Boiling an uncut sanke keg to sterilize

I was wondering if there would be a problem with just removing the center from a sanke keg I have and boiling water in it to clean it out so that I can use it for fermenting 10 gallon batches. I already have kegs for kettles, I just figured I could take the center shank out of this one, put in an airlock and use it to ferment.

Just wondering if it is safe to boil in a keg with such a small opening at the top.

Thanks for the help guys!

The hole in the top is plenty of vent. I'd fill it with some hot oxiclean solution and use a carboy brush to scrub it a bit. Then I'd make a sprayer to deliver star san to the walls of the keg a couple times.

+1 on this advice !

much less effort and 10000000's times safer !!!!!!!!

with the oxiclean I would let it sit for at least 24 hours before you start scrubing away

-Jason

<--- What everyone else said....

Good luck!

I like Bobby's idea of using a sprayer wand to deliver Star Sans or YMFS (your most favourite sanitizer).

I do this...just clean it out good first. then put a few gal of water in and boil. dump,cover with something and fill. they are heavy when you fill them so get a bud to help move it around.

One of my buddies uses sankey kegs to ferment in. He uses a sump pump to clean them.

Something like this but with pvc instead of the copper.

What? that looks like some horrible torture device taken from Gitmo or something...

chumprock said:

What? that looks like some horrible torture device taken from Gitmo or something...

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It really does.

Here is the build page I found it on.
Wort-O-Matic: Heated Keg and Carboy Cleaner

Cheeto said:

with the oxiclean I would let it sit for at least 24 hours before you start scrubing away

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Personally I wouldn't, as I have had oxiclean eat holes through a stainless steel vessel in when allowed to soak overnight - it was a stainless mixing bowl, so it was thinner and may have been a lower-grade stainless than a keg, but since then I haven't risked oxiclean on stainless for more than about 30 minutes at a time... I would stick to more stainless-friendly alternatives such as PBW or UBC for a long soak.

Funkenjaeger said:

Personally I wouldn't, as I have had oxiclean eat holes through a stainless steel vessel in when allowed to soak overnight - it was a stainless mixing bowl, so it was thinner and may have been a lower-grade stainless than a keg, but since then I haven't risked oxiclean on stainless for more than about 30 minutes at a time... I would stick to more stainless-friendly alternatives such as PBW or UBC for a long soak.

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many Sanke kegs are aluminum......

but for stainless I agree

-Jason

The opening should be plenty large. Another brewer and I were talking about making a plate to go on the top that had the weight system and over-pressure valve from a pressure canner. The weight deal regulates the pressure inside. The idea was to boil the inside of the sanke for 15 minutes at 15 psi like a pressure canner which would sterilize the insides. So, even if you couldn't get to every last place you can or can't see inside, there sure as hell wouldn't be anything alive in there.

That's a sweet idea!!

Funkenjaeger said:

Personally I wouldn't, as I have had oxiclean eat holes through a stainless steel vessel in when allowed to soak overnight - it was a stainless mixing bowl, so it was thinner and may have been a lower-grade stainless than a keg, but since then I haven't risked oxiclean on stainless for more than about 30 minutes at a time... I would stick to more stainless-friendly alternatives such as PBW or UBC for a long soak.

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I have left Oxiclean in corny's for days without any adverse effects . After 6 hours Oxiclean breaks down to Water , oxygen and soda ash . Nothing in oxiclean will eat holes in SS or any other metal.

Cheeto said:

many Sanke kegs are aluminum......

but for stainless I agree

-Jason

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Maybe some of the real old Sanke's were aluminum but they were replaced with SS as it was much more sturdy and lasted longer I haven't seen an aluminum keg in at least 10 years

I do this all the time now...

- add a couple gallons of really hot water
- PBW
- Systematically scrub the sides with a carboys brush
- rinse a couple times
- add a couple gallons of water and I toss it on one of my rig burners
- Cover the keg opening with tin foil and pop a small hole in it (1/2 inch)
- let it scream steam for 25-30 minutes
- rinse (make sure you wear heavy gloves when you take it off the burner)
- couple gallons of water, Star san... swish it around a couple times
- dump
- good to go.

I've made it part of my brew process. Once I sparge my HLT can come off the rig and dry and then I toss the sanke up on the keg and let it fire away.

What do you guys use as a stopper and airlock so you can ferment in them.

pola0502ds said:

What do you guys use as a stopper and airlock so you can ferment in them.

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Orange carboy cap and standard 3 piece airlock.

11.5 drilled stopped and a double bubble airlock

Funkenjaeger said:

Personally I wouldn't, as I have had oxiclean eat holes through a stainless steel vessel in when allowed to soak overnight - it was a stainless mixing bowl, so it was thinner and may have been a lower-grade stainless than a keg, but since then I haven't risked oxiclean on stainless for more than about 30 minutes at a time... I would stick to more stainless-friendly alternatives such as PBW or UBC for a long soak.

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Agreed. I don't even use oxyclean/pbw on stainless anymore. I accidently spilled some into a stainless cookie pan and it destroyed it.

Funkenjaeger said:

Personally I wouldn't, as I have had oxiclean eat holes through a stainless steel vessel in when allowed to soak overnight - it was a stainless mixing bowl, so it was thinner and may have been a lower-grade stainless than a keg, but since then I haven't risked oxiclean on stainless for more than about 30 minutes at a time... I would stick to more stainless-friendly alternatives such as PBW or UBC for a long soak.

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I'm guessing the bowl was aluminum and not SS. I've left oxiclean and PBW (very similar) solutions in cornies for months with 0 adverse effects. Even with the solution concentrating due to evaporation, there is nothing.

