DIY Beer Line Cleaner

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GenIke said:
Do you have threaded disconnects?? It wouldn't be too bad to screw on a ball lock. Or just make a pinlock to ball lock jumper tube to use when you want to bottle something.
Click to expand...


One question, though -- if you're making a pin to ball lock jumper, wouldn't you need something like a pin lock post with a barbed end? What else could you use for the male pin lock side?
 
ong said:
One question, though -- if you're making a pin to ball lock jumper, wouldn't you need something like a pin lock post with a barbed end? What else could you use for the male pin lock side?
Click to expand...

Either threaded or barbed would be fine. You just need one end to be pin lock to hook up to your keg and the ball lock to hock to the carbonator cap.
 
I bought all the pieces required today at HomeDepot, but it seems everyone is having trouble with the Firestone post? Where is everyone ordering their posts from? It looks like brew masters is out of business...


Also when I take off the green cap the pump stops working?
 
You can get the post here

Does the pump work fully assembled? If it does it will work when you throw away the green parts and add the (LF)A-176 and the post.

And save the white plastic gasket from the original assembly. If you insert the wide end of that inside the A176 before threading it onto the sprayer, the other end will seal against the "trigger" plunger, making it functional...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
You can get the post here

Does the pump work fully assembled? If it does it will work when you throw away the green parts and add the (LF)A-176 and the post.

And save the white plastic gasket from the original assembly. If you insert the wide end of that inside the A176 before threading it onto the sprayer, the other end will seal against the "trigger" plunger, making it functional...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thank you ! I'll order from this site, it says 2-4 day shipping so I guess it's not shipping from China?

Yes it works, but I'm confused to as what plastic gasket your talking about ?

Thanks for the help btw
 
day_trippr said:
When you remove both of the green parts you'll find it inside.
It's part of the trigger-valve mechanism...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Ah ok the white pointy thing? It looks to be connected to the hose, I don't see how it's possible to remove it
 
I've been reading through this thread and it seems like just about everyone is hooking up the pump so that the cleaning solution runs in the same direction as the beer. This leads to potential problems with making sure you have the right threaded fitting to attach a ball lock post so that you can connect the liquid ball lock QD to the cleaning line.

My questions is: why not run the cleaning solution in the opposite direction? Then all you have to do is fit the tubing coming out the pump over the faucet. That way, you don't have to worry about getting the right threaded fitting.

If you have MFL connections, you can just unscrew the line from the liquid ball lock post and let it dump the cleaning solution back into the reservoir.

If you don't have MFL connections, you can use one of these:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/ball_lock_jumperpost.htm
It is a fitting that can accept a ball lock on each end and it depresses the poppet so that liquid can flow freely. You just put this in the liquid ball lock QD and that will let the cleaning solution flow back into the reservoir.

Or better yet, you could hook up 2 ball lock QDs to it and clean 2 beer lines at once without the need of a T fitting.

I was originally trying to figure out what fittings I would need to run the solution in the same direction as the beer and they started adding up. If you run the solution into the tap first, all you have to do is fit the tube over the faucet. Seems easier to me. Just a thought.
 
If using LLC (Liquid Line Cleaner) you want to have a sealed system. LLC is caustic and could spray out of a tube that was just simply shoved over the tap end. You DO NOT want caustic cleaners in your eyes!
That said, I have given up using this little line cleaner. I have since moved to using an empty keg. I mix up some LLC and push it through each line with an air compressor that I have a secondary (inline) regulator. You need LLC moving through the lines for 5 minutes. This works tremendously well. I place an old fermentor bucket under the tap and push on some old silicone hose leaving the other end draped into the bucket. (That end is never pressurized so no risk of leaks) I run the LLC through my taps, then rinse the keg with fresh water and do the same as above but with fresh, rinse water.
 
hezagenius said:
I've been reading through this thread and it seems like just about everyone is hooking up the pump so that the cleaning solution runs in the same direction as the beer. This leads to potential problems with making sure you have the right threaded fitting to attach a ball lock post so that you can connect the liquid ball lock QD to the cleaning line.



My questions is: why not run the cleaning solution in the opposite direction? Then all you have to do is fit the tubing coming out the pump over the faucet. That way, you don't have to worry about getting the right threaded fitting.



If you have MFL connections, you can just unscrew the line from the liquid ball lock post and let it dump the cleaning solution back into the reservoir.



If you don't have MFL connections, you can use one of these:

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/ball_lock_jumperpost.htm

It is a fitting that can accept a ball lock on each end and it depresses the poppet so that liquid can flow freely. You just put this in the liquid ball lock QD and that will let the cleaning solution flow back into the reservoir.



Or better yet, you could hook up 2 ball lock QDs to it and clean 2 beer lines at once without the need of a T fitting.



I was originally trying to figure out what fittings I would need to run the solution in the same direction as the beer and they started adding up. If you run the solution into the tap first, all you have to do is fit the tube over the faucet. Seems easier to me. Just a thought.
Click to expand...


You could do it this way.
 
We've had that discussion in this thread (a few times).
For whatever reasons the 5/8"-18 post and the 3/8" adapter do thread together enough that with a bit of tape it's a leak-free joint...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
We've had that discussion in this thread (a few times).

For whatever reasons the 5/8"-18 post and the 3/8" adapter do thread together enough that with a bit of tape it's a leak-free joint...



Cheers!
Click to expand...


Thanks! I figured it was answered, but I banged thru 20 pages and still couldn't find it. Shall build this soon!
 
Anyone else notice a sticker on the bottom of their sprayer that said something like "this product contains chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, end of the world, etc."?

I'm guessing it's just because of the brass fitting on the end of mine and it's referring to lead? (which we're replacing)

http://www.lowes.com/pd_36943-89543-5318_0__?productId=3711310#BVRRWidgetID
 
fwiw, the two sprayers I made into cleaning/rinsing machines were the same model as the OP's, and there were no warnings of any kind on them.

