How do you clean your lines?

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AdamR46

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I just built a keezer recently, both kegs ran out, I'm looking for ways to clean the lines on the cheap/easy.

How do you guys do it?
 
I fill an empty keg that needs cleaned with oxyclean and water and run it through the lines. I let it set then when I fill the keg with sanitizer I run some of that through the lines and let it set.

When I hook up the beer again I just know that I'm going to have to run a bit of beer to get the lines clean.

Probably better ways, but that's what I do.
 
I don't have a corny keg setup yet, I just have D couplers right now. I was thinking of just hooking a line up through the faucet and leave the coupler in the on position and just run some sanitizer through it from the faucet end using a hand pump/sprayer from home depot.
(aiming for january to start kegging homebrew)
 
I run pbw through the lines and let them sit full for a little while. Then flush with water.
 
I had a cheap garden sprayer lying around. I bought an adapter so I can hook it up the beer line.

Now I can pump pbw and clean water through my lines by hand; easy peasy.
 
I clean my keg and the lines at the same time.
Rinse out, fill with OxyClean. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.
Rinse out, fill with water. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.
Fill with Star san. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.

It may be a waste of CO2, but I don't mind. If you dont want to use a keg, or CO2 to clean lines, check this out:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-beer-line-cleaner-226497/
 
I clean my keg and the lines at the same time.
Rinse out, fill with OxyClean. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.
Rinse out, fill with water. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.
Fill with Star san. Hook up CO2 and run through lines.

It may be a waste of CO2, but I don't mind. If you dont want to use a keg, or CO2 to clean lines, check this out:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-beer-line-cleaner-226497/

Yeah I made that line cleaner and trust me that you'll kick yourself for not doing this sooner. I went from a big production of cleaning every line at once to popping that thing on just the line I'm switching.

So much easier!
 
Other than the wasting CO2, I am not sure the advantage of the cleaner I posted. I like cleaning from the kegs because it also will run the cleaner through the liquid dip tube and out the poppet at the top.
 
Other than the wasting CO2, I am not sure the advantage of the cleaner I posted. I like cleaning from the kegs because it also will run the cleaner through the liquid dip tube and out the poppet at the top.

Yes, you are right. If you are cleaning kegs already, then it's easy to hook up each of your tap lines and run cleaner/water/sanitizer through them as well.

The benefit comes in when you switch out a keg and aren't cleaning anything. Then you either A) don't bother cleaning the line, or B) use a single keg just for tap line cleaning.

The other time I use it a lot is for cleaning cobra/picnic taps. There are many times I'll use the cobra tap to taste a keg that is aging and the line cleaner runs sanitizer through it nice and easy.
 
Good points. It sounds like a good tool to have around for those instances.
 
when I blow a keg, then clean it, I mix up a pint of BLC in the keg, and run that through the lines. I let it soak a half hour, then flush with water.
 
Another ++ for the pump sprayer line cleaner. I mix up a quart of BLC, then run about half through using the sprayer. I let it sit for 10 minutes or so, then run the rest through. I refill the sprayer with plain water and flush the line with that. Before using to dispense another keg, I flush the line with Star San.
 
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