Keg Cleaning

Hey All,

Just acquired 2 used ball-lock cornies, and i was wondering what's the best way to clean a keg? Is it safe to store a keg with Iodophor sanitizer, or will that mess with the rubber seals?

I'm definitely going to replace the seals and clean them inside and out before going into "service" (read apfelwein!).

what i do with every keg i aquire:

1. rinse out superficial stuff.
2. overnight PBW in hot water
3. take apart keg, and visually check everything (gaskets, poppets, dip tubes, etc), and scrub with bar keeper's friend anything that the PBW didn't get.
4. rinse well.
5. quick pressure test with star san spray over all connection areas
6. overnight pressure test with co2 tank regulator to check for slow leaks.

yes, you can store iodophor in the keg without issue, thing is, from what i've read, iodophor is fairly volatile, and will not be an effective sanitizer after maybe a week or so. i would recommend star san, and you can check the effectiveness with pH strips.

gnef said:

...you can store iodophor in the keg without issue, thing is, from what i've read, iodophor is fairly volatile, and will not be an effective sanitizer after maybe a week or so...i would recommend star san, and you can check the effectiveness with pH strips.

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Iodophor is only active for 24 hours.

Overnight soaks of Star San in kegs is not recommended because it will pit stainless.

i had thought that star san was mostly phosphoric acid, which is also in soda? isn't soda also a very low pH? i know bleach will pit stainless, but not so sure of phosphoric acid.

gnef said:

what i do with every keg i aquire:

1. rinse out superficial stuff.
2. overnight PBW in hot water
3. take apart keg, and visually check everything (gaskets, poppets, dip tubes, etc), and scrub with bar keeper's friend anything that the PBW didn't get.
4. rinse well.
5. quick pressure test with star san spray over all connection areas
6. overnight pressure test with co2 tank regulator to check for slow leaks.

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I do the same. I sanitize with about 2 quarts of Starsan solution. I pour it in, close the keg and charge it with 20 PSI. I then connect a cobra tap and squirt some in the sink to make sure the inside of my dip tube is covered. Next I roll the keg on its side a few time then set it on its head. I wait a few minutes and then repeat the rolling and set right side up. After a couple minutes I pour the Starsan back in the bucket and I then depress the poppet on the beer out connector to drain the starsan there and turn it upside down in my sanitized (sprayed with starsan) stainless sink. It's ready for kegging or I drop the lid in some starsan and then pick it up, shake it, and put it back on and charge the keg with 20 pounds and put it away. It's ready to keg later.

gnef said:

i had thought that star san was mostly phosphoric acid, which is also in soda? isn't soda also a very low pH? i know bleach will pit stainless, but not so sure of phosphoric acid.

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Not really sure. It's just something I remember reading on this forum.

Anyone else know the REAL deal?

The makers of Star San claim it will only pit soft metals (not SS). I have left Star San in a keg for a few days, and didn't notice any pitting. But I am not any braver than that yet!

I've kept Star San in a keg for several months with no problem.

Buford said:

I've kept Star San in a keg for several months with no problem.

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same here - no problems with several month soak

Anyone use Oxy Free instead of PBW to clean their kegs? Will Oxy Free pit a keg if it soaks overnight?

I use a keg to store my starsan.....nada problemmo

ArroganceFan said:

Anyone use Oxy Free instead of PBW to clean their kegs? Will Oxy Free pit a keg if it soaks overnight?

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I've left it in a keg overnight a few times, with no issues. Beyond overnight, I couldn't say.

Anybody have any hints on cleaning or even stabilizing the nasty black rubber on the top and bottom of a corny? No matter how much I scrub, it ends up leaving black marks on absolutely everything it touches. It's as though the rubber is slowly breaking down, constantly shedding black on my hands and the floor.

The rubber contains volatile chemicals that slowly evaporate out of the rubber from day 1. For the first few years, the rubber stays as intended... durable & resilient throughout. After years of use/abuse (particularly UV exposure, oxidation, and harsh cleaning procedures) the composition of the rubber degrades significantly and you are left with a gummy mass of rubber with a hard shiny oxidized "skin" on the surface. Once you scrub away the "skin" the rubber is very sticky and attracts dirt like crazy.

One solution might be to clean it thoroughly and then use a silicone-based sealant (food-grade formulations exist). Most silicone formulas won't degrade the rubber (beware--many Armor-All type products actually do more damage to the rubber over the long term!)

EDIT - try Keg Lube on the surface of the rubber.

Star san will not pit stainless. The pH of coca cola is lower than star san.

That said, star san made with tap water that has some minerals in it can cause reactions that could pit stainless through galvanic corrosion according to another thread on here. If you're going to leave star san in your kegs for extended periods of time, make sure you use RO or distilled water. I have left star san in my kegs for months, no problems.

BlindLemonLars said:

I've left it in a keg overnight a few times, with no issues. Beyond overnight, I couldn't say.

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I forgot to ask what ratio you use? Do you just use the directions on the tub or do you use a specific amount?

ArroganceFan said:

I forgot to ask what ratio you use? Do you just use the directions on the tub or do you use a specific amount?

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I'm not too precise or scientific regarding measurements with oxiclean...probably about a third of a scoop in a keg. I find strong concentrations don't really clean any better, and are much harder to rinse off completely.