Cleaning My Kegerater

[Intimnasc]

I am building a kegerater when I get back from vacation and have no idea where to begin with cleaning and sanitizing. I would like to stick to PBW and Starsan since thats what I use in brewing and bottling. What is the best way to clean my kegs and lines before filling?

Can I just fill a keg with PBW and run it through the lines with CO2, then leave it in the lines for a few hours? Then do the same with Starsan only leave it for 15-20 minutes? Do I have to completely disassemble all the lines to cleaan them?

 

[Demus]

The way you described is pretty much how I do it. They do sell beer line cleaner that is specifically made to remove "beer stone", but I haven't needed it in over a year using PBW. As for the kegs, I only disassemble them after every 3 or 4 batches. In fact, if I've got a beer ready to keg right around the time one runs empty, I've been known to just let the pressure out of it, swish out the bottom with some boiled water, and keg away without cleaning or sanitizing. I figure if the keg was good tasty brew down to the last pint I know there's no "beasties" in there. I've done that at least 5 times with no ill effects....

PS- taps are a different story, they tend get "gunky" and stick. At least the standard ones. I hear the perlick type don't do that, if so I'd say they're worth the extra money...

 

[Intimnasc]

Sweet. I am upgrading to the regular Perlicks unless someone can sell me on the stainless. Not sure if the stainless is worth the extra 25 a tap to upgrade.

 

[RmikeVT]

I do the same thing as part of my cleaning/sanitizing of the keg before filling.