Strong plastic taste out of kegged water

So I bought one of those overpriced 2.5 gallon kegs to use for sparkling water, because I got tired of using liter bottles with a carbonator cap. The keg o-rings smelled horrible of outgasing, so I replaced them. The keg itself smelled like mothballs. I think it's the rubber base. I cleaned the inside and all the lines with oxyclean, water rinse, and a sanitizer rinse. The inside didn't smell, but the rubber base did a bit.

I filled it with spring water. Shook the daylights out of it at 35 psi and 40°F. It was tasting ok. Left it in the keezer overnight, and this morning it tastes like plastic.

It's running through 15 feet of 3/16" kuriyama bevlex 200, which I use for beer with no problems, but much shorter.

Anyone get a plastic taste from that length of tubing? I think it's the tubing, it seems to fade a bit if I dump a large glass full. The new water source also tastes a bit different, but not plastic, just mineral.

Maybe its just carbonic acid from force carbing? If so, I think it will fade if you leave it at serving pressure for a while.

masonsjax said:

Maybe its just carbonic acid from force carbing? If so, I think it will fade if you leave it at serving pressure for a while.

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I just carbed up some water for the first time this week, used my potable water brew hose to fill keg, Next day very plastic flavor. Day 2 all but faded, day 3 no plastic taste. I'm betting on Carbonic acid too.

Similar procedure 30PSI for 18 hours, no shake. reduce to 11psi. Wait another 2 days testing along the way. Tastes like bottled stuff now.

Glad I didn't throw out my brew hose. Used same line in 5' for beer and the carbed water... no issues.

I thought I read somwhere that you have to clean out a new keg really well as it has residue in it from manufacturing

Rigger103 said:

I thought I read somwhere that you have to clean out a new keg really well as it has residue in it from manufacturing

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Yeah, it stunk bad, so i scrubbed it up quite well. The only thing I didn't do was pull off the posts. I scrubbed the plastic with denatured alcohol (nothing contacting beverage)

If I draw a second glass, it's less plastic tasting. I'll give it a couple days and see what happens.

If I let carbed water sit in my lines, the first glasses taste like vinyl. I believe I have Bevflex tubing. Not sure. It came with my brewlogic kit from Midwest.

So I always disconnect and empty my lines if I know they're going to sit for a while.