Cleaning a new keggle?

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wood7588

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Hello All,
I am in the process of converting a couple of kegs to a boil kettle and HLT. I have cut the tops off and wanted to know if there is a proper cleaning procedure to follow in cleaning them up and prepairing them for use. I have heard of people doing several things like a simple cleaning with Barkeepers Friend, boiling a full keg of water and white vinager, and boiling a keg full of water and Oxyclean then letting it sit over night and scrubbing. The kegs are a little dirty but they are not really encrusted with gunk. Do I need to go hardcore on these guys? Will this 'beerstone' stuff cause me problems down the road if I dont get it all out now? What have you done? Any advice would be great.
Thanks
 
stainless scrubies and oxy clean after each use and before the first use.... you should do a boil in it before you use it to test all your welds and all you equipt, but other than that your good to go.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE SURE THERE ARE HOLES IN THE ROLL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE KEG IF NOT DRILL SOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS CANNOT BE REITERATED (sp) ENOUGH!!! THEY WILL EXPLODE IF THERE ISEN'T HOLES IN THE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
JJ
 
Do not use any kind of metal scrubbing pad in a keggle or in any other stainless steel pot. You risk cutting through the protective chromium oxide layer, which encourages rust. Use those green scrub pads or similar, and Bar Keeper's Friend or a similar oxalic acid based cleaner.

Here is the reference you need to read: Appendix B - Brewing Metallurgy. I recommend you read the entire appendix. John Palmer's How to Brew is a must-read for all new brewers, IMO.
 
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