Of course, that could have been an oversight...

Cheers!
 
That is just California that requires that. And yes Brass does contain trace amounts of lead but I don't think you have to worry about any transfer. California will soon require that warning on all peoples bottoms also.
 
jerryk said:
That is just California that requires that. And yes Brass does contain trace amounts of lead but I don't think you have to worry about any transfer. California will soon require that warning on all peoples bottoms also.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I used to live in CA and I get the intent of the warnings, but those stickers have been slapped on so many things that they've defeated the purpose of even having them. Google prop 65 list and you can see everything on the list. My understanding is the prop 65 list doesn't even take dosage into consideration. If a product contains any chemical on the list, it has to include a warning. Makes no sense...I mean even water is toxic in the right dose.

I'm surprised there isn't a warning sign at the state line that reads "Warning: the State of California contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm."
 
glutarded-chris said:
NickG is correct! Missed this when I made a line cleaner with plastic carb caps and a special DIY line to switch from gas connector to liquid line connector. This is awesome, simple, inexpensive and negates all the previous discussion on this thread in my opinion.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Stai...ft-drink-PET-bottles-Homebrew/1773876108.html

Demonstration (beer line cleaning at the end of the video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQg8Qb3OS7U
Click to expand...

Ordered one of these from aliexpress a few weeks ago. Works GREAT!! Super simple. No hassle of finding the appropriate post size and needing/finding other fittings to make it work. All you need is the carbonation cap, a 2-liter PET bottle and a few inches of beer line. I keep two 2-liter bottles on hand. One with BLC and the other for rinsing with fresh clean water and then sanitizer.
 
Two questions:
1) what's everyone's cleaning procedure? (Also cleaning solution strength?)
2) do you store statsan or anything in the lines between kegs?

I just filled my pump with 1.5 tsp oxyfree solution (hot), ran that through the line twice, then ran three batches of fresh water through the line to rinse out the cleaner. Sound good enough?
 
What I've been doing is run a hot BLC solution through my lines after each keg. Let that sit in the lines while I disassemble and clean the faucet. I let the line full of BLC and my faucet and parts sit in a solution of BLC for 15 minutes. Reassemble and run hot, clean water through the line. Followed by a star-san solution. I then prime my empty 2 liter bottle with just CO2 and blow out the lines the best I can. Line sits like this until next keg is hooked up. Impossible, for me, to get all of the star-san out of the lines. So whatever is left after I blow CO2 through it stays there until the next keg. This procedure works well for me. No issues and my lines look as clean/clear as new.
 
Bsquared said:
I built one of these a while back too, but used a 1/4 male flare fitting alone. I only use 1/4 Flare disconnects (ball and pin) so I can connect directly to the line and don't have to have different adapters. I like to take my disconnects apart and give them a good soak after running a keg through them.

Cheap and easy line cleaner.
Click to expand...

Good idea, I'll try the direct flare fittings tomorrow.

I tried to do this today. Bought a 3/8 fpt-3/8 flare got home put the adapter on the sprayer, and then the post didn't fit. The posts are 9/16-18, and 3/8 flares are 5/8-18. How did you get them to fit? Did you just muscle them on?
 
Last edited:
BigTerp said:
Ordered one of these from aliexpress a few weeks ago. Works GREAT!! Super simple. No hassle of finding the appropriate post size and needing/finding other fittings to make it work. All you need is the carbonation cap, a 2-liter PET bottle and a few inches of beer line. I keep two 2-liter bottles on hand. One with BLC and the other for rinsing with fresh clean water and then sanitizer.
Click to expand...

Is running 1 - 2 liter bottle of cleaner through the line enough to clean it or do you do it multiple times?
 
I only run about a liter through the line, maybe even less. Once it runs clear (free of beer) I let it sit for the recommended 15 minutes. Seems to work fine.
 
I push the beer out first, then connect the line cleaner with hot BLC solution. I pump enough to get to and through the faucet, then let it sit for 15 minutes or so (longer if I'm doing other things around the house at the same time). Then I finish pumping the BLC through the line and faucet. I use one full batch (IIRC the cleaner holds 64oz), I do not run it through twice. If you clean your lines regularly the 15+ minute soak plus the pumping should get the job done (and if it doesn't then you're better off replacing the line).

After the BLC I run hot water through to rinse the BLC, followed by a little StarSan (using it as both a final acid rinse as well as for sanitization). I leave the StarSan in the line until I hook up the next keg, but I normally clean the lines when I'm ready for the next keg (as opposed to when the previous keg kicks) so it's usually only sitting in there for a couple of hours as most, and often much less.
 
I do pretty much the same as above. I only run enough BLC through the line to clear it of beer and then a few seconds more though. Disassemble my faucet and soak it in a small container of BLC for 15 minutes, and then scrub it and then rinse. Reassemble the faucet and then push hot water through the line and faucet to rinse the BLC. Then a final push of star-san through the line. I blow as much of the star-san out with CO2 as I can. The line then sits until the next keg is ready to hook up. Impossible, for me, to get all the star-san out so there is still some left in the line. Hasn't caused any problems for me so far.
 
A little residual StarSan in the line won't be detectable in terms of flavor; even if you had the whole line still filled with it you'd just pour off a half-pint or so once you hook up the keg and toss it.

(Even if the line was full of SS and it all backflushed into the keg you wouldn't taste it, and it wouldn't be at all harmful to you or the beer.)
 
Built mine as well

Works great !!!

Hardest part is finding a Post ! ( at a decent price )

Great Thread !!!

Thanks for all the great info !!!!!:ban:


S

IMG_4484.jpg
 

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