Line cleaning advice

I've started kegging recently, and I generally love it. However, the one task that gives me some trouble is cleaning the beer line. My process just sucks, and I end up with at least as much cleaner on the kegerator and the floor around it as I get through my line. I know a large part of the problem is the 1qt squeeze bottle I'm trying to use to force the cleaner through the line. It came with my kegerator, and the nozzle is just a little too wide to fit into the line; I believe it's intended for sanke fittings. The only thing I see for cleaning equipment on the big supply shops is $60 pump bottle, which just seems outrageous. What do most people use to actually run the cleaner through their lines? Am I supposed to be forcing the cleaner in through the tap end or keg end of the line?

The other frustration is that I haven't been able to figure out a way to send liquid through the ball-lock disconnect when it isn't attached to a keg post. I end up having to pull the line off every time I want to clean, which is kind of a pain with a barb connection. Is this just a compelling argument for going threaded instead of barbed, or is there something I'm missing?

It seems like this process should be much easier than I'm making it, so I would definitely appreciate any sage advice.

I bought an $8 garden sprayer at Home Depot, the kind you pump to pressurize, and fitted a ball lock post on the end of the hose.

^ that's a great idea!

I just put hot PBW mix in a keg, pressurize it and run it through the lines. When it's empty, I open it, rinse it, put starsan in it and run it through the lines again. Then I hook it up to the new keg, clean and sanitized. You need to clean the keg that just kicked anyway, may as well take care of the lines while you're at it.

A couple times a year, I disassemble the whole keg for cleaning. Stuff does get in the crevices of the posts and seals....

Honestly, I probably should clean my lines more often. I always say, "When the next keg kicks I'll clean them all!" Of course, my three kegs all seem to kick within a week or two of each other, they get cleaned the first time, don't want to clean them again so soon, and then it's several months before one blows.

Shooter said:

Honestly, I probably should clean my lines more often. I always say, "When the next keg kicks I'll clean them all!" Of course, my three kegs all seem to kick within a week or two of each other, they get cleaned the first time, don't want to clean them again so soon, and then it's several months before one blows.

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Yeah, I'm way more prone to not clean the line if I'm just going from a pale ale to an IPA or another similar beer. But smoked beers, spiced beers...I'm anal about cleaning the lines and kegs asap. I have a line that still imparts cinnamon into the first pour of a beer even though I've cleaned it many times. My pumpkin ale's spirit lives on I guess!

I love your sig line btw...

BLC (beer line cleaner) works fantastic. I just use an empty keg and mix up about 2 quarts of the stuff per instructions and push it through the lines until it comes out the faucet and let it sit for 30 min, flush it out with fresh cleaner and repeat. Everything is visibly clean after the second soak. With the remainder Flush it out until the "cleaner keg" kicks. Then refill the cleaner keg with cold water and rinse out the lines. I've had yeasty garbage sitting in the lines for a couple weeks and it washed right out.

Many of us built these and love 'em. Inexpensive and easy to build, don't use CO2, hold more than enough to clean at least a six faucet rig (my experience), are easy to use (and thus more likely you'll actually use 'em more often ) and don't tie up a keg (which have hit $70 at one of my LHBSes. Yikes!)

What's not to love!

Cheers!

Great! This stuff is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you!

day_trippr said:

Many of us built these and love 'em.

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I built one of these and mine leaks like crazy around the plastic threads where the liquid post screws onto the sprayer. If I pump furiously, I can get a slow flow of cleaner through the line (while liquid is simultaneously leaking out of the threads), but it's a real pain in the rear. I'm open to suggestions if anyone else has had the same problem and somehow solved it.

I use CO2 to push PBW and StarSan through the lines as part of my standard keg cleaning and sanitizing procedure.

kombat said:

I built one of these and mine leaks like crazy around the plastic threads where the liquid post screws onto the sprayer. If I pump furiously, I can get a slow flow of cleaner through the line (while liquid is simultaneously leaking out of the threads), but it's a real pain in the rear. I'm open to suggestions if anyone else has had the same problem and somehow solved it.

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Did you not use the recommended brass adapter and Firestone liquid post?

Cheers!

I love the ingenuity, but C02 isn't very expensive and using it to push a small amount of cleaning solution from the keg through the line isn't going to cost more then a few cents. The cleaner will certainly cost more.

Edit: I recognize that some people think this requires a spare keg, but if you clean your lines like most people, you're doing it right after a keg has kicked- right? Don't you need to clean that keg anyway? This actually kills two birds w/ one stone. Cleaning/Sanitizing the line...and the keg.

jbaysurfer said:

I just put hot PBW mix in a keg, pressurize it and run it through the lines. When it's empty, I open it, rinse it, put starsan in it and run it through the lines again.

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That's my method as well.

kombat said:

I built one of these and mine leaks like crazy around the plastic threads where the liquid post screws onto the sprayer. If I pump furiously, I can get a slow flow of cleaner through the line (while liquid is simultaneously leaking out of the threads), but it's a real pain in the rear. I'm open to suggestions if anyone else has had the same problem and somehow solved it.

