how to clean a keg

i just got my first corny and i need to clean it out. i took it apart and i dont know waht to use to clean it or to sanatize it before putting beer into it. also the posts for the disconects were on rediculously tight do they always hav to be so tight?

You can clean and sanitize with whatever you use for your brew equipment (PBW, oxyclean, Star San, Iodophor, ect...).

I always tighten my posts way down, the one time I didn't I had beer leaking from the post while we were away, came home to a big big mess.

go to your LHBS and get some brushs. You need a dip tube brush (really long and small dia.) and a short fatter brush (can't remember the name for it) for cleaning out the holes that the dip tubes go thru.

I also like the big brush for cleaning the keg it's self but they are not cheap and you don't have to have one. But if your arms are large, you will be happy you got it.

And no, the post don't have to be really tight. Just tight enough that it hold prussure.

The posts just need to be on hand-tight. You don't want to strip the threads. The posts were on awful tight on the kegs I have when I bought them, but they were gunked up with soda syrup.

If this is a used keg, you're going to want to clean the hell out of that thing. Rinse it out good with hot water, and then put some Oxyclean solution or some other oxygen based cleaner (Straight-A, PBW, etc.) in it and let it soak. Do the same with the parts. After soaking, rinse everything off good with hot water. You may also want to take a Scotchbrite pad and some Bar Keeper's Friend and scrub down the outside to make it look better. If it has any rust spots inside you will want to scrub that with Bar Keepers Friend as well. If you scrub the keg, let it sit for a few days so that the metal will reform a protective layer over the scrubbed areas.

You will want to replace all of the O-rings, and probably the poppets as well.