Remember that you get to brew tomorrow, smile and go to sleep)
+1 except I use compressed air to push rinse water and cleanser water and co2 only for sanitizer.
The nice thing about the $15K washers is you put your keg(s) on the cleaner and push a button and come back and they are clean. Cheaper ones available are semi-manual. I have my eye on a premier stainless keg washer that is fully automatic though. But $15K is a huge chunk to cough up.
Seems to me that some solenoid valves, dedicated tanks for all liquids and a programmed PLC would get you automation. You would need some SSR’s on the outputs, but all of this stuff can be had pretty cheaply these days.
The procedure described below sounds like nothing more than timed, sequential steps and that’s not hard to program either.
I have to imagine that you use a lot of non reusable rinse water for this. Does the final rinse have to completely fill the keg? I wouldn’t think the first one would need to be.
How can you be sure the rinse is distributed throughout the keg? I can see if it’s upside down it would hit the bottom ( now on top) and cascade down the sides, I’ve never really looked that close at a spear. I guess the CO2 comes in right below the connector.