21 replies to this topic

[matt6150]

Just wondering what everyones general practices are. How are you cleaning them? How often are they cleaned? How long do you flush each line for? A bottle of BLC says to flush for 15min with a mixture of 1/2oz for every quart of water, how close is that to what everyone is doing? When not using a tap for an extended period of time what is the general practice here? Full of water or dry. Also if a keg kicks and you don't have another to hook up for a few weeks or so do you just leave that beer in the line or clean it out?Reguarding my procedure I mix up 2 gallons according to the BLC bottle with hot water in a keg. I then run it through a tap and collect in a bucket. I then pour it back in the keg and repeat a few times. Then rinse with about 2-3 gallons of hot water. My taps are outside, so before winter I thoroughly clean everything and then drain the lines clean and leave open in case there are any pockets of water in there that might freeze. I think my problem with the off-flavor in my other thread may be due to the fact that after the winter i just hooked up a beer and started pouring. I didn't reclean or rinse out any air born particles that could have settled in there.So what are your tips and procedures?

[ncbeerbrewer]

When a keg needs to be cleaned before filling I clean it with Oxyclean (fill have way up, flip it over, let it sit upright and upside down for about 10-15mins each end) then I hit it with Iodophore. When I am cleaning kegs I run Oxyclean through the lines maybe 1.5 gallons and normally hit it with Iodophore on the sanitizer. Been doing that since I started kegging 4 years now. Lines get cleaned after each keg goes empty. Never had any problems and still using the same liquid lines as well since I built the kegerator. My kegerator is in the garage (the only part of my house that is truly mine)

[al_bob]

I take my lines and picnic taps and break them all down. I take apart the picnic tap, take the posts apart by punching out the poppets, and put them all in a pot of hot water that will submerge it all and use a strong solution of Oxyclean (would do a brewers friend if I had access or the money), then rinse, let soak in clean water for a bit, then a pot with sanitizer. Obviuosly, if you're doing this regularly, you can shorten the time on all soaks. If it's the first time of your season, then you'll let it all soak longer. Can't hurt.

[brewman]

I just started kegging with a sankey so I now fill the keg with about 2 gallons of hot water with Oxy. Run all of it out through the tap and then do it again with clean warm water to rinse it. Seems to work great. I try to clean my lines right after the keg goes but sometimes its days later.Dan

[positiveContact]

I usually rinse with oxiclean/pbw - probably every other keg or if the new style going in is very diff than the keg that just kicked.

[beach]

I do 10 gallon batches and clean the lines after the second keg of that beer kicks. I use BLC and one of those line cleaning kit pump bottles. I rinse with hot water, run BLC through twice and rinse again with hot water. I have a liquid ball lock gizmo that I put on the pump bottle and clean through the liquid qd and out the faucet. My CO2 taps are Perlicks (CIP). With this set up I clean all the way through each liquid line and don't have to tear anything down. BG taps get the same treatment with a faucet tear down added.Beach

[BarelyBrews]

I try to clean the kegs asap, oxyclean mostly.Toss the keg over atleast once,run the cleaner through the empty line.Repeat the process with the starsan solution. I like to leave the line charged with starsan solution until i hook up the next keg. Does anyone else do this also?

[beach]

I like to leave the line charged with starsan solution until i hook up the next keg. Does anyone else do this also?

In my experience, leaving bev lines in StarSan leaves a slimy feeling to the tubing. I don't care for that.Beach

[al_bob]

In my experience, leaving bev lines in StarSan leaves a slimy feeling to the tubing. I don't care for that.Beach

Same here. I don't like to leave anything in Starr San too long. I don't like the slimy reaction.

[MtnBrewer]

In my experience, leaving bev lines in StarSan leaves a slimy feeling to the tubing. I don't care for that.

Agreed. I think the StarSan dissolves some of the plasticizer or something. The hoses come out slimy but then when you try to rinse them off, they become sticky.

[matt6150]

I agreed with the slimy starsan in the bev lines. But I would like to know what others do in between kegs with there bev lines if it will be not tapped for awhile. I have often just leave it charged with plain water. I don't like the idea of a line blown clean and dry but still have same water hanging around in there to get musty.

[al_bob]

I would just clean, and rinse good with Star San and then hang to air dry. Then before i used them I might do a repeat just to be safe.

[matt6150]

I would just clean, and rinse good with Star San and then hang to air dry. Then before i used them I might do a repeat just to be safe.

Well the problem I'm seeing is how will it hang dry when there is a faucet on one end and a ball lock on the other end of the line. How will it dry being closed off?

[beach]

Well the problem I'm seeing is how will it hang dry when there is a faucet on one end and a ball lock on the other end of the line. How will it dry being closed off?

Sounds like al is removing the lines when they're not in use. I just rinse with hot water and drain it to get most of the water out and call it good.Beach

[MtnBrewer]

What's wrong with just leaving it hooked up to the keg until you replace it with a full keg?

[Buzz Buzzard]

if it is only a day or 2 and doesn't dry up

[MtnBrewer]

I've left them a lot longer than that.

[Buzz Buzzard]

me too

[matt6150]

I've left them a lot longer than that.

So your saying just leave the old beer in there until you need that line again? What's a lot longer?I guess as long as cleaner and starsan are run through there before the next keg is hooked up problably wont be a problem.

[al_bob]

So your saying just leave the old beer in there until you need that line again? What's a lot longer?I guess as long as cleaner and starsan are run through there before the next keg is hooked up problably wont be a problem.

I guess the idea is that it is a closed environment devoid of any oxygen so no chance for anything to grow. Stale beer in the lines could still be an issue, though.