Ace_Club said:

I'm guessing the bowl was aluminum and not SS. I've left oxiclean and PBW (very similar) solutions in cornies for months with 0 adverse effects. Even with the solution concentrating due to evaporation, there is nothing.

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My pan was stainless. No doubt about it.

jd3 said:

My pan was stainless. No doubt about it.

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Unless it was seriously damaged prior to the incident (scratches, gouges, pits, etc.) I have no idea why that happened. PBW and oxi are safe for use with SS.

as much as i try to avoid doing it- im tempted to call BS on oxyclean eating SS. its chemically impossible. PBW on the other hand, which is an alkali cleaner, certainly could. but the active ingredient in oxyclean breaks down immediately into soda ash (inert) and hydrogen peroxide. the hydrogen peroxide breaks down furthur into oxygen, table salt, and water. none of which react with SS.

so someone is either mistaken about which cleaner they actually used, or is speaking fiction.

jd3 said:

Agreed. I don't even use oxyclean/pbw on stainless anymore. I accidently spilled some into a stainless cookie pan and it destroyed it.

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This is werid, I was not aware of the risk the first time I cleaned all my stainless steel. After my first brew day i was so tired that I just filled up 5 gallon buckets of PBW and let everything soak over night. I never had any of these problems you speak of. i store PBW in corney kegs and never had any problems either.

Demon said:

Orange carboy cap and standard 3 piece airlock.

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The orange caps that have 2 openings? 1 for an airlock and 1 for a racking cane? Do you just leave the little white cap on the other opening if you don't have a racking cane already in it? I wonder if some how there could be enough pressure to blow that cap off?

When you go to put that orange cap on, do you have to heat it up so it will stretch? Those caps don't look like they will stretch that far.

I leave the white cap on the angled tube. As for getting it on, I soak it in star san then start at one point and work my way around till it's all on. I can't possibly see it blowing off even in a strong fermentation. If anything, the little white cap would pop off first.

audger said:

as much as i try to avoid doing it- im tempted to call BS on oxyclean eating SS. its chemically impossible. PBW on the other hand, which is an alkali cleaner, certainly could. but the active ingredient in oxyclean breaks down immediately into soda ash (inert) and hydrogen peroxide. the hydrogen peroxide breaks down furthur into oxygen, table salt, and water. none of which react with SS.

so someone is either mistaken about which cleaner they actually used, or is speaking fiction.

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Oxiclean: Sodium Percarbonate, Sodium Carbonate, Surfactants/Detergents

PBW: Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Metasilicate

Oxiclean is also an alkali cleaner (website says it can reach pH of 11).

audger said:

as much as i try to avoid doing it- im tempted to call BS on oxyclean eating SS. its chemically impossible. PBW on the other hand, which is an alkali cleaner, certainly could. but the active ingredient in oxyclean breaks down immediately into soda ash (inert) and hydrogen peroxide. the hydrogen peroxide breaks down furthur into oxygen, table salt, and water. none of which react with SS.

so someone is either mistaken about which cleaner they actually used, or is speaking fiction.

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Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 which is two atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen. How does that break down into table salt which is sodium and chlorine?

Barkeeper's Friend is absolutely amazing for SS.

watersr said:

Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 which is two atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen. How does that break down into table salt which is sodium and chlorine?

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FM. (fvcking magic)

I use PBW and Amazing Oxygen (the cheapie version of oxiclean) on stainless regularly and have never had any type of adverse reactions. Stay away from chlorinated cleaners and you will be fine.

audger said:

as much as i try to avoid doing it- im tempted to call BS on oxyclean eating SS. its chemically impossible. PBW on the other hand, which is an alkali cleaner, certainly could. but the active ingredient in oxyclean breaks down immediately into soda ash (inert) and hydrogen peroxide. the hydrogen peroxide breaks down furthur into oxygen, table salt, and water. none of which react with SS.

so someone is either mistaken about which cleaner they actually used, or is speaking fiction.

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How can hydrogen perxoide (H2O2) break down to anything with table salt (NaCl) in it? Hydrogen peroxide breaks down a 2(H2O2) > 2(H2O) + 1(O2).

I intentionally left Oxiclean in a couple of kegs for 8 months. No damage at all.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/oxiclean-stainless-i-dare-you-prove-me-wrong-238193/

Whats the overall verdict on PBW? Can you say leave PBW in a therminator (wort chiller) overnight to break everything down? I'm thinking about doing this, last time i brewed I did not clean it that well and I know there is mold growing in it.

pola0502ds said:

Whats the overall verdict on PBW? Can you say leave PBW in a therminator (wort chiller) overnight to break everything down? I'm thinking about doing this, last time i brewed I did not clean it that well and I know there is mold growing in it.

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Yes, you could. You could also pump boiling water through both sides. Both would work.

pola0502ds said:

Whats the overall verdict on PBW? Can you say leave PBW in a therminator (wort chiller) overnight to break everything down? I'm thinking about doing this, last time i brewed I did not clean it that well and I know there is mold growing in it.

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Another way some folks clean plate chillers is to put them in oven and set it to self-clean. The heat incinerates any residue and then you simply rinse it out.

Aside from all the PBW discussion, I like derrins idea of a pressure attachment for the sanke. Seems like it could be a pretty easy design if you just get a 2" tri-clamp cap with a 3/4" coupler welded in, one of the small silicone o-rings to use as a gasket for sealing said ferrule to the sanke valve and then a boiler relief valve such as the one listed below set to 15-30 psi.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RL64O8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

it's a good idea, seems pretty simple and could cut down on the boiling time/give a bit more peace of mind that the keg is 100% sterile

Cape Brewing said:

Another way some folks clean plate chillers is to put them in oven and set it to self-clean. The heat incinerates any residue and then you simply rinse it out.

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Not a bad idea.