empty keg storage

I'm leaving home for a year and wonder how I should leave my kegs? dry? water and iodophor? co2 filled? water and anti freeze? Thanks for any help peter.

Leave them filled with beer. At my house

I can't imagine it will make any difference, I would just plan on giving them a quick cleaning and obviously sanitizing them when you get back. I would also plan on the O-rings possibly needing replacement if they get dried out too badly, but no biggie.

I doubt leaving them filled with sanitizer would hurt, but it's not going to help anything (hell, they're stainless steel) and I'd be more nervous about the potential impact that LONG-term contact would have. Probably no effect, but why chance that? If they're empty, you know they'll be fine.

Not sure the best way to deal with the o-rings, though... wondering if just lubing the crap out of them, closing up the kegs, and putting them under a wee bit of pressure would keep them supple.

If you have the time fill them with consumables. Mead, Old Ale, Barleywine, Very Hoppy IPA etc. will all love a year of conditioning.

Alternatively, I'd sanitize them and then push the sanitizer out with CO2. Then pressurize the tanks to 12psi or so.

Wow, imagine that, all kegs full of BIG beers! That would make me lose my 10cc in sec!

If you're worried about them possibly freezing, I wouldn't leave them full of water. A hard freeze would probably split them wide open.

However, if you live somewhere there is a slight possibility (or, you're not going to be gone for winter) of freezing, filling them up with something that would benefit from a decent aging, sounds GREAT!

Basically, DanTodd hit it just right.

steve

I've left empty kegs in storage (hot & cold) for 7 years with no problem. Just clean like you would if you bought a used keg, then replace the O-rings and life is good. I'd leave them pressurized and put some keg lube on the rings.

Come back safe!

I personally would leave them cleaned and dried with lots of keg lub and under no pressure with the lids on.
JJ

Actually, if you keep the lid bale shut, those big Orings will flatten out badly and need to be replaced. I'd leave the Oring off, lubed up and maybe throw it into the keg to store it. Then put some foil over the lid hole just to keep dust and bugs out.

Thanks , i wish i had time to fill them wit some mead or ipa but too many things to do to little time. i'm cleaning and de o ringing and ceran wraping and foil.

When I've bought them, they have always had pressure on them. I guess this "proves" they are holding pressure.
If you leave for a long time, you may distort the large O rings, so you may want to get some new ones right before you put your kegs back in service.

I would leave them dry. Even stainless can rust over time.

Clean, dry, inverted with the lids sitting on top and the posts on finger tight.

Before I put them in service I inspect the seals, lube, sanitize and pressure test a few days before transfer is going to occur so that I have time to get replacement parts, etc. Then it stays under 30lbs of pressure for the few days till I transfer over.

I like the big beer theory! You've got time to brew don't ya!

Remove all your o-rings, lube em up and store em in a ziploc.
Toss all your hardware (lid, posts, poppets) into a larger ziploc
Cover each of your stripped kegs in a large tie-top garbage bag and lay them flat and stack em.

Then take pictures so while you're away you can look forward to reassembling your brewery.

And come back safe...