Clogged keg

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WDT

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Fresno
I just kegged AHS toasted coconut porter and now my keg is clogged with coconut flakes. I get a dribble out of the tap no matter what the pressure is set at. I haven't even had a full glass of beer (criminal!).

Can I depressurize, remove the dip tube, and clean? I was going to sanitize a nylon grain bag and tie it around the end of the dip tube for a filter. Then hook everything back up. Is that a bad idea?

Input please!
 
I can't speak to the nylon grain bag, but I know some folks do it.

As for the dip tube, yep you sure can. I've had to do it once or twice when hop gunk clogged up the tube. Just be clean, sanitize everything and watch for overflowing beer :)

-Joe
 
what works for me sometimes is to put a 'liquid out' connector on the end of my CO2 hose and force some CO2 down the dip tube. if there is a lot of sediment on the bottom, it may get clogged again, but it works sometimes.

they also sell dip tube screens, which are pretty much just a stainless steel screen tube that fits over the tube to keep hops and stuff out. you might look into that. a grain bag would work as a quick fix though.
 
Lesson here: don't let crap get into that keg in the first place. Rubber band some nylon stocking over your racking cane, sanitize, then rack from your fermentor to the keg. It's so much easier to deal with dry hop bits, coconut flakes, coffee etc in the fermentor than it is to fight them in the keg plumbing. My 2 cents.
 
I've experienced this once with hops debris clogging up the works. I ended up very carefully venting pressure from the keg, and while holding the pressure relief valve disassembling the liquid-out post. Once the post is off, I quickly removed the liquid-out dip tube, cleared the clog with a sanitized tubing brush, and reassembled the keg.

Unfortunately, it clogged again within one pour.

I repeated the venting/disassembly processes again. This time, before reassembling everything, I took my quick-connect apart and removed the pin and spring that shuts off the flow of liquid through the quick-connect when it is removed from the keg. Then, I attached the liquid-out post on the keg without the poppet. One problem with this is that as soon as you connect it to the keg, the system is "on" all the way to the faucet. If you wanted to remove the beer tubing, you would need to vent all pressure in the keg, then open your faucet to drain all the beer back into the keg. Once the beer drained back into the keg, you will need to carefully disconnect the quick-connect, then reassemble the poppet in the beer-out post and add the pin/spring back into the quick-connect.

It seemed to me that the clog was in the tubing at first, then at the poppet and quick-connect the second time. Pours after removing all of the shut-off portions of the quick-connect and keg post were smooth, but full of debris. After a half dozen or so pours, they started to clear up.
 
I once had a IIPA that was so horribly clogged with dry hops (pellets) that I had to rack the beer to a new keg to solve the problem.
 
Lesson here: don't let crap get into that keg in the first place. Rubber band some nylon stocking over your racking cane, sanitize, then rack from your fermentor to the keg. It's so much easier to deal with dry hop bits, coconut flakes, coffee etc in the fermentor than it is to fight them in the keg plumbing. My 2 cents.

Great idea, thanks.

Greetings from Fresno :mug:
 
I've experienced this once with hops debris clogging up the works. I ended up very carefully venting pressure from the keg, and while holding the pressure relief valve disassembling the liquid-out post. Once the post is off, I quickly removed the liquid-out dip tube, cleared the clog with a sanitized tubing brush, and reassembled the keg.

Unfortunately, it clogged again within one pour.

I repeated the venting/disassembly processes again. This time, before reassembling everything, I took my quick-connect apart and removed the pin and spring that shuts off the flow of liquid through the quick-connect when it is removed from the keg. Then, I attached the liquid-out post on the keg without the poppet. One problem with this is that as soon as you connect it to the keg, the system is "on" all the way to the faucet. If you wanted to remove the beer tubing, you would need to vent all pressure in the keg, then open your faucet to drain all the beer back into the keg. Once the beer drained back into the keg, you will need to carefully disconnect the quick-connect, then reassemble the poppet in the beer-out post and add the pin/spring back into the quick-connect.

It seemed to me that the clog was in the tubing at first, then at the poppet and quick-connect the second time. Pours after removing all of the shut-off portions of the quick-connect and keg post were smooth, but full of debris. After a half dozen or so pours, they started to clear up.

I might try this too. Thanks!
 
Greetings from Fresno :mug:

You must be a Worthog. I've been to a handful of their meetings (great club, I love the way they run things) but the commute is a little long from Visalia -- and those meetings start early! :drunk:

I go to TCHOPS meetings now. Much closer to home and I can buy 50 lb sacks of 2 row from Brewbakers for $40 out the door.
 
Nice! I didn't know brewbakers sold stuff like that. Next time i'm down in v-town i'll have to stop by. Thanks!
 
Don't mean to bump an old thread that has basically been solved, but I have the same issue currently going on with a cider. Theoretically, I can depressurize the keg it's in, and then re-siphon it into a different keg using some sort of filter like nylon stocking? I just want to double check before I do something foolish and ruin a perfectly delicious batch of cider that I've barely tasted.

Thanks
J
 
That's what I'd do. Sanitize all the racking equip and flush the new keg with CO2 and transfer. Easy fix.
 
excellent. thanks for the quick feedback. I was worried that since the keg was already carbonated there would be an issue. At least I have something to do on my day off now...

Thanks
J
 
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