Click to expand...

Teflon tape?

ArcaneXor said:

I use CO2 to push PBW and StarSan through the lines as part of my standard keg cleaning and sanitizing procedure.

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I've been using an alkaline cleaner (BLC) for my lines. I'd want to make sure that would be safe to run through the keg as well (I'm sure it probably is, but I don't know enough about how stainless and alkaline get along). The other problem with that approach is that I would like to be able to clean the lines more often than I change kegs. I've noticed that when a keg lasts for more than a couple of weeks, I start to get an off taste and my tap likes to stick.

beertroll said:

I've been using an alkaline cleaner (BLC) for my lines. I'd want to make sure that would be safe to run through the keg as well (I'm sure it probably is, but I don't know enough about how stainless and alkaline get along). The other problem with that approach is that I would like to be able to clean the lines more often than I change kegs. I've noticed that when a keg lasts for more than a couple of weeks, I start to get an off taste and my tap likes to stick.

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I've cleaned my beer lines several times. I have stainless faucets too, no off flavors yet from BLC. Do yourself a favor and upgrade to perlicks if you haven't already. One of the best kegging investments i've made. No more sticking faucets.

jbaysurfer said:

[…]
Edit: I recognize that some people think this requires a spare keg, but if you clean your lines like most people, you're doing it right after a keg has kicked- right? Don't you need to clean that keg anyway? This actually kills two birds w/ one stone. Cleaning/Sanitizing the line...and the keg.

Click to expand...

Since using the little pump cleaner is so convenient, I occasionally clean lines between keg kicks - like after returning from a lengthy trip, or I just get the urge. And with all 14 kegs non-empty, as is usually the case, I just as usually wouldn't have an alternative.

Aside from that, I always break down a freshly kicked keg to clean it, and don't think BLC is best for that job...

Cheers!

beertroll said:

I've been using an alkaline cleaner (BLC) for my lines. I'd want to make sure that would be safe to run through the keg as well (I'm sure it probably is, but I don't know enough about how stainless and alkaline get along). The other problem with that approach is that I would like to be able to clean the lines more often than I change kegs. I've noticed that when a keg lasts for more than a couple of weeks, I start to get an off taste and my tap likes to stick.

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PBW is an alkaline cleaner as well. You shouldn't have any issues cleaning stainless with either alkaline or acidic cleaners.

I typically push PBW or Oxyclean through my lines. I've tried BLC before, but didn't see any added benefit for the extra cost. When a keg kicks I'll clean it out, fill it up with hot PBW, flush my lines, and chase with starsan. I'm also planning to rig up my gas lines to the keg and clean them. Sometimes the check valves can get sticky and need a cleaning. Rather than break down the whole thing I'll swap out the MFL connection on the OUT post to the gas lines. Again chase with startsan, followed by a blow down with CO2.

day_trippr said:

Since using the little pump cleaner is so convenient, I occasionally clean lines between keg kicks - like after returning from a lengthy trip, or I just get the urge. And with all 14 kegs non-empty, as is usually the case, I just as usually wouldn't have an alternative.

Aside from that, I always break down a freshly kicked keg to clean it, and don't think BLC is best for that job...

Cheers!

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You're a better man then I! One nice thing about my system though is that you can use it to clean all your lines even if the keg on that line is full. Just remove the ball lock and put it on your cleaning keg and run it through! I do dig that ingenuity though (pump cleaner)...whatever works works!

Alkaline beer line cleaners like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is what beer line cleaners use day to day. Stainless steal is perfectly safe but aluminum is not. According to the MSDS sheet aluminum will have an exothermic release of hydrogen possibly causing dangerous problems. You might also find it interesting that different states require different intervals of line cleaning, as one state would be every 7 days every line needs cleaning while the next state over could be every 21 days. I personally clean a beer line after every keg change but that may not be totally necessary

The little pump hooks right up to beer QDs and holds way more than enough to clean all six of my lines & faucets in one filling (6x 10' 3/16" ID lines plus six shanks and Perls = less than 12 ounces of cleaner). And I don't have to lug it in and out and in and out of my keezer to clean and rinse lines.

Cost about $12 to put together. Totally worth it...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

Many of us built these and love 'em. Inexpensive and easy to build, don't use CO2, hold more than enough to clean at least a six faucet rig (my experience), are easy to use (and thus more likely you'll actually use 'em more often ) and don't tie up a keg (which have hit $70 at one of my LHBSes. Yikes!)

What's not to love!

Cheers!

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I use the same fitting on a cheapie harbor freight pond pump in a 5 gal bucket with BLC and a silicon hose return from the tap. Circulate 15 min, run clean water through, voila!

Another DIY beer line cleaner advocate here. I built one for about 15 bucks and absolutely love it, I clean my lines every time I swap kegs. I like not having to worry about loosing C02 due to a poor seal on a keg while pushing cleaner through. Make sure you get the right post and use a healthy amount of teflon tape on the plastic threads (healthy means way more than you would normally use in a plumbing application). I havent had one leak yet and I've used it a ton, it is probably one of my favorite brewing 'tools'.

Cheers!